Vail Mountain Bike Park

Rode here last weekend for the first time. Weather was perfect, aspens were golden, and the views were amazing. No lines at either gondola. Conditions were dry and some of the downhill trails were pretty blownout, but still had a fantastic time. Climbed up the road to top of Grand Traverse and rode back down Grand Traverse which was amazing. Also rode Game creek off the back which was also fantastic. Tons of other trails there, but not enough time to hit them all. Will be back for sure.

Visited Vail the 4th of July week. A lot has changed since my last visit there to ride. Mainly... a gazzillion people! Local business owners say that July is now Vail's busiest month, with 4th of July the busiest week, surpassing winter. It seems there wasn't a room or condo available anywhere. At one point, there was a 30-40 minute wait for the lift to the top. Fortunately, I was there a full week so I could plan my rides around the crowds. Some of the trails are showing significant wear. But all in all, Vail can be fun and doesn't require a lot of arobics since it pretty much all down hill. Most everyone sticks to the downhill stuff, of which there is plenty to choose from. If you venture out of Vail proper, and the local's trails, you have a better experience in my opinion, and can practice your high altitude aerobics. :)

Me (15) and my brother (12) really enjoyed our stay at Vail. Our favorite trail was Big Mamba. We had a lot of fun. Our only complaint is that the trails don't seem to be rated correctly because we noticed some blues would be very easy and others not so much. It didn't make much sense?

I found these trails to be better than expected based on previous reviews. There are some problems--some trails are badly rutted, trails listed as DH/FR are usually just steeper cross country trails, there is definite grade inflation (trails listed as harder than they really are). But if you know what these trails are going in and are not looking for an extreme experience, there is much fun to be had. The newer Radio Flyer has the best flow, but is not intimidating in any way, so just about anyone can have a good time lapping that one. PMT is one of the better choices among the "black" trails. Hank's Hideaway could be better with a little maintenance--it is a very fast trail, but too many of the typical Vail biking noobs grab too much brake too often, causing the trail to be badly stutter bumped. Be advised, Son of Simba has a couple sharp climbs to get back to the base area, but they are short.

So it's not real lift-served resort riding, nor is it genuine cross country riding, so it wont' appeal to purists of either type, but it can be a good place to just get out and let 'em roll.

While I had a fun time riding the trails here, especially the likes of PMT, other trails were poorly-built. The flow on Big Mamba is horrible, with corners that are too sharp (despite being bermed), and singletrack that shoots you back up hill, forcing you to lose all momentum (despite being an "intermediate freeride trail). While I had a good time riding here, this is the worst ski resort I've ridden in Colorado.

I don't feel right reviewing this trail as this is the only trail I have rode in Colorado and for my standers from NC this trail is great but a colorado resident will tell you differently but I had a good time.

Typical vail trail conditions, tons of tourists dragging their brakes and leaving all trails brake rutted in corners, straights everywhere...riding on washboard. DH trails are not maintained, I've seen the trash get worse every week, trails not patrolled watch out for tourist hikers w/unleashed dogs who can't read the signs or symbols. Wasted my money on a season pass, do yourself a favor and ride keystone, trestle, or Evo at CB for resorts that care about mountain bikers experience and personal safety.
Radio flyer- fun early season before its a complete rutted washboard/sandpit corners
Pmt & Magic forest- black diamond means unmaintained, few "jumps" if you can call them jumps, gopro video played at eagle bahn gondola features sections of these trails and 94 DH that no longer exist.
Bigs mamba is ok in the lower half, be prepared for the worst brake bumps and slow riders that don't pull off.

Be happy, ride your bike elsewhere. Vail just wants your $$$

Vail's lift service seems to get a little bit better every year with MORE TO COME!!!! Grand Traverse still has all the appeal it did the first time I rode it, with the Cougar Ridge descent making it all worth the effort!! Radio Flyer and Big Mamba are a testament to the hard work of the Vail Trails Crew!!

Rode some of the roads with the kids - snoozer.
Grand Traverse is a singletrack easy enough for my kids. They enjoyed it, and the scenery was fantastic.
Rode parts of PMT and Old Nine Line, which are rated as black, and have lots of warning signs as you drop in. They were challenging, but were not hard enough to warrant the warnings.
Rode Hank's Hideaway, which was a total blast. It's a narrow dirt trail that winds thru a great aspen grove with 5-6ft tall undergrowth right up to the edge of the trail. The rest of my rating is based on this trail.* Review edited 7/23/2011

Good lift-serviced XC, lots of construction going on so the closures/re-routing is a bit of a bummer!! Grand Traverse is closed @ the final approach to PHQ because of new Chair 5 (says on summer trail map, but no signs till at closure). Two great XC singletracks (Hank's and Fred's) going down to the base area.

Try the new Hanks Hideway trail for a quick up or downhill singletrack ride. Only about 3 miles long. Find the start of the trail about 2.5 miles up the Lionsdown trail.

Lots of good trails. 3000 vertical feet but doesn't feel like it. Beware of the rating system, it isn't comparable to other places. Some greens at Keystone are much harder than blues here. Lion Down is just a boring fireroad, while MidVail Escape, Fred's Lunch, and Onza Alley are fun for downhill for an xc biker.
Also, the signage reeally sucks here so you should make sure you know where youre going (and youll still get confused)

Vail has some pretty good XC riding, Grand Traverse, Cougar Ridge, and Two Elk trails. The front side of the mountain is mostly downhill and hiking trails. The downhill trails could be great but they don't have a trail crew to maintain or build features. Most of the features are very old and need work(94 downhill). Old 9 Line offers a very tech, steep ride. Mane Lane(short) is flowy with good berms and a couple of jumps, but it ends with a retarded ladder that will probably kill someone some day. It's a shame to have this much mountain to work with and very few leagal trails. For downhilling Keystone is sooooo much better.* Review edited 7/1/2008

Vail is one of my favorite places to ride! Vail Mtn. has a mixed bag of terrain from smooth rolling trails, knarly uphills, fast downhills, and techincal sections that challenge the best of them, this is what makes Vail a sweet spot for me. The trick to Vail is riding with someone who's ridden this place and know's it well, why? because there's so much Vail has to offer!

This is one of my favorite trails. Allthough I have put fire roads on the trail description, that is for mostly on the way up. From Mid-Vail still going up and on it is mostly single track.