Vail Colorado Ski Vacation Activities: Adventure Ridge’s closing day was this past Saturday and I made it there just in time to enjoy some tubing and trampoline jumping before the season ended. Both were quite thrilling but I think the coolest part of adventure ridge is ski-biking, which some of us over here at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals were able to try out. As you can see in our video below, we thoroughly enjoyed it! Adventure Ridge is Vail’s Mountaintop Adventure Center that allows your on the slopes fun to continue into the evening! If you didn’t make it to Adventure Ridge this winter don’t you worry, there are lots of great activities to enjoy there during the summer!

Horseback Tours & Pony Rides

Take a scenic horseback tour from Eagle’s Nest through Game Creek Bowl and back, overlooking the Vail Valley. Suitable for adults and children 7 years and up. With or without lunch- $35- $85. Children ages 2–6 years can enjoy pony rides around our mountaintop corral. $6.

Vail Mountain Guided Hikes – NEW!

Guided hikes on Vail Mountain are offered Wednesday to Saturday during summer operations.  Private hikes are available Sunday to Tuesday and are customizable to your hiking preference!  All guided hikes will meet at the Lionshead Ticket Office.

Top of the Mountain Tours – NEW!

Explore Vail Mountain in an adventurous, open air vehicle.  Tours leave from Adventure Ridge at Eagle’s Nest and head to the top of China Bowl and back. With or without lunch- $20- $40

Climbing Wall
Reach new heights with our NEW climbing wall equipped with a safety harness. $10 per session.

Rebound Trampoline
Catch some air at 10,000 ft. on a modified trampoline with a waist harness attached to bungee cords. You may think this is for kids, but once you see the sheer joy it brings a child- you will want to try it! $10 per session.

Disc Golf
Tee up for this spectacular, self-guided 18-hole Disc Golf Course at the top of the mountain. Front nine is beginner/intermediate and the back nine is intermediate/advanced. Allow 1–2 hours per nine holes. $8 disc rental.

Lawn Sports
Bocce Ball, Horseshoes, Dino Dig, and a new Slack Line Park. Enjoy an afternoon of fun in the sand and sun with your friends. All lawn sports are FREE.

Guided Nature Hikes
Explore Vail Mountain on a free one-hour guided hike with the Gore Range Natural Science School and learn about the area’s flora and fauna departing at 11am and 2pm.

Discovery Center
Learn about the environment through fun, interactive displays or join a guided hike. The center is a cooperative arrangement between Vail Resorts, Walking Mountains Science School and the U.S. Forest Service.

After 4pm, use your $10 evening lift ticket voucher toward purchase of any Adventure Ridge activity.

There are plenty of exciting activities to enjoy at Adventure Ridge and Vail this summer! Contact a Friendly. Knowledgeable. Local. at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals to book your summer lodging!

Today is my last day at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals and I could not have had a better experience. Living in Vail has truly been amazing. I’ve been hiking, camping, visited Aspen and partied it up in Breckenridge (multiple times). I’ve met some great people and made friends I’ll never forget.

Moving out here from Long Island, I had no idea what to expect, but the results have been all I had hoped for and more. I’ll be moving in Denver after Thanksgiving, so I won’t be too far away. Today is opening day in Vail, so to say I’ll be going out on a perfect day is an understatement. I’ll be heading out at noon today to hopefully get some fresh tracks. So for everyone who follows the RMVR blogs, I hope to see you out on the mountain this season and enjoying all Colorado has to offer!

Last week was a busy one at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals. As the season quickly approaches us, there is plenty for all of us to do to stay busy around here, as many of you probably are throughout the country. The word on snow today is that we’ll see some around 1 p.m. Signs of white have been visible in the mountains, restaurants and resorts are hiring for seasonal staff, and packages have been arriving for my co-workers with new snow gear. It’s like the start of the holidays before the start of the holidays in the mountains. I guess that’s just the way we roll!

With all that said, upcoming events and the anticipation for a busy next several months have been keeping everyone at RMVR on their toes. After some professional sales training with Doug Kennedy, expert in hospitality and founder of the Kennedy Training Network, our sales agents have been diving right into training for operating the online booking tool, Inntopia. A user-friendly tool to book lodging and services from our website, travel planning will be further accessible, convenient, and diverse for our valued customers. Requests and planning for Vail Gay Ski Week this March has been keeping us busy with web design, marketing plans, and reaching out to media. Additionally, RMVR has been making hires and expanding office space.

