Boulder to Vail road trip: Drive time, distance & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Boulder to Vail drive are Idaho Springs, Georgetown and Frisco. The distance from Boulder to Vail by car is 103 miles, with a 1h55m driving time.

Planning a Boulder to Vail road trip itinerary

The Boulder to Vail drive takes you through the Rocky Mountains to one of Colorado’s top ski resorts.

Boulder CO nuzzles up to the Rocky Mountains. The craggy rock formations known as the Flatirons to the west of the city are hugely popular for hiking.

Other good Boulder activities include ebike tours and guided climbing adventures.

One of the best things you can do from Boulder, however, is a wildlife-spotting day tour of the Rocky Mountain National Park.

Great Boulder accommodation options include the wood-panelled Foot of the Mountain Motel and the heritage-embracing Hotel Boulderado.

Purpose-built, European-style ski village Vail is the biggest ski resort in Colorado, and arguably gets the best of the conditions. This is particularly the case with the legendary powder in the Back Bowl.

But a major part of the appeal is that you don’t have to strap on the skis at all. Top Vail experiences include Segway tours, snow sledding and downhill mountain bike tours. You can also try fly-fishing trips and escape rooms.

Compare prices for Vail accommodation here.

Boulder to Vail distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Boulder to Vail is 103 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 55 minutes. The quickest route is along the CO-93 and I-70.

The best stops to add to a Boulder to Vail road trip itinerary are Idaho Springs CO, Georgetown CO and Frisco CO.

Boulder to Vail road trip attractions: Idaho Springs

Idaho Springs is a former gold mining town in the mountains. You can learn about that gold mining past on a tour to the ARGO Gold Mill and Mine.

These days, however, the town is something of an adventure sports hotspot. Whitewater rafting on Clear Creek is particularly popular, and you can try it at beginner, intermediate or advanced level.

Other Idaho Springs experience options include via ferrata climbing on Mount Evans, the cliffside zipline and Jeep tours.

Boulder to Vail drive: Georgetown CO

On the I-70, Georgetown CO offers an engaging handful of tourist attractions. Most popular of these is the Georgetown Loop Railroad, where steam trains head across scenic bridges through the mountains. You can also go deep inside the old Lebanon silver mine, with tours heading inside the tunnels dug into Leavenworth Mountain.

Best stops between Boulder and Vail: Frisco CO

Frisco CO is a mountain town surrounded by some of the world’s best ski resorts. It does, however, have a few attractions in its own right. The Dillon Reservoir is a good spot for kayaking tours, fishing and boating, while the Frisco Historic Park and Museum collects together several handsome old buildings. There’s a museum about local history inside the old schoolhouse.

The Frisco Adventure Park offers tubing, Nordic skiing, hiking and biking.