Stop N Save Vail

Out on the North Frontage Road at Vail's western edge, Stop 'n Save is the kind of place you are glad to know about rather than glad to be in — and that is the whole point. It handles the practical side of a mountain trip so the rest of the day does not have to.

Fuel is the main draw, and the case for stopping here is simple: Vail Pass is right there, and running low on either side of it is a problem you only make once. Fill up before you go over, not after you wish you had.

Inside, the convenience range covers the basics, and Peakside Kitchen — the group's own food counter — serves food prepared fresh daily, which puts this a step above the usual roadside stop. Worth a look if you are heading out early or need something quick on a day trip over the pass.

Stop 'n Save is a Colorado chain with stores across the mountain towns and the Western Slope, so if this end of Vail is not your direction, there is a good chance another location will turn up along your route.