Recently visited Loveland Pass on our way back from Breckenridge. We drove to the top instead of…read morehiking. On the way up, we saw some light snow flurries, and by the time we reached the top, it was actively snowing. The scenery is absolutely stunning definitely a must-see if you're in the area. Just a heads-up: it can get icy and slippery, so be careful while walking around. Overall, it's a beautiful spot and perfect for enjoying the snowy mountain views! Plus it's free!

Each stop on our full day was momentous. The clouds touch the mountains and it's breathtaking…read more Pictures do not give justice to the view. Wear weather appropriate clothes and shoes. We were not able to make it to the top of the steps but still happy we got to explore this place for a bit!

As the saying goes "Not exactly roughing it!"…read more Beaver Creek Ski resort is the top place to ski in the Rockies IMHO. We have enjoyed many fun days on the slopes when out west. Never too crowded. Great staff. Excellent accommodations. Start off at the Centennial lifts and enjoy! Don't forget to catch the chef serving fresh baked chocolate chip cookies at 4pm at the bottom of the mountain. ;) Plus, Après ski at the Ritz Carlton is the best. The 2024 - 2025 season has started with perfect powder. Happy Thanksgiving!

We LOVED this place. Kids ski school is right front and center for families with little ones…read more Haymeadow has some great little learning hills and magic carpets. Green runs are amazing and McCoy park was super fun to play around with the adults. Live music daily and a great beverage tent set outside. We had a blast! Can't wait to make it back again.

Take a short, scenic stroll on the Trollstigen Trail (Troll Trail) to see the Isak Heartstone…read moreTroll. It's located just outside of the main part of Breckenridge. Best of all, it is FREE to see! To find the Trollstigen Trail trailhead go to the southeast corner of the Stephen C. West Ice Arena parking lot, next to Illinois Creek Trailhead. If you are near the trains, go to the opposite end of the parking lot. Isak Heartstone 1 was co-commissioned for an exhibit for the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts in 2018, but it was dismantled in February 2019 because it was too popular and then reinstalled here . Although I didn't see it in person, only online, I think the original sculpture was better and more playful. Isak is carefully stacking rocks like he's balancing rocks. As per Dambo's website, this troll got its' name after three little girls came by and gave Isak a stone heart. Dambo has a heart-shaped stone placed in Isak's chest. The Isak Heartstone Troll at THIS location is the second one. Some people reference this one as Isak Heartstone 2. He sits at approximately 15 feet tall. Thomas Dambo is the creator of this and many other trolls. He uses reclaimed wood and other recycled materials. Isak is pretty cool to see in person! He's sitting on an incline between trees. He's got his right hand holding the tree trunk. His left hand is balancing him as he's sitting. The bottom of his left foot is resting against a rock. I love all the details... like his fingernails & toenails, and small branches for hairs. The trail is an easy walk through a forested area. This pathway is stable to walk on. The return trail is different from the one leading in. It consists of wood boards, similar to a deck and includes a 6-inch-high step. This troll was created by Thomas Dambo, a Danish sculpture artist. There are over one hundred Dambo trolls in the U.S.A. and many more around the world. Isak Heartstone is Troll numbered 043. Isak is the first Dambo Troll we've seen in person! We went to see Rita The Rock Planter eight days later! I guess we're officially Troll Hunters now! *If you live in the Los Angeles, CA area or are planning to visit, there will be a temporary exhibit of 12 Thomas Dambo's Trolls at the South Coast Botanic Garden in March 2026. Buy your tickets!

4/5 stars only because on the unseasonably warm day we went, the trail up to Isak was icy so we had…read moreto navigate that while people on the trail walked in front of and behind us, I guess trying to get there quickly. Isak is not very far from the parking lot and the trailhead sign. On this particular day there were several people waiting to take their photo with Isak, so we waited patiently. When it was our turn a nice woman said, "Be careful, it's slippery." Thank you. We took our photos, enjoyed the trees a bit, and walked back to our car.

There are a few locations of this t-shirt shop around Vail and they are all reasonably priced and…read moretotally, utterly in love with Vail. Most of the Vail-ites (is that the word?) really love showing their Vail pride, so I like that this store serves all the tourists in the area and the locals, to boot. There were t-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, pants, PJs, magnets, keychains, shoes - anything you could possibly imagine to show your Vail pride. As a magnet collector (I know, I'm lame), I found their selection to be pretty good and reasonably priced. We also bought some "Raccoon Poop" which are tiny malted-milk balls (we've noticed this is a recent tourism trend since we also bought "Lobster Poop" in Boston - awesome). This store is much cheaper than the other tourist stores in downtown Vail and I liked the selection. If I had a bit more Vail pride, I would have bought more.

A great place to find all your gaper gifts for the folks back home! If you are in the market for a…read moreshot-glass with a trail map on it or T-shirts with lame jokes about Vail's elevation or *gasp* cannabis references, this is the place for you! PROTIP: Ask the staff to show you the select items that say "Vail" on them.

