Vail Nature Center
Nature preserve
6 acres0.7 mi of trail
Meadow-Creek TrailHistory TrailFive Senses TrailEcology Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Vail
31% of Vail’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 31% of Vail’s land is conserved, about 935 acres. 7.6 miles of mapped trail cross Vail, 1.6 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #5 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Conserved land
31%
935 acres · of 4.7 sq mi of land
Trails
7.6 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
625 ac
136 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
17 mi
6.5 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Vail?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Vail have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Vail is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #5 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs put Vail near the top nationally; the share of residents near a park ranks highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Vail’s overall grade.
Conserved land31% of the land · typical CO town 7% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · CO 1.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land136 acres of park per 1,000 residents (625 acres) · CO 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CO 97% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Colorado towns of 2,500+ (159)Ahead of 97%
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Vail’s 31% is ahead of 95% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 59% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Vail Nature Center, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bighorn Park
Park
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Ford Park
Park
28 acres0.2 mi of trail
Back to Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Vail Nature Center6 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBighorn Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Ford Park28 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDonovan Park11 acres · Town of Vail
DirectionsEagles Nest Wilderness2 acres · United States Forest Service
Buffehr Creek Park2 acres · Town of Vail
Red Sandstone Park1 acres
Ellefson Memorial Park1 acres
Stephens Park1 acres · Town of Vail
DirectionsWho protects it
935 conserved acres
31% of Vail’s land. Who manages Vail’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,239 ac
U.S. Forest Service148 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits31 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 538 acLocal Conservation Area · 414 acLocal Park · 156 acNational Forest · 148 acLocal Recreation Area · 109 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 20 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 39 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Vail City Land - General Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 538 | Open |
| Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 193 | Open |
| White River National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 148 | Open |
| Katsos Ranch Open Space Vail Memorial Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 148 | Open |
| Town of Vail City Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 109 | Open |
| Oipen Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| Town of Vail City Parks Local Park | Town or city | 70 | Open |
| Open Space / Spraddle Creek Trailhead Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Stephens Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Big Horn Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
29 places to go in Vail
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Vail
Pool One
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Vail
Booth Creek Park Playground
DirectionsEllefson Memorial Park PlaygroundIn Ellefson Memorial Park
DirectionsFord Park PlaygroundIn Ford Park
DirectionsFounders Play Area
DirectionsImagination Station
DirectionsStephens Park Playground
DirectionsSunbird Park
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Vail
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Vail
7 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.9 miUnpaved · 5.4 mi
Vail Trail1.0 mi
North Trail Bonus0.7 mi
North Trail0.7 mi
Son of Middle Creek Trail0.4 mi
Booth Lake Trail0.2 mi
Meadow-Creek Trail0.2 mi
Lionshead Access0.1 mi
Five Senses Trail0.1 mi
Back to Nature Trail0.1 mi
History Trail0.1 mi
1 more trails
Ecology Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
17 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
41Tennis
5Volleyball
4Pickleball
3Soccer
3Baseball
2Basketball
2Multi-sport
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Vail: June to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 32 | 40 | 47 | 56 | 67 | 73 | 70 | 63 | 51 | 38 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.8 |
June is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 73 °F). 2.5 inches fall in April, the wettest month. The climate in Vail →
Questions about parks and trails in Vail
Where can I hike in Vail?
The longest trail networks: Vail Nature Center, 0.7 miles; Bighorn Park, 0.3 miles; Ford Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Vail is conserved land?
31% of its land, against a typical 7% for a Colorado town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Vail’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Bighorn Park and Donovan Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Vail?
17 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.5 of painted or protected lanes and 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Vail?
76,202 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Vail or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 768 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Vail have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #5 of 159 in Colorado. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Vail neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →