Spring in Beaver Creek Means Serious Thrills, Nature, and Fun

Yes, you can purchase your 2024/2025 season passes for Beaver Creek, but don’t go wishing spring away so fast. The warmer months trade snow for some of the best Rocky Mountain hiking, biking, and oh, how about some blues and brews? 

Memorial Day weekend kicks off summer and you can set this season’s tone with  flavor-infused BBQ washed down with Colorado’s best brews, all set to a musical backdrop where the blues are as hot as the rising temps. The 2024 Blues, Brews, and BBQ Festival brings the heat from May 24-26. The event features a family fun zone, BBQ competitions, and stages where the blues plays on repeat. Free to all, but if you want to elevate your experience, check out the festival’s website for VIP tickets. 

Keep the arts vibe going with a performance at the Vilar Performing Arts Center. Laugh with comics, rock out alongside national acts, or take in one of Broadway’s touring shows. Let this gem situated in Beaver Creek Village delight, entertain, and excite. The spring 2024 season features two performances from the Vail Valley Academy of Dance–Around the World and Alice in Wonderland. Reggae legend Burning Spear hits the stage on June 5th for a one-night show. 

For a different kind of show, take a short drive to explore the wildflower blooms at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, one of the world’s highest botanical gardens. More than 500 species of alpine plants dot the alpine landscape with unfolding rainbow-hued blooms. Free and open year round, amble through the Alpine Rock Garden, Mediation Garden, and Children’s Garden. With more than 2,000 varieties of plants, the gardens offer a respite to connect with nature and recharge. 

Don’t head inside yet–spring in Colorado shines on the links. Golfers flock to the Beaver Creek Golf Club to up their games with formidable fairways framed with snow-capped mountains. Creeks babble along the course and fairways slice pine groves to create an 18-hole, championship course that needs to be on your golf course bucket list. 

Seek bigger thrills by horse or by Jeep. Guided trail rides will give you a taste of what Colorado’s original denizens felt as they traversed the Colorado landscape. Pack a picnic to make a day of it, but note that kids younger than seven aren’t permitted on the trails. Don’t worry–the ponies at the stables give the little ones a taste of the Wild West. Speaking of wild, 4×4 tours will have you bouncing your way through some of the area’s best trails. Guided tours take you through the area’s history and spotlight the Rockies’ beauty. 

For ultimate excitement, you can’t do better than riding the rapids through mountain passes, taking on the ever-changing Eagle River. Tailor your whitewater rafting excursion for a family-friendly ride or really battle the wild Colorado spring waters as you blaze through Class IV and V rapids. May and June offer some of the region’s best times to inject adventure into your Beaver Creek stay.