I don't ski, but I love the town of Breck and I love seeing some of my favorite bands-for FREE! So,…read moreI heard about Spring Fever, Breckenridge's annual end of ski season festival, since I've moved here, but never made the trek up the mountain to check it out. But this year I was determined to make 1 show. We chose the last one of the month long event (the best band in the line up-moe.) The ride up wasn't so bad, and it was totally worth it. The band was great, and you could tell they were stoked to be playing there. They went on promptly at 3 and ended right at 5. It's a short show, but really, you can't complain since it's free. The beer and food prices were steep, but you can bring your own. We did pack a cooler full of beer and snacks and hauled it up with us. We weren't sure if they would allow it on the gondola but no one seemed to care, and there were several others with coolers. You can drink behind a certain blue line, as long as you are outside this magic line you were golden. Inside the magic blue line is where they sell their $9 Budweisers. No thanks. The back drop for the stage was as cool as it gets. Coming down the slopes throughout the show were skiers and boarders. Some were even catching major air off ramps. It was pretty cool. It made me want to learn how to do ski! And instead of the glow stick war, there was a massive snow ball war. I had to duck more than once! The staff was super cool dealing with a bunch of drunken ski bums and hippies who ventured out in the snow for this. Once the show was over, they wanted everyone off the mountain with quickness. It was all set up in a very organized fashion to shuffle us all out in the gondolas. The line was a bit long, but it moved quickly. I recommend packing a cooler and taking the trip to Breck and checking this out. I am going to keep my eyes open for next year's line up.

Basically an extension of the greater Vail area. It has some of the more high end slopes, shops,…read moreand resorts.

Love this mountain town. This a family friendly place with lots of activities for everyone.read more

Largest selection of distilleries I have seen at this point! You buy a ticket, early purchase was…read more$45 for this 9th annual event. It was held at the Riverwalk Center, and despite having a ticket, it took us 20 minutes to get in once doors opened. Not to worry , there were plenty of samples to be had! They gave you a commemorative jumbo shot glass where you could go to the various booths and receive samples of straight liquor and liqueur or craft cocktails. It was really busy, and despite the seemingly treacherous flooring in the Riverwalk Center, it was pretty civilized and organized. Most people thought it was worth the $45! My favorites were the Rising Sun and Angel Fire. I also liked two cocktails especially well--the old fashioned sno-cone and the smoky one with the cookies! I might have gotten pictures:) We took a shuttle, don't drink and drive!

A group of our friends were looking for an excuse to spend the weekend in Breckenridge before it…read moregot too cold and someone randomly stumbled across the "Still on the Hill: Spirits Festival" online. We had very little information to go off of so we took a leap of faith, booked the condo, and bought the tickets online. For all of $25 we weren't sure if we were stumbling into a bust of an event or not, and visions of standing around in the cold amongst folding tables drinking small thimbles full of cheap vodka danced in our heads. As it turns out the event is apparently one of the best kept secrets in Colorado! The event was indoors at a great venue, extremely well run with a large turnout, live band, food, and tons of extremely attentive spirit distributors exhibiting. Instead of just sampling straight liquor all night virtually every distillery has signature cocktails for you to sample, and some of the were just mind blowingly delicious. Some of my favorite distilleries in attendance were Peach Street (the big winners), Forecastle Rum, Montanya, Stranahan's, and Black Canyon (I still fantasize about their whiskey-rita). All in all it was an amazing event and quite possibly the best $25 I've ever spent. Don't hesitate to grab your friends, book a condo, and come up for this event in 2014!

Best Italian restaurant in all of vail Great location…read more Authentic Italian Ambiance is relaxing and pretty

Tried La Nonna Ristorante Vail with a group of 8 (including kids) and had a nice time with great…read moremeal. Good spot for families and date nights--sure the views would be amazing in the evenings. Mushroom ravioli with truffle really stood out. Rigatoni arrabbiata and Alfredo were fresh but pretty standard. Squash soup and focaccia basket were good starters. Service and ambience were great, though the table felt a bit tight for a larger group. Our server was attentive and suggested us good vegetarian options from the menu. Kids enjoyed the gelatos, and the crème brûlée was fresh.

Incredible find. Gorgeous stream by gigantic fields of green grass and yellow wildflowers. Ranches…read moreare incredibly beautiful. So glad to have happened upon it. In my numerous trips to Colorado, this is my favorite so far.

The Town of Gypsum said hello to us as we passed from the hills north of town headed towards…read moreGlenwood Springs, CO. Mountains as high as tall peaks and a small population of 6,477.. Haha. We held our breaths as we passed through these never ending long tunnels and continued the way passing semi trucks and an old mine, looking east from the haul road. We did pass some construction, as Gypsum might be growing with the rest our beautiful state of Colorado. I found that The Town of Gypsum is proud of its public parks! 15 public parks are awaiting you today to visit!