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
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. 