Visiting Beaver Creek Colorado during Ski Season
While living in Texas and then Nebraska, we made it a point to ski each winter. I’ve been skiing since I was a kid - my dad is a pro! Bret learned as an adult, though he’s honestly the more skilled (and adventurous!) skier of the two of us. We’ve hit the slopes at a number of places across New Mexico and Colorado over the years. And after this most recent trip, I think Beaver Creek may have moved to the top of my list!
We used Marriott Bonvoy points to stay at the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch. They had me at “oversized tub”! The rooms are spacious. Ours had a full kitchen, so we did breakfast and lunch at our place each day. There’s a wide variety of restaurants on property. We enjoyed dinner our first night at Buffalos, a gastropub spot. We also did a snack-y dinner one night in The Great Room, which features a multi-story fireplace and has live music in the evenings.
Perhaps one of the my favorite spots though, is the outdoor bar/restaurant. It’s at the foot of the chair-lift, and the atmosphere is so fun during the day! There are fire pits, couch seating and a big two-sided stone bar. They serve food and drinks, and it’s a great mix of skiers and people just looking to have a cocktail and soak up the sun. There’s live music here too, in the afternoons. I believe it’s the same guy playing most days. He performs popular covers and takes requests too. It’s like a big, mountain-side singalong!
One more note: you don’t have to be a hotel guest to grab a drink here — or enjoy the on-site restaurants. Anyone can come by! You can drive up the property or ski down!
Parking here to ski though is a different story. You have to valet your car, and for families wanting to utilize the chairlift, it’s a hefty fee to park.
Alright, let’s talk skiing —the very reason we visited Beaver Creek! The Ritz is a true ski-in, ski-out, with its own chairlift and a ski rental shop just steps from the slopes. It’s all SUPER convenient. The lift was virtually never busy. And as I mentioned, anyone on the mountain can ski down to the Ritz, grab a drink and lunch, and hop back on the lift.
While I’m sure the Ritz helped elevate Beaver Creek in my ski standings, I will say the mountain itself is just magical. We were skiing mid-week, so it wasn’t crowded There are beautiful runs through Aspen trees, stunning views and lots of great blues for middle-of-the-road skiers like me. Some of my favorite runs were on Arrowhead Mountain. The brand new McCoy Park area is great for families and beginners, with plenty of green runs.
We also got to enjoy several of the little village areas at the base of the mountain. Of course, there’s all the offerings at the Ritz at Bachelor Gulch. Arrowhead Village is a smaller, no-frills spot where you can ski down for food, drinks, restrooms and a rest. The staff was playing 70s tunes when we stopped by for lunch, and there’s an outdoor walk-up counter. The main attraction on the mountain though is Beaver Creek Village, where there are dozens of a shops, restaurants AND… ‘cookie time’, which I’ll get to below.
Beaver Creek Village is the main mountain village in the area. We headed there one afternoon. It’s definitely busier and more bustling than the aforementioned Bachelor Gulch and Arrowhead areas. There’s ice skating, ample restaurants and bars, plus shops ranging from souvenir spots to art galleries and luxury outdoor outfitters. We did a little shopping, grabbed drinks from an outdoor ‘tiki' bar’ and experienced the iconic COOKIE TIME! At 3 pm each afternoon right at the base of the lifts at Beaver Creek Village, a team of people donning chef hats and coats brings out trays of warm chocolate chip cookies, free for anyone in the area. The cookies are delicious, but more than anything, it’s just FUN. People of all ages gather around to grab a sweet treat - doesn’t matter if you spent the day on the slopes or sipping champagne in the front of the fire. Cookie Time is for everyone :).
A few more notes on our trip! If you want to visit Beaver Creek Village by car, there’s parking right in the village, but it does fill up fast. You may arrive and find you can’t drive right up to the village because the lots are full. Don’t fret though! There’s ample parking just down mountain, and a very easy-to-navigate, fast, free shuttle will drive you to the top. You can explore the village to your heart’s content, and then shuttle back down to your car!
We did spend a little time in Avon, the town connected to Beaver Creek Mountain. There are grocery stores and additional restaurant offerings. We grabbed dinner one night at a quaint little German beer spot, Ein Prosit.
Overall, we simply adored Beaver Creek. It’s beautiful, the skiing is great, there’s plenty to do for those who prefer to remain indoors, it’s a little further out than other resorts, so it felt slightly less crowded…and I mean, the cookies. That should seal the deal :) We’re happy to answer any questions!