And the kick off to another week begins today! Thankfully, living in a place like Vail automatically throws you into continuous vacation living in between work. With a little bit of yoga by the lake in Frisco, and a little bit of fall hiking to overlook the Vail Valley that will soon be bustling with skiers and snowfall, I was quickly able to regain all the good energy needed for more work to be done.  Here’s to a good week, good coffee, and great vacations! Book with us at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals, stay posted with updated RMVR news, and throw yourself into the excitement of Rocky Mountain living. Cheers!

A month ago I decided it was time to uproot from my home on Long Island and move out west. My college roommate had spent the summer working for Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals in Vail, Colorado and had nothing but great things to say not only about the people he worked with, but also about Vail itself. He told me all about his experiences hiking in Breckenridge, going out in Aspen and camping in Beaver Creek. With his help, I was able to secure an internship with the Business Development Team at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals. While I’ve only been here a week, I’ve loved every minute of it, from my friendly coworkers to the beautiful surroundings of the Rocky Mountains. This weekend I’m going hiking with friends and I’m counting down the days until I can hit the mountain with my snowboard.

Don’t miss out on all that the Rocky Mountains have to offer. Call Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals at 1-888-866-2305 to book your vacation today! Take advantage of the beautiful fall foliage or book your winter getaway early for peace of mind.

This post was brought to you by Andrew, a member of the Business Development Team, primarily concerned with marketing, the website, and Google Analytics. Having grown up in Long Island and then escaping up to Vermont for college, it’s no surprise that Andrew ventured out to Colorado for the purpose of “getting away.” Andrew spends most of his free time with friends, snowboarding, being outside, and going for runs. He is passionate about making the most of each day, and can most effectively be summed up as “hard-working,” as he values the concept of getting the job done. In addition to playing lacrosse for the University of Vermont, he graduated recently with a degree in both History and Marketing Business Administration.

Episode VI

Welcome to the weekly blog that reports my adventures throughout the general area of the Vail Valley.  I am recently new to Vail and have a passion for exploring the beautiful nature while also informing anyone planning to visit the Valley, or even current locals, of the incredible activities the Valley has to offer.  Every week I plan on going somewhere remote to experience the Rocky Mountains by participating in activities including hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, rafting, tubing, cliff diving, and whatever else I can think of.  During these activities I will be capturing the nature around me with my camera to produce breathtaking photos and informative videos if possible.

Recently, the idea of hiking Red Buffalo Pass was drifting around our office.  This idea was generated by our supervisor, for he hiked it himself only a few weeks ago.  A group of nine people volunteered to attempt this14 mile trail running from Silverthorne to East Vail.  I was both excited and hesitant when I signed myself up for this adventure.  Luckily, I had most of the gear I needed to attempt this hike.  The night before I made sure I was all packed, had enough food for the trip, and got a good night sleep.  Gear crucial for a backpacking trip is:

• A-frame backpack
• Sleeping bag
• Tent
• Plenty of thick socks
• Sharp knife or a Leatherman of some sort.
• Plenty of dry food
• Seasonal clothing
• Sunglasses
• Water!!!! A purifier is clutch
• Matches
• Compass
• Map
• Flashlight
• First Aid, just in case
• Plastic bags to keep the trail clean

The trick is to bring everything you need to survive comfortably while packing as light as you can at the same time.  Food is another item that needs to be closely considered when packing.  Any dry and sealable food items are good to bring backpacking, such as:

• Tuna packages
• Trail mix
• Nuts
• Fruits
• Bread
• Oatmeal
• Energy bars
• Peanut butter
• Chocolate

Really the idea is to bring food that will not go bad in your backpack and has little odor so it won’t attract wildlife.

I woke up to meet my troop in Vail at the same time the sun peaked its head over the mountains. Once I got to our prearranged meeting spot, I discovered that the veteran of the trail was not going to be able to join us, which allowed for us to truly discover the trail for ourselves.  We took two vehicles to the Gore Creek Trail to drop one off to have when we completed the trail, and then we all headed to Silverthorne.  The seven of us (we lost another one of our troops to supposed insomnia) started the journey at the Mesa Cortina Trail.

