Vail Ski Resort Guide
Vail Parking
Where to Park in Vail
There are 2 parking garages at Vail that are available to the public. One garage is located at Lionshead Village and the other parking garage is in Vail Village. The first 1 1/2 hour of parking is free in both parking garages. After that parking can cost up to $25 for a full day in the parking garage.
Parking at Lionshead Village
This is the closest parking area to the Gondola at Vail. This garage is less than a 5 minute walk to the Eagle Bahn Gondola. There is also an annex to this building that has a Subway and restrooms inside. You can see this in the photo below
Parking at Vail Village
If you want to access the China Bowl, Blue Sky Basin, The Sun Down Bowl or the Mongolia Bowls you should park at Vail Village. The cost for parking here is the same as the Lionshead parking garage; 1 1/2 hour for free and then between $10 and $25. The entrance to this parking garage is pictured at the top of this page and in the photo below.
Vail Parking FAQ
Is there any free parking in Vail?
Free parking is extremely hard to find during the winter time in Vail. There are no established free parking lots. There is a few summer trail heads around the valley where you can leave your car, but most of these will require a short bus ride to the mountain. If you want free parking in Vail, you'll need to know someone.
How do I get to the Vail parking garages from the interstate?
The easiest way to do this is to use Exit 176 from I-70. Once you enter the main round-about, you should exit moving parallel to the base of the mountain, this will lead you to either of the parking garages (Vail Village to the East, Lionshead to the West).
How long does it take to walk from the Vail parking garages to the mountain?
The walk from the Lionshead garage to the gondola is about 5 minutes. The walk from the Vail Village parking garage to the base area takes between 5-10 minutes.