Some weekends need a passport. This one just needed a direct flight to Denver, a scenic drive into the mountains, and a really good pair of hiking shoes.
Pete and I spent a Thursday through Sunday in Beaver Creek, Colorado this summer, and if you’re trying to decide between a beach trip and a mountain trip this year, let me make the case for summer in Beaver Creek instead.
Getting There: Denver to Beaver Creek
We flew direct from Orlando into Denver International Airport, then made the drive west into the mountains. Last time we visited this part of Colorado (for a Vail trip), we flew into Eagle County Regional Airport, which is the closer regional option and sits just a short drive from both Vail and Beaver Creek. This time, flying into Denver and driving in turned out to be its own kind of trip highlight. The drive is a slow reveal of scenery, and by the time the peaks start closing in around the highway, the air already feels cooler and thinner than the Florida humidity we left behind. It’s the kind of drive that resets your nervous system before you’ve even checked into your hotel.
Settling in at The Osprey
We checked into The Osprey, and our room looked straight out at the mountain and the little chapel tucked into the village. After a flight and a drive, there is nothing like opening curtains to a view like that.
Before we even unpacked our bags, we walked into Beaver Creek Village for a look around. This might be my favorite thing about the village: everything is walkable. There’s an actual creek running through the heart of town, and the sound of the water follows you almost everywhere you go. Along the Creekside Park there are Adirondack chairs and little pockets of private places to sit, perfect for a summer afternoon with a book. Though, I have to be honest, the sound of that water would probably put me to sleep before I finished a chapter.
Compared to Vail, Beaver Creek has a slower, more relaxed village feel. Fewer crowds, an easier pace, and somehow just as much charm packed into a smaller footprint.
Dinner at Splendido at The Chateau
For our first night, we had dinner reservations at Splendido at The Chateau. GPS said it was a 10-minute walk from The Osprey, but the front desk warned us it was uphill the entire way, so we took the hotel’s free shuttle instead. Good call.
Splendido earned its Michelin recognition (we noticed the 2025 sign on our way in), and everything about the evening backed that up. The kitchen sits behind a glass window so you can watch the action, copper hoods and all. Our server, Dimitri, took great care of us all night, walking us through the menu with genuine enthusiasm.
We started with prime beef tartare served in a Dutch baby, with shallot, quail egg, capers, and horseradish, paired with a beautiful red wine. Then came a surprise: royal ossetra caviar and champagne. The bread service alone (fresh baked, with butter that was borderline unfair) could have been a meal.
For dinner, I had the T.P.A. Ranch tomahawk pork chop with Carolina gold rice grits, poblano peppers, black lime, and cilantro. Every element was balanced, and even the sides, which are so often an afterthought at restaurants, were layered with flavor. Pete had the Colorado lamb rack with green garlic, preserved lemon, and Peak Farms mushrooms.
Dessert turned into an experience of its own. The team walked us into the kitchen to make cotton candy, then brought us back to the table where souffles were waiting: a classic chocolate and a lemon that completely stole the show. We joked that instead of hiking the next day, we’d just roll down the mountain, we were that full.
Hiking Royal Elk Trail to Beaver Lake
We got an early start the next morning and took the Centennial Express Lift up the mountain, then hiked Royal Elk Trail to Beaver Lake Trail, ending at Beaver Lake itself. Round trip, it’s about 5 miles of undulating terrain through meadows, aspen and spruce groves, a few creek crossings, and stretches of rocky ski slope.
Along the way we spotted deer and marmot, and the payoff at Beaver Lake made every uphill stretch worth it. This is exactly the kind of morning that makes summer in Beaver Creek worth planning a trip around. One important note if you’re planning this hike yourself: a mile at elevation on an undulating trail is not the same as a mile at sea level. By the end, we were bone tired in the best possible way, the kind of tired that only comes from a full day outside.
We refueled with a late lunch of burgers and fries at Spruce Saddle Lodge on the mountain before taking the lift back down.
Dinner at Citrea and a Night at the Vilar
After cleaning up and fueling up on coffee (liquid energy after that hike), we walked into Beaver Creek Village for an early dinner at Citrea. We shared a mezze plate with hummus, ricotta, pickled vegetables, olives, and wood-fired pita, along with an heirloom tomato salad paired with watermelon sorbet. We also tried a house-crafted mocktail, refreshingly herbal and citrusy, which felt like exactly the right way to end a hiking day.
