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Beaver Creek is a destination that many skiers and snowboarders want to spend more than a couple of days exploring. It’s a large resort with over 170 trails across three base areas, so it takes some planning to make the most of a ski trip. Because of its layout, size, and location, it tends to feel less crowded than other resorts off I-70, like Breckenridge or Vail, giving visitors more time to fit in extra runs. If it’s your first time skiing the resort, this guide to five days in Beaver Creek is a helpful starting point.
About Beaver Creek Resort
Beaver Creek resort has an upscale resort feel with a balanced mix of green, blue, and black terrain. The ski school is known as one of the country’s best, and even touts a “Green Run Guarantee” where your fourth lesson is free if you’re not skiing after your third lesson. The resort has nearly 2,100 skiable acres across Beaver Creek Village, Bachelor Gulch, and Arrowhead. Beaver Creek lodging options span from Beaver Creek ski-in ski-out properties to locations in the heart of the village near restaurants and local attractions.
Day 1: Check In and Explore
Start your first day in Beaver Creek exploring the area and settling in. While you might have time to sneak in a few runs, this is also a good time to pick up your rentals, get your lift tickets if you haven’t, and get familiar with where you plan to eat, shop, and spend time after skiing.
After handling logistics, visit the ice skating rink or the Beaver Creek Nordic Center, where you can pick up snowshoes for a hike. While there are a lot of family-friendly options in the village, couples or groups can have an upscale meal at Beaver Creek’s famous dining cabins like Beano’s Cabin or Allie’s Cabin.
Day 2: Ski Beaver Creek Mountain
After spending the first day learning the lay of the land, it’s time to hit the slopes. First-time skiers or snowboarders can walk from Beaver Creek Village to the Group Lesson Center between the Haymeadow and Centennial Express. If you prefer to learn on your own, Haymeadow Park has magic carpets inside Buckaroo Bowl.
More experienced visitors can ride the Centennial Express Lift, which offers quick access to intermediate and advanced runs. Try Gold Dust for a good groomer or glades skiing at Heads Up, and then take the Cinch Express Lift to the 11,440-foot summit. Try some sweets at Cookie Cabin before descending 3,000 feet back down to the village on a mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain.
Day 3: Enjoy McCoy Park
If you’re with beginner and intermediate skiers, McCoy Park is a must-add to your Beaver Creek itinerary. Take the Strawberry Park Express Lift toward the 250-acre bowl, which gives less-experienced skiers room to practice before progressing to more challenging terrain. A lot of the park is wide open with a gentle pitch, making it ideal for beginners working on turns, building speed, and gaining confidence. Intermediate skiers can practice skiing between trees on the glade runs.
McCoy Park has 17 beginner and intermediate trails. When you need a break, stop for lunch at Mamie’s Mountain Grill, where you can enjoy cocktails and food on a spacious outdoor deck.
More experienced skiers in your group can branch out toward Larkspur Express for intermediate and advanced groomers, moguls, and steeper terrain. Everyone else can keep lapping McCoy Park until the rest of the party returns.
Day 4: Explore More Terrain
Start early from Beaver Creek Village and take Centennial to Cinch Express Lift for quick access to higher-elevation terrain. Turn left at the top of the lift for Red Buffalo or Jack Rabbit Alley on skier’s right. Both make it easier to repeat runs without heading all the way down mountain.
Experienced skiers can continue on to Grouse Mountain Express by going skier’s left down the Golden Eagle Flyway to Golden Eagle, which has a nearly 2,000-foot vertical drop on a steep pitch much of the way. While it’s sometimes groomed, it’s not for intermediate skiers.
For a break, Talons Restaurant is a convenient mid-mountain restaurant before moving onto more advanced terrain. Screech Owl, Royal Elk Glade, and Osprey are popular with experienced skiers comfortable with powder, trees, or moguls.
Day 5: Ski Arrowhead or Return to Favorite Runs
Arrowhead is on the opposite side of Beaver Creek from the main village. The runs are mostly green and blue, so it’s a good choice if your legs are sore from a few days on the mountain.
If you finish early, head back to the village for the ice rink, happy hour, or relaxing at your vacation rental. Anyone still chasing a few more steep runs can explore more black diamonds around Cinch, Centennial, and Strawberry Park. Notable runs include Willy’s Face, Stickline, and Bootleg.
Where You Stay Matters
The right location cuts down on daily planning and makes your ski trip much more relaxing. At Beaver Creek, there are a lot of slopeside lodging options while others are in the heart of the village near restaurants and shops.
Beaver Creek Village
The most convenient base for a first ski trip, Beaver Creek Village is a short walk to the ski school, rental shops, and two of the resort’s main lifts. Properties like St. James Place in Beaver Creek Village is near the ice rink, restaurants, and shops but with quick access to the Centennial Express and the Haymeadow Express Gondola. The Osprey is also a short walk to the village, where guests can ski-in and out from Strawberry Park Express Lift.
Bachelor Gulch
Another base area for Beaver Creek Resort, Bachelor Gulch has a quieter slope-side feel than the main village. Snow Cloud is at the base of Bachelor Gulch Express, where skiers can access some of the resort’s lower-traffic terrain first thing each morning.
Arrowhead Village
On the opposite side of the resort from Beaver Creek Village, the condos at Arrowhead Village are a short walk from Arrow Bahn Express. The high-speed four-person lift gets skiers and snowboarders up to the top of Arrowhead Mountain where they can ski down the sunny, uncrowded slopes or gradually make their way to Bachelor Gulch.
Plan Your First Beaver Creek Ski Trip
Beaver Creek’s three villages give first-time visitors access to beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain. Knowing where to stay and where to ski can help you enjoy more of the mountain, and spend less time figuring out logistics.
Plan your Beaver Creek stay with a travel expert to make the most out of your ski trip.