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Two adults smile as they sip refreshing beers on an outside patio by a roaring firepit in Vail, Colorado.

Things To Do: Winter

Nestled in the heart of the Rockies, Vail, Colorado, comes alive in winter with a vibrant mix of alpine adventure and après-ski energy. Snowy days invite everything from snowshoeing and ice skating to scenic gondola rides, while the villages buzz with live music, cozy cafés, fire pits, and festive events once the sun goes down. Whether you’re sipping cocktails after a day in the snow, exploring charming pedestrian streets, or soaking in the mountain atmosphere without ever clicking into skis, Vail delivers a winter experience that’s as social and spirited as it is scenic. Come discover the magic of winter in Vail, where mountain moments and memorable après-ski scenes define the season.
On Vail Mountain in Colorado, an uphill skier treks towards the top of top of a ski run with a bluebird sky, evergreens and bare aspen in the background.
An uphill skier on Vail Mountain in Colorado preps their gear for the downhill journey.

Vail Mountain Uphill Access
Snow streaks across the rugged summit of Mount of the Holy Cross, an impressive 14er mountain near Vail, Colorado.
Snow streaks across the rugged summit of Mount of the Holy Cross, an impressive 14er mountain near Vail, Colorado.

Climb a 14er in Colorado With Vail as Your Base
The snow-covered peaks surrounding Vail, Colorado, glow blue and white as evening falls as the villages are lit with warm lights.
The snow-covered peaks surrounding Vail, Colorado, glow blue and white as evening falls as the villages are lit with warm lights.

Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway
A group of three friends takes a break from riding e-bikes near Vail, Colorado, at an overlook with stunning mountains and an evergreen forest in the background.
A couple rides e-bikes on an open Colorado trail with mountains in the background near Vail.

E-Bike Rentals in Vail
An adult and child smiles as they whiz down a snowy slope on a inner tube near Vail, Colorado.
Two adults pose with three children at the top of a snow tubing hill called "Squatch's Wild Slide" near Vail, Colorado.

Winter Sledding & Snow Tubing in Vail
friends having dinner at Sweet Basil
friends having dinner at Sweet Basil

Colorado Food Tours Through Vail
Two girls having drinks at Bad Kitty Lounge in Vail, Colorado.
Cocktail is held up in the air as bright red lights illuminate the background

Bars & Nightlife
couple at root and flower having drinks
couple having a fun time dining

Romantic Restaurants & Fine Dining in Vail
Plate of fresh waffles covered in berries and powdered sugar with a coffee on the side.
big plate of fresh fruit, yogurt and granola with a glass of orange guide on the side.

Brunch in Vail
A group of smiling people hiking in a grassy field with lavender wildflowers in the mountains at sunset in Vail.
A group of people walkthrough a grassy meadow with mountains in the background. The setting sun creates a golden glow on the grass.

Hiking in Vail
A waterfall flowing through a wooded area.
A rock garden with a waterfall.

Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
Three mountain gondola cars hang above snowy pine trees during winter.
Three mountain gondola cars hang above snowy pine trees during winter.

Scenic Gondola
View from behind of a family of two adults and two children wearing cowboy hats and looking through a wood fence at a pasture with two horses in it, at 4 Eagle Ranch in Vail, Colorado.
View from behind of a family of two adults and two children wearing cowboy hats and looking through a wood fence at a pasture with two horses in it, at 4 Eagle Ranch in Vail, Colorado.

Vail Ranch Experiences & Stables
Group of three women horseback riding through a green meadow near Vail, Colorado.
A girl and horse posing for picture at Vail Stables in Colorado.

Vail Horseback Riding
Friends having a picnic on vail mountain
Friends having a picnic on vail mountain

Best Decks on Vail Mountain
Snowboarder riding down Vail Mountain
Three skiers glide down a powdery slope on Vail Mountain on a bluebird day.

