The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Vail Valley

The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa anchors Avon's Riverfront Village, a pedestrian plaza along the Eagle River where the mountain town's laid-back character meets direct access to world-class skiing. Avon sits at the western base of Vail Valley, a quieter counterpoint to its celebrated neighbour but with none of the compromises: Beaver Creek's groomed runs rise three kilometres south, while Vail's legendary back bowls lie fifteen kilometres east. The property's location at the confluence of Interstate 70 and the valley's recreation corridor makes it a natural staging point for high-altitude pursuits year-round.

The village itself hums with a seasonal rhythm. Summer brings mountain bikers threading singletrack through aspen groves and golfers teeing off at altitude, where the thin air adds twenty yards to every drive. Winter transforms Avon into a ski town stripped of pretence, where gear shops and aprés spots line streets dusted with snow, and the free shuttle system connects properties to chairlifts without the fuss of resort parking. The Eagle River's constant rush underscores it all, audible from plazas and pathways.

Eagle County Regional Airport lies thirty-four kilometres west, a straightforward transfer that skips Denver's three-hour mountain drive. The valley's compact geography rewards the choice: major trailheads, championship golf courses, and two of North America's most respected ski areas all fall within a twenty-minute radius.

Beaver Creek Golf Club, barely over a kilometre from the property, unfolds across high-desert terrain where elevation (two thousand metres above sea level) demands recalculating every approach shot. The course wraps around red rock outcroppings and cottonwood-lined creeks, its signature sixteenth hole requiring a carry over a natural ravine. EagleVail Golf Club offers a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design three kilometres away, technical and tree-lined where Beaver Creek sprawls open. Book early mornings in summer when the air stays crisp and afternoon thunderstorms build over distant peaks.

Winter claims the valley from November through April. Beaver Creek's meticulously groomed corduroy and heated chairlifts define one end of the spectrum; Vail's seven back bowls and 2,140 hectares define the other. Between ski days, the Vail Nature Center provides snowshoe trails through spruce and fir forests where elk tracks mark fresh powder. East Vail Falls and Booth Falls, both roughly eighteen kilometres east, reward summer hikers with cold plunges beneath snowmelt cascades. Don't miss Mangiare Italian Market in Vail Village, nine kilometres away, for house-made pasta and provisions worth carrying home.

Winter arrives with authority and stays. December through February sees daytime highs hovering just below freezing, nights dropping to minus fourteen Celsius, and champagne powder accumulating on north-facing slopes. The light turns crystalline, refracting off snowfields under relentlessly blue skies. This is peak ski season, when the valley operates at full throttle.

Spring and autumn serve as shoulder seasons, quieter and unpredictable. March brings heavy snow but warmer temperatures; September offers golden aspen groves and empty trails, though frost returns by month's end. Both are ideal for avoiding crowds while still accessing outdoor terrain.

Summer transforms the high country. June through August sees daytime temperatures in the low twenties Celsius, cool enough for all-day hiking but warm enough for riverside dining. Afternoon thunderstorms roll through most days in July, dramatic but brief. The season feels short and precious, the valley alive with wildflowers and mountain bikers before the first September snows hint at winter's return.