Vail Favorites
Vail Colorado, one of our favorite homes away from home. My fiancé grew up in Vail and introduced me to the fabulous mountains, relaxing village streets and shops early on in our relationship and what a place. It easily became a favorite of mine. There is something about the close knit community and uppity vibes that feed my soul. It’s a fabulous spot for a night or weekend getaway and that is exactly what we did this weekend.
There are quite a few places in the village we love and I plan to share them all with you as our visits take us to them. This weekend we visited a few of our favorites and enjoyed some hiking with our pup, Duke.
Vail Brewing Company
A definite must to hit up when in Vail Village. It’s conveniently located in Solaris on the second level and boasts delicious beers and views. The patio is dog friendly and always filled with friendly people. I absolutely love the rotating taps. It always keeps us trying new brews and taste buds guessing the flavors emerging. This has easily turned into our favorite spot to grab a beer when in the village. It’s perfect after a day of skiing or sitting for a beer on a summer evening. I would definitely recommend checking it out when you are in the area.
The Pet Boutique of Vail
Another one of our favorites, or should I say Dukes favorites. The Pet Boutique of Vail is super cute and boasts loads of delicious healthy treats for your animals. Duke’s favorite is the roasted ostrich bone, which tends to be a bit messy but totally worth it for his enjoyment. We love grabbing Duke a treat at the pet boutique and then going and sitting on the patio at Vail Brewing Company. It’s a win win. Duke gets his treat fix on and we get our beer fix on.
Berry Picker
When in doubt Berry Picker is a convenient and fabulous hike. We always start the hike out of Lionshead, hike up and take the gondola down, however you are able to access the trail from the village. I have included a link to the Vail Mountain hiking map here so there is no excuse not to get your hike on.
I always underestimate how much Berry Picker kicks my behind. The 3.2 miles (one way) and approximately 2200 feet gain in elevation is definitely one to make you work. We tend to get up early in the morning and hike up while it’s still cool out. Don’t worry you will warm up quickly. The switch backs will definitely keep those quads burning and those lungs a working oxygenating your blood.
There gorgeous wild flowers the whole way to keep your mind off of the huffing and puffing that I can guarantee will be going on. In addition to the gorgeous wild flowers there is a creek that you pop over a few times and aspens blowing in the wind. The hike takes you to eagles nest, where you can grab a drink or bite to eat and explore Epic Discovery. You can then hike on down or take the gondola down (We always take the gondola down. You get views and it’s a lot easier on your knees.)
That’s it ladies and gents. My first post on recommendations in Vail. Stay tuned for many more. I hope you enjoy exploring Vail, just as much as we do.
Cheers!