Vail Skiing & Snowboarding
glamping tents exterior with sunburst and picnic table in foreground
woman and two children walking through forest

Camping Near Vail, Colorado
close up man holding a fly fishing rod at sunset
Man and son fly fishing in a scenic stream

Fishing in Vail
A woman doing yoga on Piney Lake
A person in a plank pose smiles as a goat sits on their back during goat yoga at Vail Stables

Yoga in Vail
Woman holds two large, colorful plates of food at a farm-to-table dinner in Vail, Colorado.
family sits around a table full of food near a scenic river during a farm-to-table dinner in Vail

Farm-to-Table Dinners in Vail
A person reaches for a white paper bag filled with ripe peaches at Vail Farmers' Market & Art Show. The bag is surrounded by numerous other bags of peaches at a farm stand.
A crowd of people shop at Vail Farmer's Market and Art Show in Vail, Colorado. It's summer and grassy-green mountainsides stand behind Vail Village structures.

Vail Farmers' Market & Art Show
A family of four wearing ski gear smile at the top of Vail Mountain with a snowcapped mountain range in the background.
Skiing fresh powder in the Back Bowls at Vail

Vail Mountain Tours
A family of five dines outside in the bright afternoon sun in Vail, Colorado.
A family of five dines outside in the bright afternoon sun in Vail, Colorado.

Family-Friendly Restaurants in Vail
A group of huskies prance and smile as they pull a dogsled through the snow near Vail, Colorado.
A group of huskies prance and smile as they pull a dogsled through the snow near Vail, Colorado.

Vail Dog Sledding
young girl looks up at the sun light coming through the trees in an alpine forest

Camps for Kids in Vail
A child romps and explores the hidden spots of Sunbird Park in Vail, Colorado.
A child romps and explores the hidden spots of Sunbird Park in Vail, Colorado.

Vail Parks & Playgrounds
Group of friends snow shoeing in winter in Vail
Group of friends snowshoes across from Vail Mountain

Snowshoeing in Vail
A family mountain bikes along a singletrack trail in Vail, Colorado.

Family-Friendly Biking in Vail
A woman in a white outfit dances through tall grass at the top of Vail Mountain at sunset. Light glimmers through the clouds above.
A couple poses for a selfie near Vail, Colorado, with a pack of llamas with a thick forest of evergreen trees in the background.

Top Vail Photography Spots
family on a sunny mountain hillside

Nature Discovery Center on Vail Mountain
back coutry skier hikes up mountain with dog in Vail, Colorado
backcountry skier skis across mountain side in Vail Colorado

Vail Backcountry Skiing
Family looking at wildflowers
Family walking on trail

Family-Friendly Hikes in Vail
Two people lay on a picnic blanket on a dock in Vail. A canoe is floating in the water near them on a clear lake and mountains are in the background
Piney Falls in Vail cascades down rocks surrounded by green vegetation

Vail Lakes & Waterfalls
Girl holding up elk antlers with parents

Vail Nature Center
exterior of the Town of Vail Public Library on a summer day
exterior of the Town of Vail Public Library on a summer day

Vail Public Library
Clock Town in Lionshead village in winter
white decorative lights illuminate the Arrabelle ice rink in Lionshead village, Vail

Lionshead Village
Vail Village is lit up with holiday lights as snow dusts the area in white.

Vail Village

Vail Whitewater Rafting
The scene of Piney Lake at Piney River Ranch near Vail, Colorado, with the calm waters of a lake framed by trees and mountains in the background.

Piney River Ranch Near Vail
A group of skiers standing next to a snowcat in Vail, some climbing aboard.
A snowcat rolls across the snow in Vail with trees in the background.

Vail Snowcat Skiing
A contemporary bronze sculpture of a ski racer is dusted with snow with the ski runs of Vail Mountain in the background.
A contemporary bronze sculpture of a ski racer is dusted with snow with the ski runs of Vail Mountain in the background.

Art in Public Places
Two people stand-up paddleboarding on a lake near Vail, Colorado, with mountains in the background
Two people stand-up paddleboarding on a lake near Vail, Colorado, with mountains in the background

Stand-Up Paddleboarding in Vail
fall mountain biking in vail
fall mountain biking in vail

Vail Mountain Biking
A couple wearing brightly colored winter jackets ride fat-tire bikes in the snow around Vail, Colorado. There are white mountains and evergreen trees in the background.
A couple wearing brightly colored winter jackets ride across a wooden bridge on fat bikes in the snow near Vail, Colorado. Behind them are forested mountains covered in snow.

