Beaver Creek Questions: Transportation, Equipment Storage

In January, my husband and I are going to Beaver Creek for the first time, and we would prefer not to rent a car. We will be staying at the Sheraton Mountain Vista. The cost of airfare plus shuttle (Colorado Mountain Express) to the resort is $320 per person if we fly into Denver compared to $557 per person if we fly into Eagle-Vail. What have been your experiences with Colorado Mountain Express? Should I be thinking twice about a two-and-a-half hour shuttle? Until recently, I wouldn't even have thought to ask these questions, but, on our last trip, there were signs that the shuttle driver to the off-airport car rental was using drugs. Also, is there somewhere to store our skis and boots overnight at Beaver Creek?

Thanks in advance,

Cheryl

If you are renting skis, they will store them overnight for you. I prefer to fly to Eagle County, but we have a direct flight from Minneapolis. However, for the $500 difference I would probably fly to Denver.

We have always rented a car rather than taking the shuttle, so no experience with them. You don't need a car, but we usually go to some out of the way places for dinner that would be hard to get to by bus.

You may want to check out www.econovail.com

Gary

Even if you don't rent skis, the rental shops will tune them and, thus, hold them for you overnight. Whether they will agree to keep them for multiple nights is something you'll likely have to discuss after you arrive (or call them).

You don't need a car at SMV. There are several restaurants within a block or two. But to sample a variety of restaurants, you'll need to rent a car or be prepared to take the Avon Town Shuttle. Waiting for the shuttle can be less than fun when the weather isn't good!

Sheraton Mountain Vista

There are Avon shuttle stops directly in front and behind the Sheraton Mountain Vista so catching it won't be a problem. We had no trouble taking it to the ski area, grocey store, etc. We used it even though we had a car.

SMV has free ski lockers close to the entrances so you can change into boots, grab your skis and walk outside and catch the shuttle to the ski area. BC also has areas that you can store your skis overnight for a fee.

Having said all that, we prefer to fly into Denver to save big bucks and rent a car. The drive to Eagle county isn't that bad unless the weather is bad (you have to watch the weather and plan ahead). You'll want a car to go to Vail, Copper, Breck, Keystone, Snowmass, Aspen, ......

IMHO you don't want or need a rental car. More trouble than it's worth -- especially if it snows (which it will). Driving on ice, paying to park in ski area parking lots, and carrying gear from your car to the slopes is not my idea of a vacation. Vail's shuttle system gets you around well enough, day or night, and takes you slopeside. Also, there is plenty of skiable terrain at Vail and Beaver Creek to keep you interested for a week (or a season) so you don't need to think about driving a hour (or more) to ski elsewhere.

The choice between flying into Denver versus Eagle is a judgment call and you see the decision matrix clearly. I used CME on both of my Vail trips and had no complaints.

vacationtime1 said:

IMHO you don't want or need a rental car. More trouble than it's worth -- especially if it snows (which it will). Driving on ice, paying to park in ski area parking lots, and carrying gear from your car to the slopes is not my idea of a vacation. Vail's shuttle system gets you around well enough, day or night, and takes you slopeside. Also, there is plenty of skiable terrain at Vail and Beaver Creek to keep you interested for a week (or a season) so you don't need to think about driving a hour (or more) to ski elsewhere.

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Just to be clear, they don't deny you access to the free bus system if you have a rental car. But in my opinion, having access to a car does give you much more flexibility to enjoy what the area has to offer. Also, taking the bus from Avon to Vail at night is a pain and parking is free.

But if you are not comfortable driving on icy roads, you would probably be doing everyone a favor by not driving.

Gary

<---- Lives in Denver - makes trips to Eagle County every month

Hiya - first trip to Beaver Creek - you'll LOVE IT!

1) Flying directly into Eagle-Vail is just ultra convenient. You will bypass any weather related issues (if there are any) and after you're off the plane it's 20 mins (+/-) to Beaver Creek. I would recommend this if the cost is not a factor.

