Photo above: Betty Ford Alpine Gardens via Google
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is a free botanical garden in Ford Park, a 10-minute walk east of Vail Village at 522 South Frontage Road East. The outdoor gardens are open every day of the year from dawn to dusk, and the Education Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no admission fee; the gardens ask for a $20 suggested donation.
At 8,200 feet, the gardens call themselves the highest botanical garden in North America, and they hold more than 3,000 species of high-altitude plants across five acres. A visit can take half an hour between lunch and a hike or a full morning with children, and in winter the paths become a snowshoe route beside Gore Creek.
What are Betty Ford Alpine Gardens' hours and admission?
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens' outdoor gardens are open daily from dawn to dusk, 365 days a year, and admission is free. As posted in September 2026, the Education Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gardens are run by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on donations, with $20 per person suggested but not required.
| What | When | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor gardens | Daily, dawn to dusk, year-round | Free; $20 suggested donation |
| Education Center | Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Free |
| Summer public tour | Memorial Day to Labor Day, Mondays and Saturdays, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. | $25 per person, 15 guests maximum |
| Ten @ Ten bloom walk | Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m., 30 to 40 minutes | $10 per family |
| Guided winter snowshoe tour | January to March, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. | $25, snowshoe rental included |
| Self-guided snowshoe rental | January to March, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., snow permitting | $10 |
Where is Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, and how do you get there?
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is in Ford Park, east of Vail Village, next to the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater and across Gore Creek from Manor Vail Lodge and Golden Peak. From I-70 exit 176, head east on South Frontage Road; the gardens are a quarter mile past the Vail Transportation Center. On foot, it is about 10 minutes from Vail Village along Gore Creek.
The Education Center sits at the west end of the gardens, beside the Ford Park playground. By bus, ride the free in-town route to Golden Peak and walk through the Manor Vail Lodge breezeway into Ford Park, or take an outlying route to the Ford Park stop. Ford Park itself has athletic fields, a playground and paths along the creek.
Where do you park for Betty Ford Alpine Gardens?
The closest parking for Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is the Ford Park lot, a three to five minute walk down a brick path, followed by the Vail Village parking structure, seven to ten minutes away. Both are Town of Vail lots, and the town makes its structures and lots free for fall from September 28, 2026. Its 2026/27 winter parking program starts November 20.
In summer, the Ford Park lot charges a $20 event fee when concerts or games are on, and it allows no overnight parking. The Town of Vail event parking calendar shows those days, and where to park in Vail has the seasonal rates.
What is there to see at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens?
Four main sections make up Betty Ford Alpine Gardens: the Mountain Perennial Garden (1989), the Mountain Meditation Garden (1991), the Alpine Rock Garden (1999) and the Children's Garden (2002). Together they hold more than 3,000 species of high-altitude plants, many from the Rocky Mountains and others from alpine regions around the world, along winding paths with views of the Gore Range.
The Vail Alpine Garden Foundation founded the gardens in 1985 and named them in 1988 for former first lady Betty Ford, whose husband's name is on the neighboring amphitheater. The current outdoor exhibit, Passport to the Peaks, runs through spring 2027 and follows alpine plant conservation from the Andes and the Himalayas to Iceland and Colorado's Niwot Ridge. The gardens also added a new Alpine Meadow for their 40th summer.
Blooms run from the first flowers in May to fall color, and by late September the gardens are moving into autumn. When the leaves change in Vail helps time a fall visit, and in winter the snow-covered paths suit snowshoeing in Vail.
Is Betty Ford Alpine Gardens good for children?
Yes. The Children's Garden, open in summer beside the Schoolhouse gift shop, has a vegetable garden and Betty's Market, a play farmers market where children shop with recipe cards. A Discovery Cart offers self-guided activities, and a summer scavenger hunt runs daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting and ending at the Education Center, with a prize for finishing.
Rocking chairs over Gore Creek give parents a shaded seat. It pairs easily with the Ford Park playground next door; free activities for kids in Vail and Vail with kids have more nearby ideas.
What should you know before visiting?
The gardens sit on a slope: paths lead downhill from the parking areas, so the walk back is uphill. For the flattest route, enter from Betty Ford Way along Gore Creek from Vail Village, or through the Golden Peak and Manor Vail Lodge breezeway. The gardens are mostly accessible, but the paths are natural, uneven rock and no wheelchairs are available to borrow.
- ADA parking is on Betty Ford Way, across from the Ford Amphitheater, with a placard displayed.
- Leashed pets are allowed on the paths.
- Bring a hat, sunscreen and water; shade is limited at 8,200 feet.
- In summer, the Schoolhouse Museum and Gift Shop sells light refreshments and is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day; the Education Center shop sells books and seeds.
- The nearest restaurants are at Manor Vail Lodge and Avanti at Golden Peak.
Private tours for groups of up to 50 run Monday to Saturday from June to early September, from $300 for up to ten people, and must be requested at least two weeks ahead. Free entry makes the gardens one of the easier stops on a list of free things to do in Vail, and the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens listing has contact details.