From there, we walked to the Vilar Performing Arts Center for the Maren Morris concert. That’s the other thing I love about Beaver Creek: you can go from a mountain hike to a night out on foot, no car required. The theatre itself is beautiful, and it was a nice contrast to spend the evening cleaned up and dressed for a show after a full day outdoors.
Maren brought the hits, including “The Bones,” “My Church,” and “The Middle.” Opener Scout Willis had us both intrigued before Pete leaned over and said, “wait, isn’t that Bruce and Demi’s daughter?” Yes, it is.
A Slower Saturday Morning
After two nights of being fed so well, Saturday morning called for something simple. We had yogurt and granola at The Osprey, then walked over to Vail Mountain Coffee for a proper cappuccino to go with it. There’s something about drinking coffee in cool mountain air on a summer morning, and getting to layer on a light sweater in July felt like its own small luxury after a Florida summer.
From there, we walked to Exhale Spa at the Park Hyatt. Between the flight and the hike the day before, we were both a little sore, and it turned out to be the perfect morning for it. We booked a couples flow massage and melted into it completely, followed by sipping green tea and some time enjoying the spa facilities before heading back out.
Lunch at The Golden Eagle Inn
For lunch, we walked to The Golden Eagle Inn, known locally for game-forward dishes like elk and bison. Honestly, every meal on this trip showed the same attention to locally sourced ingredients, and this one was no exception. Pete had the bison cheesesteak with caramelized onion, sautéed mushrooms, green chilies, Swiss cheese, and spicy aioli. I had the Rocky Mountain rainbow trout with roasted red pepper polenta, artichokes, and lemon. Both were delicious.
Afterwards, we spent the afternoon shopping around the village before heading back to The Osprey to get ready for the evening ahead: The Alpine Table Dinner.
The Alpine Table Dinner at Bachelor Gulch
Beaver Creek Village itself is easy to get around on foot, but some of the resorts and restaurants sit further up the mountain. For that, there’s a Village Connect shuttle system (green shuttles, plus an app to schedule rides!). And many hotels, including The Osprey, run their own shuttles too. So we took the hotel car with another couple up to The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch for the evening.
From there, we rode the Bachelor Gulch Express chairlift up the mountain to Mamie’s for a golden hour welcome reception, looking out at McCoy Park and Larkspur Bowl, with the aspens catching the late afternoon light. There was a live acoustic guitar duo, LALO tequila palomas in hand, and about as good a stretch of weather as you could ask for.
After the reception, we took a short trail walk, with light bites offered along the way, to a long table set up right under the aspens. It was decorated beautifully with summer flowers, jarred hummus, pickled vegetables, and fresh baked bread waiting at each place setting.
Dinner was a multi-course feast built around a rotation of local chefs:
- First course: House-made ricotta with Palisade peaches and burrata, prepared by Chef Ryan Little of Citrea
- Second course: Colorado Wagyu two ways, Cuban-style oxtail and peach wood-roasted strip, over LaVenture vegetable succotash, prepared by Chef Jonathan Alonso of Zah’s Cabin
- Dessert: Snap pea semifreddo with strawberry compote, alongside Luark honey cake with bee pollen crumble, prepared by Chef Jillian Shaw of Allie’s Cabin
Course after course came out of an outdoor kitchen tucked somewhere in the trees, like the forest itself had quietly set the whole thing up for us. It was, without question, the perfect summer evening.
Afterward, we walked back up the trail for after-dinner drinks, settling into Adirondack chairs to take in the view. Gift bags waited for us with commemorative cocktail glasses and a summer mountain field guide full of beautiful photography (such a nice touch!), and we caught the last of the late summer sunset on the lift ride back down.
Sunday: Heading Home
Our final morning started with breakfast in the village at Rimini, berry crepes with lemon sugar and cappuccinos to fuel us for the trip home.
One thing that stuck with us the whole weekend: we met so many other Floridians on this trip. It makes sense. Summer in Beaver Creek is the perfect getaway for a change of landscape, cooler weather, and a direct flight that gets you there without much fuss.
Where Is Beaver Creek, Colorado, and How Far Is It From Denver?
If you’re new to this part of Colorado, Beaver Creek sits in the Vail Valley, tucked just southwest of Vail itself in Eagle County. It’s about a 2-hour drive from Denver International Airport, straight west on I-70 into the mountains, or closer to 30-40 minutes if you fly into the smaller Eagle County Regional Airport instead. Either way, it’s an easy trip from Orlando with a direct flight into Denver, which makes summer in Beaver Creek a surprisingly easy weekend getaway.
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