2) Flying into Denver and using the shuttle is also a very good option. In fact if you haven't done a lot of mountain driving during the winter season, it's probably best that you leave it to the experienced drivers. They run those shuttles constantly. Between Denver and Beaver Creek you have Vail Pass and the Eisenhower Tunnel, both of which will clog and cause troubles if there is any weather - and with a week's stay in January - there WILL be weather. Heck - I-70 was just shut down (both directions) a couple of days ago due to snow and it's only Mid-October.

3) I don't know if you'll need a rental car or not. If you want to treck up to Breckenridge, etc. then probably yes. However Avon and Vail are pretty close and there are busses that run between them. There is more than a week's worth of entertainment/activities between Beaver Creek, Avon, Edwards, and Vail. Just so much beauty, plenty of restaurants etc... Let's put it this way, if you opt to NOT have a car, I don't think you will miss anything...

...just my $.02

Have Fun!! Beaver Creek = beautiful skiing and a wonderful time!

Great post!

We will be going to BC in Feb and I have been contemplating this same question. I prefer to rent a car to stop and sight see along the way. But a car may be more costly.

Thanxxx to all for their wonderful advice.

Does the equation change much if you add a third person into the equation?

There is also a shuttle that goes from Vail to Breck for like $15 per person. It is a little bit of a pain with transfers etc....

Transportation in and around Avon

There is some good information here, but still some parts missing. So, I will try to fill in the blanks. Transportation in and around Avon is very good. However, it is different than staying in Vail and there are some short comings depending on what you want to do. Also, there are many great restaurants and places for nighttime activities, but NONE of them are in Avon. So, if you think you are going to walk to dinner or an evening out while there, I think you will be disappointed.

There are 3 separate transportation systems you most likely may use. First is the Avon Town shuttle which is free and takes you around Avon and to Beaver Creek. Second, is ECO transit which operates out of the Avon Transit hub and will take you to surrounding communities for a small fee of a few dollars. Third, is Town of Vail Transit which will take you around Vail and is also free.

Most places in Vail have their own shuttles to transport guest, and to my knowledge none of the Avon timeshares provide this service.

AVON/BC
If you are staying exclusively in Avon and Beaver Creek, the Town Shuttle and Ski shuttle to BC are terrific and the bus stop is right outside of the Sheraton. Absolutely no need for a car, but if going to City Market, will be limited to buying only the amount you can carry with you. You can walk to a liquor store from the Sheraton. A sample bus schedule can be found here http://www.avon.org/avonshuttleSummer.cfm

When skiing BC you have the choice of getting off the bus at either the BC Landing or BC village. The BC Landing is the most convenient and will start you off in the Bachelor Gulch area, next to the Ritz Carlton. At the end of the day you can ski down to within yards of where you will get on the bus to take you back to Avon.

However, going to BC Village is not bad and you get to ride the escalators up to the lift. If you are taking lesson or renting skis, you will need to go to BC Village.

Avon to Vail-Daytime

During the winter, there is an express bus between Avon/BC and Vail. This can be accessed from the Avon Transit Center, which is a short walk from the Sheraton or you can take the Town bus there if you don't want to walk. The Express only makes 4 stops (Avon, BC, Vail Lionshead, Vail Transit Center) and goes down I70. I think there is a $3 dollar charge, but this seems to change year to year. The drop off for the Express is on the west side of Lionshead. This is a little further walk than the drop off of the east side by the parking lot, but not significant. The hotel shuttles typically drop off on the east side.

The Vail Transit Center is on top of the parking garage, so the walk to lifts is the same whether you drive or take the bus. If you get off here, you will need to walk through the entire Vail Village to get to the lifts and this is significantly further than the walk at Lionshead.

Important note: THE EXPRESS BUS DOES NOT OPERATE AT NIGHT!

If you decide to drive to Vail, there are a variety of parking options. First, are the Vail Village and Lionshead parking lots that cost about $16 (equal to cost of round trip bus for 3 people). Additionally, there other places to park where you can park for free and access the Vail City buses to get to lifts. These are as follows:

- Red Sandstone Park, 15 spaces. Available 7 days a week.
- Stephens Park, 15 spaces. Available 7 days a week.
- East Vail Interchange Trailhead, 12 spaces. Available 7 days a week.
- Spraddle Creek Trailhead, 10 spaces. Available 7 days a week.
- North Trail Trailhead, 6 spaces. Available 7 days a week.
- North Frontage Road in West Vail, 180 spaces. Available Fri, Sat and Sun.
- Vail Mountain School, 70 spaces. Available Sat and Sun.

Having done the fee parking thing a few times, I would say it works fine, but definetely not for everyone. Although time wise it was similar to taking the Express Bus.

The best way to get to Vail is to convince someone in your group they need a day off from skiing. They can drive you to Vail and drop you off at Lionshead. At 3:00 p.m. they can return to Vail Village and park for free. They then walk to the Red Lion and get you a table. You can meet them there to have a drink (they can't drink because they are driving) before heading back to Avon. :whoopie:

Avon to Vail-Night

Parking in the garages at Vail and Lionshead are free after 3 p.m. and parking space is usually not a problem.

If you take the ECO bus from Avon to Vail at night, will run along Hwy 6 not I70 as the express does. This bus makes many and frequent stops and scheduled to take 30 minutes from the Avon Transit Center to Vail Transit Center (but could take closer to 40 minutes) and cost $3 per person each way. So with waiting time and bus time combined, plan on at least 75 minutes to make the round trip you can do in 20 minutes with a car.

Here is a sample schedule http://www.eaglecounty.us/uploadedFiles/Eco_Transit/final.draft_hwy6_east_summer_06.pdf

Having done this on several occasions, I would not recommend this trip. Taking a car, cab, hitchhiking or walking to Vail would be preferable. However, you do get a chance to meet some new people while riding the bus. Also, some may enjoy 40 minutes on a hot, crowded bus for with their winter coat on.

Avon and Surrounding Towns

If you stay in Avon, you really should go to Minturn and/or Edwards at least once for dinner. The ECO systems provides buses to these towns and the trip would be much shorter than to Vail. I have never taken these buses, but Edwards is fairly short distance and would not expect it to be more than 10 or 15 minutes from the Avon Transit Center.

Hope this helps people make with their decision on car vs no car while staying in Avon. If anyone has any additions, corrections, or questions please post them.

I will always get a car as it is cheaper than other alternative to and from the airport and gives us flexibility to take the bus or not while we are there. Also, there a few out of the way places we go that would be very difficult to get to by bus.

Gary

grupp said:

...If you stay in Avon, you really should go to Minturn and/or Edwards at least once for dinner...

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...yes - thumbs up!

Out of the Way Places

grupp said:

Also, there a few out of the way places we go that would be very difficult to get to by bus.

Gary

Click to expand...

Can you elaborate? These little tid bits of information are what make the whole BBS worth it. I am a big fan of eating where the locals eat and go to places that are less frequented.

Thanxxx, Jimbo

I don't know that I would necessarily recommend it for everyone or not, but we like to go to Paddy O'Day's Sports Bar in Eagle-Vail. It is really just a small town type sports bar with decent food and reasonable prices. Great place just to eat, relax and watch some sports on TV after a day of skiing. Not sure if locals eat there or not, but it is usually busy although not crowded.

Other places we like in Minturn are Chili Whilly's, The Saloon and Minturn Country Club (cook you owns stakes). In Edwards it is usually the Main Street Grill, prefer weeknights to weekends since it more relaxed during the week.

As you can see, we don't look for the high end restaurants.

Gary

Thanxxx, we will have to put these on the list of potentials.

Gary,

Great post. I've been to Avon numerous times and learned a few things from your post. I wonder what it would take to get this put in a sticky post. TopekaTom's things to do around Vail ought to be put in a sticky post as well.