Headed to Vail with the family this winter, but don’t want to ski all day everyday? Well, you’re in luck. There are plenty of other activities to do in the small mountain town for a lot less than the price of a ski pass. Ski passes are now up to $229 per day!!! WOW who would have ever thought it would reach that price!?! And on top of that, you possibly have to rent gear, sign up for lessons, and pay for food on the mountain. EEEKK! That adds up real quick! Cheap Things to do in Vail Colorado in the Winter besides Skiing
You know, they say that a family of 4 will spend $10,000 on a week’s trip to Vail! 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ Why not save some money a couple of days and try an activity other than downhill skiing? Here’s a list of cheaper things to do in Vail Colorado in winter besides skiing.
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Snowshoeing in and around Vail
Save money on a ski pass one day and try snowshoeing at several great locations throughout the Vail Valley. It’s a great alternative to skiing that will keep you active (yes, it’s a lot harder than you think!) while still taking in those fresh pine smells and enjoying the stunning snowy surroundings. Here are a few places to snowshoe in Vail Colorado.
- Tennessee Pass Nordic Center: Although a bit further away from town, if you’re a snowshoeing fan, you’ve got to check out Tennessee Pass! You can snowshoe to a restaurant and yurts that were originally used by the 10th Mountain Division. The yurts are available for nightly rent in summer and winter. Tennessee Pass Nordic Center is located 30 min away from Vail, right by Ski Cooper mountain and Leadville.
- Meadow Mountain: What was once an old ski mountain, Meadow Mountain is a favorite spot of locals. Exit I-70 heading West and the parking lot for Meadow Mountain will be immediately on your right side once you’ve passed until the overpass. The trail is 9-miles out-and-back but you can turn around at any point. You’ll see evidence of old cabins and corrals along the way.
- Vail Nordic Center: The Vail Nordic Center is located at the Vail Golf course, in East Vail. There’s over 6 miles of easy and medium difficult snowshoe trails with stunning views of the Gore mountain range. You can pick up rental gear right at the center, and they offer private or group lessons. The daily trail fee is $5 and discounted multi-day trail passes are also available.
Other places to rent gear are Sun & Ski Sports, Breeze Sports, or Christy Sports. A snowshoe package typically costs $25 – $30.
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Ice Skating in Vail
There are several ice rinks throughout the valley for you to choose from. The centerpiece of Beaver Creek village is an ice rink. If you have your own skates, it only costs $5 to hit the ice. Or, you can rent them on location for $15 including entrance. Similarly, there’s an ice rink in the heart of Vail Village right in front of the Solaris. There’s another ice rink in Lionshead. You can also head over to Dobson Ice Arena and skate indoors when the Vail Yeti hockey team isn’t training. Lastly, once Nottingham Lake in Avon freezes over and you can hit the ice there too! Admission is free and rentals are $8.
Horseback Riding at 4 Eagle Ranch
Horses don’t hibernate, so neither should you! Head out to 4 Eagle Ranch, about 30 minutes from Vail Village to go horseback riding across the ranch. You’ll admire stunning views of Sawatch Range, Castle Peak, and Red and White Mountain. The stables are open 7 days a week and offer 1-hour and 2-hour guided tours. This is an activity for the whole family! A 1-hour horseback riding adventure costs $85.
4 Eagle Ranch also offers a unique experience to go sleigh riding to a cabin on the ranch for dinner. The cost of a sleigh ride and dinner is $90 for adults and $55 for kids.
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Cross-Country Skiing at Vail Nordic Center
Once the time of year comes when snow covers the Vail Golf Club, it becomes the official Vail Nordic Center. Groomed daily, you can glide along 10 miles of daily-groomed cross-country skiing tracks. Day passes are $18 and gear rentals are $27.
Fat Tire Biking
Whoever said winter wasn’t for cycling clearly hasn’t been to Vail! At the Vail Nordic Center, you can ride along 8 miles of groomed fat tire trails. Day passes are $18 and gear rentals are $27. You can also hit the miles and miles of biking trails that go from Vail all the way to Gypsum and beyond with your fat tire bike.
Ski Bike down Vail Mountain
After the lifts close to skiers and snowboarders, the adventurous souls head back out to hit the mountain for ski biking. It’s exactly as it sounds – a bike with skis on the bottom. Tours start at 5:00pm & 5:30pm at the top of the Lionshead Gondola and usually last 2 hours. NOTE: This activity is currently closed due to COVID restrictions.
