Ever wonder how long the Town of Vail really is? I rode it tip to tip, and not the "as the crow flies" version. House to house. The furthest west you can live to the furthest east.
10.5 miles. 12 to 15 minutes using I-70.
The Exits
Three exits get you on and off I-70 in Vail:
- Exit 173, West Vail
- Exit 176, Main Vail
- Exit 180, East Vail
Exit to exit, it's 7 miles from 173 to 180.
The Mileage Breakdown
Starting from the end of Bellflower Drive in West Vail:
- To Donovan Park: 2.2 miles
- To Main Vail (Exit 176): 4 miles
- To the end of Main Gore Drive in East Vail: 10.5 miles
West of Bellflower there are no more houses, just forest. East of Main Gore Drive, same story.
Past the last houses, Bighorn Road runs out to a "Road Closed" gate at Gore Creek Campground in the White River National Forest, the eastern edge of the Town of Vail. No homes up there, just forest.
So How Long Does It Take to Ride Vail Tip to Tip?
About 10 minutes at highway speed with no traffic on I-70. Call it 12 to 15 minutes in real-world conditions.
The Town of Vail's GIS office lists the town as 8.5 miles long as the crow flies, with about 10 miles of I-70 running through it. That matches up almost exactly with what you'll actually ride house to house.
Tip to tip. That's Vail.