I was just given a free trip to Vail in November 8-12 from my sister-in-law. Wife and I will be going. I really don't know much about the area other than mountains and skiing. We are not skiers but we do like the outdoors. We like to hike, fish, and see beautiful scenary. I am a little worried about what the weather will be like this time of year. We also like good (not $$$$) restaurants. We usually like to eat at places that locals visit as oppose to tourist type places. We are staying at the Sheraton Vista Mountain and we will have a rental car from Denver Airport. Any suggestions for things to do, see, and where to dine would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

dffisher,

I don't think Vail will have started their ski season by then. Usually most western resorts open the weekend before Thanksgiving, snow allowing. That said, there will be snow so go prepared.

Vail is a VERY expensive place, but there are some less costly restaurants. You may find a fair number of them closed pre-season. That's usually the slow time when restaurants close for vacations before the busy ski season starts.

Some locals who visit more often the I do can probably recommend some reasonable dining for you.

Have fun

PS - you will also miss the beautiful golden aspens. Leaves will be long gone by early November, but the mountains are awesome all year long. Hiking may need to become a snowshoeing adventure!

Vail should be running by that time. The whole mountain will not be open. Most of the Colorado ski areas try to open on a limited bases during the last half of October.

You will be in the shoulder season but should be able to find some dinner deals especially early bird. Very little local dining in Vail. A little west is Minturn which has more of a local flavor. But generally it is fairly expensive in that area.

Weather can be very iffy. Sometimes we get a lot of snow in Nov (last couple of years) and some years we don't. If there is any snow, most of the hiking is out. But a day trip to Glenwood Springs and world larges hot tub would be fun with great scenery inbetween. A loop through Leadville would work. And Breckenridge/Frisco would have more reasonable restaurants.

Georgetown and Idaho Spring either coming or going would have some local flavor. Nice microbrewery in Idaho Springs.

Go eat in Edwards, about 15 minutes down the road from Vail. Really cute town with several restaurants. Can't recommend any because I don't remember the names, have been there a few times but friends who live there just brought me to places.

Thanks everyone for the input so far. Looking on the map, I can't seem to locate Idaho Springs, where is it? Also, I know from other readings that there are some very scenic drives that can be done. I have read about the loop through Leadville and I will be making that one. Other drive suggestions would be great. Also, how far away is Mesa Verde or the area where the landscape changes dramatically to buttes and bluffs? Finally, would RMNP be too far to go to with only 4 days? Thanks for all the help.

Idaho Springs is on I70 about an hour from Denver. Cute little town--you might drive through it on the business 70.
RMNP would be kind of a "hike"--it is north from Denver. Theoretically you could drive up there, through the Park and down the other side, hitting I70 at Silverthorne/Dillon, about an hour from Vail at that point. It would take your first day.
You might enjoy driving over to Aspen for a day--2 hours west of Vail.

Idaho Springs is just in the foothills maybe ten miles of the Denver metro area. On I-70 just west of the intersection of Co 119. It might take an hour from airport IF the traffic was bad but more likely closer to 30 minutes.

Driving through RMNP from the east side (airport side) would depend on Trail Ridge Road being open which could be closed by that time. If you come down the west side of RMNP you would join I-70 just east of Georgetown (not Silverthorne) which is about an hour from Vail.

If Trail Ridge is open, you could continue west on US 40 through Hot Sulfur Springs and turning south at Kremmiling on Hwy 9 to join I-70 at Sliverthorne/Dillion as Gretchen suggested. At that point you are only 35 miles from Vail and a quick 30 minute drive. This route would run you through Arapahoe National Forest. That is a fairly isolated run so be sure the weather is good from Kremmiling south.

The "local" communities around Vail are Miniturn and Edwards, both on US 6. Miniturn is about 15 mins west on US 6 and Edwards is good 30 minutes on US 6 on the west side of Avon/Beaver Creek. US 6 parallels I-70 through that area and both Miniturn and Edwards can be reached via i-70. The Country Club in Miniturn (name only, nothing to do with golf) is a local steak house. Select your steak for the meat case and cook it yourself on the grill. Even with you doing most of the work, it is not cheap. I will try to remember some names for Edwards. One of the best local hangout in Avon was the Brass Parrot but it was gone this year. Great ribs for $12 but maybe that is why they are gone.

