What to do, what to do

Marina Egorov – The Bag and Pack Shop, Vail, Colorado


The mountains have completely dried out and are beautifully green already. Many rejoice at this early summer, though it does bode ill for river rafters with the low water levels caused by smaller runoff from snow melt. However, there are plenty of other activities to sink your teeth into this summer!

Hiking

With most trails being completely clear, pack a lunch, fill up your water bottle and enjoy one of the scenic hikes the valley has to offer. Some trails in West Vail are closed for maintenance until 15 June, so make sure to check posted signs. But, the  East Vail selections are good to go.  

Bighorn Trail starts off steep but flattens out to a gentle rolly trail until the final push to the rustic cabin at the top. Booth Lake Trail is ever popular and tends to be quite busy on the weekends, roughly an hour and a half to the falls and another 2 hours or so to Booth Lake, well worth the climb for the quiet peacefulness. Pitkin Creek Trail follows the creek and is pretty deceptive, 3 hours or more to reach the lake and it's not too easy! A great trail to do if you are not sure how long to go for is Gore Creek Trail, right at the end of East Vail. Following Gore Creek and with gentle climbs, it's a great choice for an afternoon walk. Stop by at either our Vail or Avon locations for more suggestions or to pick up the Vail Hiker (available @bagandpack), a great book to own if you plan on exploring the valley and surrounds. 

Biking

The front side of Vail Mountain is open and ready to bike up and down.  Start a sunset ride around 5pm for a quiet, cool ride down before heading out for dinner to one of the lovely local restaurants. Two good options to bike up - The Village Trail road is longer but a little easier on the legs, while Gitalong Road is shorter in distance but has some steeper climbs. The gondola opens this weekend too if you are feeling more sedentary! For the downhill, a variety of fun trails are available, from the popular Lion Down which has singletrack in it, to the trickier Hank's Hideaway through the trees.  The 2011 Vail Mountain Summer Map can be seen here. Vail promises to release the 2012 version soon as some new trails have been added. 

Running

Any of the hiking trails mentioned can be easily used by trail runners. Early mornings are particularly beautiful. If heading to East Vail, plan on starting your run 7/ 7.30am as it tends to get warm a little later than sunrise down there! For those fitness gurus out there, run the Berrypicker hiking trail up the front of the mountain to get ready for the race held later this summer. The bike trail in East Vail, the section through the golf course, is another good option for runners or dog walkers. Run from the Pitkin Creek market and join up with the Vail Trail (heads uphill into the trees just before the Golf Clubhouse) which will come out at Golden Peak, if you want a longer run. 

Enjoy these fresh summer days and come check out our new summer arrivals from Patagonia, Arcteryx, Millet, Horny Toad and Prana for men and ladies!