To reach Blue Sky Basin from Vail Village, ride Gondola One to Mid-Vail, get to Mountaintop Express or Northwoods Express, then follow Sleepytime Road to Skyline Express, which opens up the rest of the basin. Blue Sky is one of the most remote areas of the resort, so treat it as a commitment for the day rather than a quick detour, and plan your return around when the lifts close.
The route from Vail Village
- Ride Gondola One from Vail Village to Mid-Vail, where you can branch to the west or east side of the mountain.
- Head for Mountaintop Express (Chair 4) or Northwoods Express, the two lifts Vail names as starting points for Blue Sky. The Vail trail map shows how to reach either one from Mid-Vail.
- Take Sleepytime Road toward the Skyline Express.
- Ride Skyline Express into Blue Sky Basin. Pete's Express is the other main lift in the basin.
There are two other ways in. The Tea Cup Express (Chair 36), which serves Tea Cup Bowl between Sun Up and China Bowl, also gives access to Blue Sky, and so does the Slot, a groomed run reached through the Back Bowls Corbel that connects to China Bowl, Sun Down Bowl, Tea Cup Bowl and Blue Sky Basin.
What is in Blue Sky Basin
Blue Sky Basin opened on January 6, 2000. At its 15th anniversary in 2015 Vail Resorts counted 645 acres of developed terrain, with glades, cliffs and steeps inside the resort boundary. Tree runs include Champagne Glade, Steep and Deep and Resolution, and grooming reaches Big Rock Park, Grand Review and The Star. Vail describes a mix of intermediate and expert terrain, with Big Rock Park and Lover's Leap among the popular runs. Confident intermediates can build a day around the groomed trails; the glades, cliffs and steeps call for stronger skills. Two of the basin's three chairlifts carry the names of Vail's founders: Earl's Express (#38) and Pete's Express (#39).
Planning the day
- Lift hours differ by area. Closing times vary between the Front Side, the Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin, and a closed lift can cut off the way back. Check the lift and terrain status before you commit, and start the trip back with a margin.
- Go early on fresh-snow days. Vail recommends reaching the Back Bowls or Blue Sky Basin early for fresh snow.
- Food and restrooms. Blue Sky has restrooms at Belle's Camp, which a 2015 Vail Resorts release described as a place to grill your own food and warm up by the fireplace. The on-mountain restaurants Vail points to are elsewhere, such as Two Elk Lodge and Wildwood Smokehouse, so eat first or carry snacks and water.
- Summer. A U.S. Forest Service closure that came with the area's approval protects elk calving habitat in the Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin from early May to the end of June, and no organized summer activities are allowed there.
Related guides
Blue Sky is the far end of the route to the Back Bowls. For timing, see when Vail's lifts close and when the Back Bowls open. To gauge the terrain, read how hard the Back Bowls are, and for crowds, how many skiers visit Vail per day.