Here is what I am thinking for the Vail trip. Arrive in Denver Airport November 8 at 9:30 a.m. Pick up rental car and head Idaho Springs. Walk around there and then have lunch at the Micro Brewery (I think it is called Tommy Knockers). Drive to hotel and check in (I said it was in Vail, but it is actually in Avon on the west side). Check out this area late Saturday afternoon, have a cook in dinner. Are City Market and Chef’s Corner good places to buy food to cook? Sunday, leave early for a day trip that I read about from Tekwriter. Here is the trip suggested: Drive I-70 through Glenwood Canyon. Stop to check out how the bridge was built. Continue to Aspen on Hwy 82. Check out Aspen and have lunch there. I assume that we will not be able to get to Maroon Bells this time of year? After lunch continue on Hwy 82 over Independence Pass (will this pass be open Nov. 9), check out ghost town. Follow Hwy 82 to Hwy 24 towards Leadville. Thinking about stopping for dinner at one of these places: Mango’s in Red Cliff, Tennessee Pass Café in Leadville, Minturn Saloon or Minturn Country Club, any recs on these places. Finally continue on hwy. 24 back to I-70 to hotel. On other days we would like to: return to Glenwood Springs and enjoy the natural hot springs, go snow-tubing (any ideas where), or do some hiking if the weather permits. Other places where we would like to eat include Larkburger, Sweet Basil for lunch (I here lunch is the way to go here), Chef’s Corner for breakfast, also is there a Rt. 6 Café that has good breakfast? Red Lion and Grouse on the Green also sound good. Also thinking about Fiesta in Edwards. And the top choice for dinner definitely appears to be Dish. I think that perhaps the RMNP is just too far away and would eat up too much of a 5 day 4 night trip. Final questions: any other recs for good things to do in the Vail/Avon or extended area during this time of year, and is there anything we could do on the way back to Airport, I thought about stopping in Georgetown and checking that out before airport. Thanks so much for everyone’s great advice!

Hi dffisher - unfortunately, Independence Pass will most likely be closed, so don't count on it for your day trip (it's *possible* it will be open, but it generally closes after the first significant snowfall in October.) You could still do a day trip to Aspen and return to Vail the same way, maybe stopping in Glenwood Springs for a dip in their hot springs pool. Maroon Bells is open year-round and unless there's a ton of snow, you can drive out to the parking lot without having to take the bus.

A day trip to RMNP would be a long day's drive (4-5 hours just getting there and back), but not impossible.

Tekwriter,

Thanks so much for all this help. How far is the hike from the parking lot to Maroon Bells and should I rent an suv instead of car?

What you propose is reasonable. The big unknown is the weather. Some years winter comes early like the last two years and other years late. Maybe we are do for a later winter to balance things out. Who knows??

The probability of the Maroon Bells being accessible is much greater than Independence Pass being open at that time. It doesn't take much snow to close Independence. It can be open one day and closed the next. This is no magic date for closing the high mountain passes.

Tubing is available at Vail, Copper Mt., and Keystone -- BUT may not be open. Georgetown is a good stop. In the Fall, the Georgetown Loop (railroad) runs only on the weekend but don't know how late in the year that it operates. May have to catch on the way to Vail.

If the weather is good, the short hike to Hanging lake in Glenwood Canyon is good.

All the restaurants you mentioned are good but not all inexpensive. The Fiesta in Edwards is nice. Unfortunately west Avon/Arrowhead is not all that attractive. It is the cheap housing (and it is not very cheap) for Vail and Beaver Creek.

But you still should have a good time.

You don't need an SUV or 4 wheel drive vehicle. If it is snowing that hard, you should stay put.

I agree that a 4-wheel drive isn't necessary, but a vehicle with front-wheel drive is advisable IMHO, in that it will help you go FORWARD through most any trouble you may encounter (just like a 4WD) much better than a rear-wheel drive vehicle will. Nothing will help you STOP any faster or safer though - that can only be accomplished through caution and observant driving.

I can almost guarantee you that Hwy 82 between Aspen and Leadville (Independence Pass) will be closed at the time of year you plan to visit.

Fishing for trout can be had in Gore Creek right in Vail, or at various access points on the Eagle River from Minturn to Dotsero (check with a bait or flyfishing shop in Avon, Edwards or Eagle for the exact location of access points). In Glenwood Canyon (between Dotsero and Glenwood Springs) you can fish the Colorado River at the Grizzly Creek rest area. Both the Roaring Fork River (between Glenwood Springs and Basalt on your way to Aspen), and the Fryingpan River (just upstream of Basalt) are prime, number 1 trout fishing streams.

Once again, thanks for all the great ideas. The hike to Hanging Lake and the trout fishing suggestions are excellent. I will not lug all my fishing gear because I assume it can be rented at most fishing shops. I am really looking forward to this trip and the ideas that you have all suggested.

dffisher,

I've had dinner at Sweet Basil on a couple of trips and it is an excellent restaurant. Very expensive and reservations will be needed. Don't know about lunch, normally lunch menus are less than dinner, but it's all relative.

I haven't been there in years, but it was definitely worth the $$$ when I dined!

The Roaring Fork and Frying Pan are just wonderful. You can also go back toward Denver and fish around Silverthorne in the Blue River (beautiful open areas) and in the tail waters of Dillon Dam. There is an outfitter in Silverthorne.

Addendum--silverthorne is closer than Aspen. Just an FYI.

Dayle, it is still there and still very good but it is more like $$$$$$$.

I was gonna recommend you stop in Idaho Springs and have pizza at Beau Jos. That will feel local and Coloradan. It is an hour from the airport to Idaho Springs in the best situation. You could make in in 30.. but going 100mph will generally get you stopped.

Not sure if Vail will be open. Hasn't the planned opening day shifted to the Saturday before Thanksgiving? Their website might indicate this. Most resorts (esp. big ones like Vail that require a ton of employees) are moving away from opening as fast as possible to a planned opening.