The snow melted. The patio opened. Nobody went home.
Here is the ski industry’s biggest secret: the towns that do winter best are pretty damn awesome in the summer too. If I had a dollar for every time that I have heard someone in a mountain town tell me, “I came for the winter and stayed for the summer,” I might be able to afford gas prices these days.
Minus the snow, there is not much that is different in these towns during summer months. Same mountain air. Same earned-it crowd. Just different footwear, longer daylight, and a cold beer that hits the spot while on a patio at 8,000 feet in July.
The trail-to-patio-beers pipeline is real, and these three towns have it dialed.
Vail, Colorado — The Village That Refuses to Take a Season Off
For the longest time, Vail has been labeled a ski town, and justifiably so. However, what most people forget (or don’t know) is that it is also one of the most walkable mountain villages in the country from June through September. There, the infrastructure that was built to support large crowds during the winter doesn’t disappear in the summer. Gears shift at the local restaurants, bars and decks.
The Vail Trail loops through the valley with enough climbing to justify the descent into the village with purpose. The Game Creek area requires a bit more of a commitment that will have your earning your beers twice over.
Vail Colorado summer après patio bars
Come off the mountain, and you’ll find the heart of Vail Village. Up the Creek on Gore Creek is Vail’s only creek-side patio making afternoon drinking feel like an event rather than a habit. Vendetta’s is a local favorite. Their answer to the tourist-facing options has earned its credibility over the years and serves sneaky good pizza that is worth trying.
The patio-beers pipeline in Vail just works. Walk right off the mountain and into the village and you are tten steps from cold beer the moment the trail ends. No car. No planning. Just momentum.
Local Intel: The free gondola to Vail Mountain runs in summer for sightseers. Use it to get up. Hike down. The beer at the bottom is waiting and you didn’t have to pay for a lift ticket to earn it.
Telluride, Colorado — The Box Canyon That Keeps You Captive
Telluride might as well have been geographically designed for après. Sitting at the end of a box canyon, there is one way in and one way out. So once you are there, the only sensible thing to do is stay. The mountains are walls. The sky is a rectangle. Telluride feels like a place that someone designed specifically so that you would have no excuse to leave before last call.
The hiking out of Telluride earns its reputation. The Jud Wiebe Trail above town is the classic warm-up. Short and steep, this 3-mile loop with 1,300 feet of climbing will give you outstanding views back down into the canyon. From there you will have a sense of accomplishment that would certainly give you reason to call it a day. However, if you are looking for a bit more, the Bear Creek Trail pushes you harder and deeper into the San Juans further justifying your impending après hike session.
Telluride Colorado summer après hiking patio bars
Small, genuine, and completely unbothered by trends, the après scene here is as tucked away as the town is geographically. New Sheridan Bar on Colorado Avenue is one of the more legendary bars in the West. A Telluride institution since 1895, it has operated accordingly. Make your way to the back bar, you will thank me when you do. The Last Dollar Saloon is a dive bar that takes this moniker very seriously and worth stopping by for a few.
Don’t miss out on Telluride Brewing Company. Their taproom attracts the trail crowd every afternoon and has a tap list that rewards effort.
The Telluride Advantage: Free gondola between town and Mountain Village runs year-round. Hike up from one end, ride down, patio beer in hand before the sun drops behind the ridge. The logistics are already solved.
Sun Valley, Idaho — The Sleeper Pick That Insiders Have Known About for Decades
Sun Valley is the ski town outlier of the group. It doesn’t have the brand recognition of Vail or Telluride but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve to be in the summer après conversation. Where Sun Valley separates itself is in the actual experience. Quieter, less crowded, and with a mountain town character that is as real as it gets.
Bald Mountain offers some serious trails in the summer. The Warm Springs drainage is a legitimate climb with enough vertical to have your legs barking a bit at the top. The trail network connects Ketchum and Sun Valley, perfect for those who want to design their afternoon with the beer stop already built into the route.
Sun Valley Idaho summer après hiking patio scene
Ketchum is where your day ends. The Pioneer Saloon has been a Sun Valley institution since 1958. There they operate on one simple premise, that good food, cold drinks, and a room full of people who spent the day outside is a sufficient formula for a great evening. And…it is. Sawtooth Brewery is a local staple. With a daily happy hour, 25 taps and tasty food, you will want to add this stop to your list.
Pace is what separates Sun Valley’s summer après from the more trafficked Colorado alternatives. Laid back is a way of life. Nobody is rushing. The town doesn’t have the critical mass of tourists that turns a patio beer into a series of agility drills. You finish the trail, you find a seat at the bar and settle into the afternoon.
Why Sun Valley Wins in Summer: Visiting during shoulder-season means you’re drinking with people who actually sought Sun Valley out. That changes the energy at the bar in a way that’s hard to explain but easy to feel.
The Through Line
Different mountains, different canyons, same formula. Put in the work on the trail and reap the rewards from views that justify the effort. Once earned, the town catches you at the bottom with a cold beer and nowhere to be. That’s the trail-to-patio pipeline. It’s summer Après. That’s the whole point.
The snow will come back. But until then, the patios are open.
About the Author
Rich Stoner is the founder of the après-ski lifestyle clothing and media brand, All About Après. He is also the co-host of the Après All Day Podcast. No stranger to the ski and après-ski scene, Rich has been a long time contributor for many publications on topics like skiing, travel, gear, beer and food. However, his passion is on the slopes and enjoying good times with good people. You can find him perfecting his craft carving turns and drinking beers in the Green Mountains of Vermont. @allaboutapres