Best Vail Valley Hikes

by the CMC Gore Range Group, with Nathan Free

Trails for all ability levels, each offering something special for the visitor or local alike

Detailed directions and full-color maps to help you find your way

A guidebook that easily fits in your pack or back pocket

The Vail Valley is the home of great downhill skiing, but it has also become a year-round playground for trail running, golf, cycling, tennis, fly fishing, hiking, and snowshoeing.

As part of the Colorado Mountain Club's best-selling Pack Guide series, The Best Vail Valley Hikes explores the more popular and some of the lesser known hiking and snowshoe routes in the valley. Most trailheads are within an hour's drive of Vail Valley and its namesake ski area. From the mysteriously enchanting Gore Range to the evocative Holy Cross Ridge, and beyond, these hikes represent the best of what the Vail Valley can offer the hiker and snowshoer.

 Easy hikes, such as Shrine Ridge and Vail's Wedding Deck, are wheelchair accessible and offer a great adventure for kids and grandparents. Moderate hikes, including Lonesome Lake and Upper Piney River, are somewhat more demanding and offer splendid views. For a more difficult, all-day excursion, experienced hikers can ascend to the Tuhare Lakes, outside of Minturn.