Aspen and Vail look close on a map and are not close by road. If you are trying to do both on one trip, or you are moving a group between the two, this is what the drive actually involves.
About 100 miles and two hours and fifteen minutes door to door in clear conditions. Longer in winter, and longer again on a weekend afternoon.
The two towns sit roughly 35 miles apart as the crow flies, with the Sawatch Range in between and no road over it. So you go around: down the Roaring Fork Valley through Basalt and Carbondale to Glenwood Springs, east on I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, then past Eagle, Wolcott and Avon into Vail. It is a beautiful drive and it is not a short one.
In summer, when Independence Pass is open, there is a shorter-looking route over the top and around through Leadville. It is not usually faster once you account for the pass, and it is not a route we take with a loaded Sprinter in poor weather.
Four reasons, in rough order of how often we see them:
Two things matter between November and April.
Glenwood Canyon is the pinch point. It is a spectacular stretch of divided interstate cut into the canyon walls, and it closes for rockfall and for crashes with no practical detour. When it goes, the way around adds hours. That is why we build a buffer into any Aspen to Vail run with something fixed at the other end.
The Traction Law. Colorado requires snow tires, all-wheel drive or chains on these highways during storms. Every vehicle we run is all-wheel drive and set up for winter before the season starts. The full explanation is in our Colorado Traction Law guide, and it is the single most common thing our passengers have never heard of.
This is a genuinely reasonable drive to do yourself in July. In February with skis on board it is a different proposition, and there are three specific reasons people hand it over:
We quote it as a flat price agreed before the trip, one driver, door to door, with no return-leg problem to solve.
At the Aspen end: anywhere in the valley. Downtown Aspen, Red Mountain, Starwood, Snowmass Village and Base Village, Woody Creek, Old Snowmass, Basalt, El Jebel and Carbondale.
At the Vail end: Vail Village, Lionshead, East Vail, West Vail, Cascade Village, Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch, Arrowhead, Avon and Edwards.
Give us the street address at both ends and the gate code if there is one. Vail Village in particular has vehicle restrictions and designated loading points that a driver who knows the town handles without a phone call.
A Mercedes Sprinter takes up to 14 with room for skis and boards, which is the usual answer for a wedding party or a ski group relocating between valleys. Luxury SUVs handle couples, families and executive moves. For anything above 14 we run multiple vehicles with one point of contact holding the manifest, so a delay at one end gets re-sequenced rather than turned into a phone call to you.
How long does it take to drive from Aspen to Vail?
About two hours and fifteen minutes in clear conditions, via Glenwood Canyon and I-70. Add time in winter and on weekend afternoons.
Is there a shorter way?
Over Independence Pass and around through Leadville, in summer only. It rarely saves time and we do not use it in poor weather or with a heavy vehicle.
Can you do Aspen to Vail as a round trip in a day?
Yes, and plenty of people do. Be realistic that it is four and a half hours of driving, so it works best with an early start.
Do you serve Beaver Creek and Avon too?
Yes. Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch, Arrowhead, Avon and Edwards are all on the same run.
What if Glenwood Canyon closes?
That is what the buffer is for. Our driver checks CDOT the morning of the trip and will tell you at pickup if the day needs extra time.
Call or text (720) 967-9956 with the date, both addresses and how many people and bags, and we will come back with a flat quoted price.
Also useful: Vail transportation, Aspen car service, and Eagle Airport to Aspen if you are arriving at EGE.
Heading out through Denver instead? The Aspen to Denver page covers the departure timings we work to, and Denver to Aspen covers the arrival.
