Vail: Reasons to Love all the Seasons

Sure, it's the greatest ski resort in the West (or so some say, anyway). But if you think snow's all that this Alpine-chic mountain town has going for it, you don't know Vail. There's a reason to visit year-round... and with every season, something new to enjoy. Here's a few suggestions.

Spring: Festivals and Fun Events
New Orleans might have Mardi Gras, but Vail has Carnivail, complete with a Fat Tuesday Parade, to keep things festive in February. The Vail Film Festival is "getting better every year" to quote an insider... for skiers, the fact that you can hit the slopes in between flicks makes it all the better. And right before the snow starts melting, Spring Back to Vail marks the end of ski season with free concerts, snow exhibitions, and—don't miss it—the World Pond Skimming Championships.

Bike Denver

Kudos to the Mile High City for implementing the first bike-sharing program in the United States. Comparable to Paris, Amsterdam, and Montreal, you can pick up a shiny new red 3-speed Trek bike at any of the 40 stations around town and drop them off at another station. A 24-hour membership is $5 while a yearly membership will set you back $65. Simply pick up the bike at say the Colorado Convention Center and drop it off near the Denver Art Museum. From the Denver Art Museum, grab another bike and cruise to your hotel. The bikes will be equipped with RFID chips and computers to track mileage, calories burned, and carbon offsets. So you can monitor your fitness and see how you’re contributing to Denver’s greening efforts.

Photo Credit: Denver, Colorado skyline (Ron Ruhoff/Denver metro Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Top Budget-Friendly Mountain Trips

Enjoy some fresh mountain air without putting your wallet on a high-altitude diet at these three affordable trip hubs.

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Get around for .50 cents a person on the Fun Time Trolley, buy a Pigeon Forge Value Card for discounts on everything from meals to hotels, shopping and attractions, and enjoy a free-next-day ticket to Dollywood when you arrive after 3 p.m. Accommodations ranging from rustic inns to value-conscious resorts make for budget-friendly lodging.

Colorado Ski Savings Alert: Ski for Less at Winter Park

Planning a last-minute Colorado ski trip (and you should, because this winter’s been good for the Rocky Mountain State)? Check out the “Everyone's a Kid” deal at Winter Park, the closest resort to Denver (two hours) and a top-rated family-friendly ski locale. Book three nights at resort lodging including Fraser Crossing, Founders Pointe, the Vintage Hotel, Winter Park Mountain Lodge, or Zephyr Mountain Lodge, and adults ski for kids' rates ($49 per day). Rates start from $118 for studio/one-bedroom lodging; offers applies for trips through end of March.

To compare rates on the best airfare deals to Denver, visit Trip.com's Denver Trip Guide.

Photo credit: Snowboarder at Winter Park, Colorado (courtesy, Winter Park Resort)

Denver Trip Tip: Denver Restaurant Week Starts Today

Denver Restaurant Week (DRW) kicks off today and will run for two weeks for the first time this year. During the culinary smorgasbord, the Mile High City’s largest foodie festival, all 281 participating restaurants will offer multi-course dinners for $52.80 for two. Last year, nearly 300,000 people participated during DRW and with the extra week and 20 percent more restaurants participating, city tourism officials are hopeful the 2010 event will set a new dining record.

Denver Weekend Escapes: Cross-Country Ski Devil's Thumb Ranch

Colorado is rightly lauded for its deep powder, bluebird skies, and stunning scenery—though usually for its downhill, not Nordic, skiing. However, to enjoy the state at a lesser gravitational lick, strap on a pair of skinny skis and glide the white fantastic. To add a dash of luxury, visit 4,000-acre Devil's Thumb Ranch 80 miles west of Denver, where 80 miles of perfectly groomed trails whisk you onto the doorstep of the Continental Divide.

Photo credit: Cross-country skier (Artville)

Colorado Classics: Winter in Rocky Mountain National Park

Come winter, Rocky Mountain National Park's access roads offer an ideal window into a panoramic world of snow-covered mountains. Cross-country skiers and the snowshoe set target the lower valleys—particularly Bear Lake and Wild Basin—while the east slops remain a hotbed for day hiking, leaving the high-country open for mountaineering.

Photo credit: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (courtesy, National Park Service)

Best Budget-Friendly Ski Vacations

These budget-friendly ski resorts offer amenities and activities for everyone from seasoned skiers to first-timers.

Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa, Thompsonville, Michigan
With ski and spa packages starting at $139 per person per night and a variety of other wallet-friendly deals, this full-service ski and golf resort offers a variety of activities, lessons, childcare and more at reasonable prices. Voted top Midwest ski resort by SKI magazine in 2005, the resort offers 45 trails plus two terrain parks and a 700-foot halfpipe.

Vail Cascade Resort, Vail, Colorado
This AAA Four-Diamond resort at the base of Vail Mountain offers a variety of lodging styles and sizes, and an extensive list of attractions and activities for year-round fun. Take advantage of special packages catering to families, spa-lovers, foodies, and hardcore deal-seekers.

Denver Escapes: Arkansas River Whitewater Rafting

Colorado's Arkansas River is one of the nation's ten most popular boating rivers, run by more than 250,000 rafters and kayakers each year. Paddlers can catch glimpses of elk, heron, and bighorn sheep between stretches of Class III and IV rapids. Salida's annual FIBArk Whitewater Festival, held each June, pits the world's best paddlers in an acrobatic mano a mano against the river's mightiest rapids.

Photo credit: Tricks on the Arkansas River, Salida, Colorado (John Leacock/courtesy, Colorado Tourism)