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Tucked in a canyon near Vail, but definitely set apart from the high-rolling crowds at Vail and Beaver Creek resorts, Red Cliff is a tiny town with a big, historic heart.
Once a thriving mining depot, today Red Cliff has shut — but not forgotten — its saloons, brothels, and hotels; its art community prefers instead the quite and beauty of the surrounding mountains.
Cross-country ski trails abound here; try 11-mile (mostly downhill) Shine Pass for a warm-up; drive or mountain bike the lofty road in the summer. Either way, it offers phenomenal views of 14,005-foot, Mount of the Holy Cross.
Those in search of trout fishing will find numerous mountain lakes in the area; Missouri Lake, the closest to Red Cliff, is a three-mile drive and a three-mile hike in, but perfect for a campout. Trail Wise guides downtown can point you in the right direction for any outdoor adventure.
Read A Day of Summer Luxury in Vail & Beaver Creek for an itinerary of things to do in the area.
Other Cities in This Region: Alma Aspen Avon Basalt Beaver Creek Bond Breckenridge Carbondale Climax Copper Mountain Dillon Dumont Eagle Edwards El Jebel Empire Fairplay Frisco Georgetown Glenwood Springs Grant Gypsum Heeney Keystone Leadville Mccoy Minturn Redstone Shawnee Silver Plume Silverthorne Snowmass State Bridge Vail Wolcott
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