The first half of the trail had some tough terrain, including wild trees we had to bob and weave through.  The trail became steeper the farther we hiked, but we were met with amazing views, like a 360-degree view of all the surrounding mountains.  The trail also offered some great snacks: wild blueberries and raspberries.  One should be careful when consuming wild produce, as some things are not meant for human consumption.  7.1 miles and 3,262 vertical feet later, we reached the base of the mountain we were planning to summit, a perfect place to camp.  I didn’t notice how surreal the landscape was at first, as I was exhausted, but once I got some rest I explored the little valley we found ourselves in.  There were two pools west of us past a small creek.  The bottom one was a crystal blue that looked like the perfect place to go for a dip if the weather allowed.  The top pool seemed to be a lot smaller and probably a good fishing hole, but I unfortunately did not get to test out my theory.

The next morning, after a long night’s rest, we all arose from our slumber, got some breakfast in, and packed all our belongings making sure to leave nothing behind. After some self collection, we were ready for day two of our adventure.  The only uphill we had to conquer was the first thing in the morning, climbing the pass.  By uphill, I mean we climbed a mountain.  Once we conquered the pass, it was all downhill from there!  I’m glad we decided to come from Silverthorne, because the steepness of the other side was treacherous on our legs, as we had to brace ourselves from sprinting down the mountain.  The trail followed a creek, which allowed for great spots to stop to take a break.  We forced ourselves to continue forward, which wasn’t the easiest task at the time.  Through great fortitude we all made it to the Gore Creek Trailhead.  I don’t think I have ever been happier to see blacktop and highways.

Please be properly prepared before venturing into the wilderness for your safety and my piece of mind.  If you are planning on visiting the Rocky Mountains, make sure to contact Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals at 1-888-866-2305, your friendly, knowledgeable locals. Getting to the end was a great feeling of relief and accomplishment.  The total mileage turned out to be 18 miles and 6,680 vertical feet, as we found ourselves off the trail a few times.  It was difficult and crippled me for a few days afterwards, but was completely worth it and gave me an urge to cover more ground throughout the Rocky Mountains.  I wonder where my next adventure will lead me?

Episode III

Welcome to the weekly blog that reports my adventures throughout the general area of the Vail Valley.  I am recently new to the Vail Valley and have a passion for exploring all the beautiful nature around me while also informing anyone planning to visit the Valley or current locals on the incredible activities the Valley has to offer.  Every week I plan on going somewhere remote to experience the Rocky Mountains by participating in the acts of hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, rafting, tubing, cliff diving, and whatever else I can think of.  During these activities I will be observing the nature around me with my camera to produce breathtaking photos and informative videos if possible.

The adventure I embarked on this week was a rugged hike to Lost Lake.  After work one day a few co-workers and I headed back up Red Sandstone Road. This road leads to Piney Lake (episode I), but if you stop about halfway through the road there is a parking lot on the right for the Lost Lake trail head.  After we parked, we put on our hiking shoes and made sure everything was packed up in my A-frame. Here is a list of things you should bring for a half day hike:

• Water!!!
• Dry food
• Flashlight
• Pocket knife
• Fishing gear
• Rain gear
• First aid
• Compass/map

The Lost Lake trail winds into the trees and through the wilderness, steadily inclining the whole way up. Along the way, you are greeted by breathtaking views of the horizon.  As you continue through, the trail begins to narrow and twists and turns.  After about three miles the trail begins to decline.  Once you hit the decline there is only about a half mile left before you reach Lost Lake.  You may think you are lost, but just continue following the trail and you will eventually see an old wooden post sign pointing to the right that reads “Lost Lake.”  Lost Lake will appear through the woods, a beautiful sight!  My coworkers and I did some fishing up there but not for long because the mosquitoes were really bad.  The abundant bird species in the area make Lost Lake a great place for bird watching. There were two what I believe were finches hanging out with us the entire time. It was very amusing.  We stated to head back before it got dark.  The roundtrip took us three and half hours and was about 7.5 miles long.

The Lost Lake Trail is a great hike for any level of hiking experience. The amazing views and entertaining wildlife make it a great hike for anyone. This trail would be great for mountain biking and also a magnificent place to camp.  Please be properly prepared before venturing into the wilderness for your safety and my piece of mind.  If you are planning on visiting the Vail area make sure to book your trip through Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals, your friendly, knowledgeable locals.