Beaver Creek and Vail are both Vail Resorts mountains in Eagle County, and one Epic Pass covers both, so the choice is about size and setting. Vail has 5,317 skiable acres against roughly 2,082 at Beaver Creek, and Beaver Creek carries a larger share of beginner and intermediate terrain (66 percent, against 47 percent at Vail). Beaver Creek is a smaller, self-contained village; Vail is two pedestrian villages on a much larger mountain. In winter a free express bus links them every 20 minutes, so it is easy to ski one and stay at the other.
Beaver Creek and Vail by the numbers
| Measure | Vail | Beaver Creek |
|---|---|---|
| Skiable terrain | 5,317 acres | 2,082 acres |
| Base and highest elevation | 8,120 ft and 11,570 ft | 8,100 ft and 11,440 ft |
| Lifts and trails | 32 lifts, 278 trails | 24 lifts, 167 trails |
| Average snowfall (resort-reported) | 354 inches | 323 inches |
| Terrain mix (resort-rated) | 18% beginner, 29% intermediate, 53% advanced | 28% beginner, 38% intermediate, 34% advanced |
| Visitation, 2024/25 season | Second most visited U.S. mountain resort | Tenth most visited |
| Village setup | Vail Village and Lionshead Village, two pedestrian villages | Beaver Creek Village, with three base areas on the mountain |
Visitation ranks are from Vail Resorts' fiscal 2025 annual report.
Terrain and pace
Vail's scale comes largely from the Back Bowls: seven bowls covering 2,785 skiable acres, and the Back Bowls guide explains what that terrain asks of a skier. For the full acreage picture, see how many skiable acres Vail has.
Beaver Creek advertises meticulously groomed runs across more than 2,000 acres and three distinct base areas, and its trail numbers show a mix weighted toward beginner and intermediate skiers. A 250-acre lift-served expansion at McCoy Park, listed among Vail Resorts' capital projects, accounts for part of Beaver Creek's growth to its current 2,082 acres. Vail Resorts' annual report calls Beaver Creek a European-style resort with multiple villages and a children's ski school program it calls world renowned, with a dedicated children's gondola. None of that makes it a beginner-only mountain: it rates a third of its terrain advanced.
Snowfall is a modest difference. Vail reports an average of 354 inches and Beaver Creek 323, and the resorts' pages say nothing about crowds on any given day, so check each mountain's conditions and lift status close to your dates.
Crowds and the village experience
The annual report ranks Vail as the second most visited mountain resort in the United States for 2024/25 and Beaver Creek as tenth, which is a fair proxy for overall scale but not for how busy a specific lift line is. Beaver Creek's village page describes a compact village with a creekside park, a kids' scavenger hunt and outdoor art, and lodging with access to hiking trails. Vail's village is larger: Vail Village and Lionshead are a 10-to-15-minute walk apart, or a ride on a complimentary in-town bus, and Lionshead is closed to cars and buses. For dining and nightlife, Vail's side is covered in the Vail nightlife directory.
Getting between the two
Core Transit connects Vail to Beaver Creek, and most routes are free, including a Vail/Beaver Creek Express Shuttle that runs every 20 minutes during the winter. A $3 fare applies only to trips that include stops in Gypsum, which includes the airport, or Leadville.
Passes, prices and where to stay
Vail Resorts' annual report describes the Epic Pass as unlimited, unrestricted access to all of its resorts, which includes both mountains; the Epic Day Pass, a one-to-seven-day product, works differently, so confirm what your product covers. See the Epic Pass listing. On the Vail side, the best hotels in Vail roundup covers the main lodging options.
To see how the two mountains fit into the rest of the company's portfolio, read what resorts Vail owns.