Scenic Gondola Rides up Vail Mountain
Not a skier at all? Well guess what? You can still enjoy the stunning views of the mountains without having to strap on all the ski gear. From both Lionshead and Vail Village, you can take gondolas up the mountain to witness the beautiful Gore Range mountains. I promise you, it’s quite a different experience from above than it is down in the village. You’ll be able to see for miles and miles in either direction! Prices vary throughout the year, but it’s definitely cheaper than the cost of a full-day ski pass.
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Snow Tubing & Sledding in Vail
There are several places to go tubing through the Vail Valley. Head over to a Walmart in Avon to buy a tube and you can hit the hills on your own.
- Meadow Mountain is a popular local tubing spot in Minturn. Exit I-70 heading West and the parking lot for Meadow Mountain will be immediately on your right side once you’ve passed until the overpass.
- Beaver Creek: Head to the golf course where you’ll find a ton of fun small tubing hills! If you’re not staying here, I don’t recommend going to this area as you have to pay to park.
- Eagle: East Haystacker Hill is the best! It’s a pretty big hill, but has a long flat area at the bottom to keep sledders and tubers safe from the road.
- Eagle-Vail: West Eagle Vail Park has a great short and steep hill that perfect for a quick fix.
- Vail: Although closed right now due to COVID, normally you can take the Lionshead gondola up and go tubing at Eagle’s Nest Adventure Ridge. Adventure Ridge also features a ropes course and tobogganing.
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Colorado Snowsports Museum Hall Of Fame
Founded in Vail in 1976 as the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum, this free tourist attraction shows off the state’s extensive and unique ski industry. Now known as the Colorado Snowsports Museum, it’s also the Colorado Ski Hall Of Fame and features narrative displays, artifacts and films all commemorating Colorado’s skiing history.
The Best Shopping in Vail Valley
When people think of Vail, they just picture the adorable Swiss village at the bottom of the lifts. However, there are actually several small towns in the valley all with great shopping!
- Vail: Shopping in Vail Village is interesting, because you’ll experience a unique mix of cheap T-shirt shops and luxury ski wear chalets like world-famous Gorsuch. Although not even a pair of socks is affordable in Gorsuch, it’s so much fun to walk through the store and look at all the gorgeous items for sale.
- Avon: In Avon, you’ll find a few ski and adventure shops like Christy Sports and Sun & Ski, as well as a couple of high end furniture resale shops with a mountain cabin aesthetic. Also, one of my favorite shops of the valley is in Avon – Valleygirl Boutique.
- Beaver Creek: The village of Beaver Creek is just as charming as Vail Village if you’ve never visited. There are similar high-end shops, including another Gorsuch, but you’ll also find shops like Burton and Patagonia.
- Edwards: This is my favorite shopping area in the valley, as there are several affordable and trendy shops to walk around to, as well as some of my favorite eateries of the valley. Make sure to check out Ptarmigan Sports, Rouge Consigment Boutique, and Wild Heart.
- Minturn: Still holding on to its old Western mining town vibe, Minturn is a great area to pick up small souvenirs and trinkets. There’s one Main Street where all the shops and restaurants are located, but I definitely recommend wandering down the back alleys to see some of the cute, colorful old buildings. My favorite stores in town are The Scarab and Cathy’s Uptown Store.
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The Best Apres Skis in Vail
Vail locals and visitors alike are ALL ABOUT the Apres drinks. This year might look a little different, but there’s still a liveliness across the town from 3-5pm every day of the week. Here are my favorite Apres spots:
- The Ritz-Carlton at Bachelor Gulch: All the apres festivities happen outside around their several fireplaces. They have live music and a couple of bars to choose from. Drinks aren’t cheap but it’s definitely a fun ambience. They often give away free hot cocoa, cookies and candy for special occasions.
- Red Lion in Vail Village: This was THE spot for Apres, pre-COVID. Packed to the brim with people spilling out onto the patio, it was almost impossible to grab a seat, and if you did, you’d likely be shoulder to shoulder with a stranger. Well, this is obviously not the case anymore, but they still have live music and lots of food and drink options.
- Pepi’s in Vail Village: A bit more reserved and sophisticated than Red Lion, Pepi’s is another great spot to stop after hitting the slopes for drinks and live music!
- Maya at The Westin: The Mexican food spot at The Westin has a great happy hour from 2-4pm with tasty margs and tacos. There’s indoor and outdoor seating (with a tent) and they often have live music as well.
