Situated Just Outside Vail Is A Rocky Mountain Hamlet With Boutiques, Fresh Flavors, And Scenic Trails

Ah, Vail, the Rocky Mountain resort town that locals love to hate. If, like so many other Coloradans, you find yourself lamenting the inexorable march of capitalism in these once-silent hills, consider shifting your gaze just a touch down the valley. For it's there, tucked under the glaciated summits of the Holy Cross Wilderness, that the little hamlet of Avon makes its home. It's the perfect place to escape the crowds, get a fix of Centennial State small-town charm, and slow the pace a little.

Yep, despite having the second-biggest single mountain ski field in North America just 9.5 miles down the road to the east in Vail, and the sprawling 2,000 acres of skiable terrain that is Beaver Creek on the mountain overhead, Avon remains a truly family-centered destination. It's awash with fantastic dining and boutique shopping, is a fine place to chase bargain ski lodges, and offers easy access to the world-class hiking that Colorado is so famous for. They don't call it the "Heart of the Valley" for nothing.

If all that's got you thinking that you've finally found the homey Colorado mountain town you've been searching for, then start planning. The good news is that the main Interstate 70 heading west from Denver (where there's a major international airport) will bring you straight here in a whisper over two hours. Sometimes — and this is important for you powder hounds — Interstate Highway 70 can close due to snowfall, which is when you might need to consider various alternative routes that take a little longer.

Here's something to whet the appetite: Avon is a bit of a local's secret when it comes to dining and drinking in the Eagle Valley region. There's quite the smorgasbord to get through — think bakeries loaded with sourdoughs worthy of the West Coast, Swiss-inspired mountain eateries that churn out cheese fondue and charcuterie boards, and Italian trattorias come pizza joints.

The Northside Kitchen gets honorable mentions from past diners on Reddit. It's been serving up hearty seasonal dishes for well over a decade now, so drop in to get your fix of lamb hash topped with eggs in the morning or Colorado ribeye steak come dinner time. Rocky Mountain Raclette, meanwhile, manages a taste-bud-tempting 4.9 out of 5 on Tripadvisor. They don't actually have a location, but instead promise to rock up at your ski lodge with a fully-fledged Swiss raclette grill dinner and all the trimmings.

And it's not just about dining. Avon has enough independent shops to keep even the most dedicated retail buff happy. Hit the pedestrian-only Main Street Mall to wander between curious bronze sculpture works. At the mall's eastern end, the enticing R Farmers' Market & Kitchen offers up vegetables and meat sourced from local producers. Right next door to that is Boot Mechanics Avon. They give custom ski boot fittings for beginners to pros –– and they must be doing something right, because they've got 4.9 stars on Google with over 60 reviews and counting.

Staying in Avon means staying in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. When the snow falls, the ski begins, and there's oodles of it right on the doorstep. But when the white stuff melts, hiking takes center stage, as a web of trails opens up, some leading to high-perched alpine lakes, others to soaring overlooks that take in the whole Eagle River Valley and beyond.

Many of the best-rated hikes in the area begin and end in the resort of Beaver Creek, which sits just over five minutes' drive down a valley to the south. There, you'll find the super-approachable Five Senses Trail, which wiggles through some woodland to ponds filled with fish. Eventually, that will connect with the Beaver Lake Trail, where you'll have the option to extend your day in the mountains into a 6-mile out and back path that goes through multi-colored wildflower fields to a hidden body of water within the Holy Cross Wilderness.

Talking of the Holy Cross Wilderness, that great reserve unfolds just to the south of Avon. It's home to the fabled 14-er (that's a peak of over 14,000 feet) of the Mount of the Holy Cross, which you can access via a trail that begins just off the highway on the way to Leadville, America's highest city. A warning: It's a whole different beast of a hike, requiring backcountry camping and semi-technical ascents up highly-exposed ridges.