Fat Biking Trails in Vail
A family of four are wearing light winter fleece jackets and knit hats as they cross-country skiing through a tunnel of bare aspens in Vail, Colorado.
A person in a blue jacket is cross-country skiing across a snowy path with trees and snowcapped mountains in the background in Vail.

Vail Cross-Country Skiing
A woman at Vail Golf Club takes a swing and watches her golf ball go into the hole as a male golfer looks on. Evergreen trees rise up on a ridge behind them.
A woman at Vail Golf Club takes a swing and watches her golf ball go into the hole as a male golfer looks on. Evergreen trees rise up on a ridge behind them.

Golf in Vail
A kayaker in an orange-red kayak paddles through whitewater rapids near Vail, Colorado.
An athlete paddles through whitewater conditions during the GoPro Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado.

Kayaking in Vail, Colorado
A person in a silver helmet, goggles and a black winter jacket rides a snowmobile through a snowy field near Vail, Colorado.
Two people sit on snowmobiles amid a snowy, alpine landscape near Vail, Colorado.

Snowmobiling in Vail
Two horses running and pulling a carriage through the snow in Vail.
family sleigh riding in the winter in vail

Vail Sleigh Rides
A family of five stands close together with their arms around each other as they watch a blazing sunset on a rocky outcropping in Vail, Colorado.
An adult and two children in helmets ride mountain bikes down a paved path in Vail. A brown footbridge is seen behind them.

Top Things to Do in Vail in Summer
family enjoys sunny skies while siting on a park bench in Vail village
young girl jumps from rock to rock in a vail park

Family Fun: What To Do in Vail in Summer
Two little girls stare in wonder at the holiday lights at a Vail ice rink.
A family ice skates in Vail, Colorado

Vail Ice Skating
A crowd of people gathers for an outdoor concert in Vail Village. Yellow lights glow in storefronts, the sun sets behind a dark peak and purple spotlights light up the stage where a band plays.
A crowd gathers for a concert at night under the white-peaked tents of the Gerald R Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado

Featured 2024 Events
People riding the Forest Flyer Mountain Coaster down the mountain
A man and child ride a mountain coaster during summer in Vail, Colorado, with mountains and trees in the background.

Vail Epic Discovery Activities
People drive in an open-air side-by-side through a grassy, high-mountain meadow on off-roading tour near Vail, Colorado.
Two side-by-side off-roaders cruise along an alpine dirt track with towering peaks in the distance near Vail, Colorado.

Vail ATV Tours & Off-Road Jeep Adventures
People walk around at sunset over Bridge Street in downtown Vail. Snow is on the rooftop of the building
Two people look into a jewelry store window from the street in Vail, colorful Christmas trees glow in the background.

Art Galleries in Vail
Dad and daughter wearing winter jackets and hats ice skate in Vail
Ice skating family wearing winter coats and hats laughs on snowy day in Vail

Winter Kids Activities in Vail
conductor leads orchestra at Bravo Vail event

Bravo! Vail
a group of friends having drinks
a group of friends having drinks

Ski-Town Nightlife
A couple wearing winter jackets stops in front of a store display to window shop in the Vail village. In the background, there is snow on the ground and a tree is lit with white lights.
A couple walks arm in arm along the snowy streets of Vail, Colorado, looks at different store fronts.

Winter Shopping in Vail
A couple in the sauna

Health & Fitness in Vail
Two people rock climb on a textured rock near vail
An adventurer reaches the top of a rock climbing route over a scenic river valley near Vail, Colorado.

Rock Climbing in Vail
Two dancer leap into the air at a vail dance festival performance

Vail Dance Festival
A vibrant Lionshead Village in Vail
A vibrant Lionshead Village in Vail

Lionshead Live
Black and white photo of a man and woman on skis in front of a mountain.
historic photos of a 10th mountain division soldier skiing down a snowy face

Colorado Snowsports Museum in Vail

SNAPSHOTS OF VAIL

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Outdoor yoga class with mountain backdrop in Vail. Several class members sit on yoga mats on the ground with their legs crossed and hands together over their hearts.

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