- Coyote Cafe in Beaver Creek village: My favorite spot in Beaver Creek is Coyote Cafe for their margs and chips. Although they don’t have live music, they do have a happy hour from 3-6pm
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Watch an Ice Hockey Game at Dobson Ice Arena in Vail
If you’ve never been to an ice hockey game before, Vail is the place to do it! It’s kind of a big deal around here! Head to Dobson Ice Arena, conveniently located in the heart of Vail to watch the Vail Yeti take on their biggest rivals, the Breckenridge Vipers. Dobson also hosts ice skating shows throughout the year.
Winter Fly Fishing in Vail
Yes, you read that right! You can fly fish in the the valley during Winter and the fishing is still great! While most of the rivers are frozen over in the heart of Vail, head West towards Eagle and Gypsum which are lower elevation and warmer year-round. There are great spots to winter fish along the Eagle River, Roaring Fork River, Colorado River, and Frying Pan.
If you need some fishing gear, head to Vail Valley Anglers to stock up. They also offer wading and float fishing tours with their professional guides. The cost for these begins at $158 per person.
Self-Guided Art Walk
Start in the Betty Ford Garden on the East side of Vail. Head West following this self-guided map to see over 45 art pieces stretching all the way to Lionshead, ranging from paintings to sculptures and even artistic playgrounds. The Art in Public Places (AIPP) program manages these pieces, and is one of many culturally oriented programs in the Vail Valley. Pre-COVID, the program would offer guided tours, which they’ll hopefully resume again in the future.
See a Performance at Vilar
Located in the heart of Beaver Creek, the Vilar Performing Arts Center is a 530-seat theater, owned and operated by the Vail Valley Foundation. You can experience musicals, comedy shows, dances, bands, films and much more all year long. They bring in world-class talent to perform in this small town, like Jay Leno, The Beach Boys, and Judy Collins. They are still open during COVID, but operating with only about 50 attendees per event.
A Couple More Acitivities to do in Vail that aren’t as Cheap…
Snowmobiling at Vail Pass
If you have your own snowmobile, head back East along I-70 until you get to the top of the mountain where you’ll likely see a bunch of snowmobilers on the right side of the highway. This is Vail Pass, also known as Shrine Mountain with 100’s of miles of snowmobiling trails. There are actually cabins at the top of Shrine Pass that you can snowmobile to and stay the night.
If you don’t have your own snowmobiles, not to worry! Vail Backcountry Tours offers 2-hour, half-day and full-day tours. Even if you frequent Vail, this is still an adventure worth checking out as they’ll take you through backcountry you didn’t know was right behind the stunning Gore mountain range! A 2-hour tour costs $190, so still less than a 1-day lift ticket!
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The Best Spas in Vail
If you’re not a frequent skier, those slopes will do work on your legs after a couple of days of bumping and grinding down the moguls and pushing yourself along the cat trails. What better way to recoup that soaking in some warm water and getting pampered? Vail, being the elite resort it is, has several spas throughout the valley to fix any aches and pains you’re experiencing.
- Spa Anjali at The Westin: My favorite spa in the valley is this spa at the Westin. Featuring 14 treatment rooms, a full-service salon and a world-class Athletic Club, you are invited to step into a world of extraordinary wellness.
- The Four Seasons Vail: This spa offers relaxing pools, meditation gardens and resting rooms along with their wide array of spa treatments. The Four Seasons Vail is also known for its hot chocolate so make sure to pick up a cup of that before you leave.
- RockResorts Spa: They are only offering massages and body treatments only at this time and are working to bring back facials and nail services soon. Unfortunately, their steam rooms, suanas, showers and hot tubs are all closed due to COVID.
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RECAP: Things to do in Vail Colorado in the Winter besides Skiing
- Snowshoe the Great Outdoors
- Where to Ice Skate in Vail
- Horseback Riding at 4 Eagle Ranch
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Fat Tire Biking
- Ski Bike down Vail Mountain
- Scenic Gondola Rides
- Snow Tubing & Sledding in Vail
- Colorado Snowsports Museum Hall Of Fame
- The Best Shopping in Vail
- The Best Apres Skis in Vail
- Watch an Ice Hockey Game at Dobson Ice Arena in Vail
- Winter Flyfishing in Vail
- Self-Guided Art Walk
- See a Performance at Vilar
- Snowmobiling at Vail Pass
- The Best Spas in Vail
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An hour away from Vail, you can check out the colorful old mining town of Leadville.
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I’m not a big skier so it’s great that you can do a lot of other things in Vail besides that.
Loooove this because I am not a skier haha.
What a wonderfully extensive list of things to do in Vail. It’s so expensive to ski everyday so this is a great way to get out in the mountains without shelling out for a lift ticket every day.
Loving this insightful post . I can’t wait to visit and try skiing and other activities.