Vail's best known as one of the world's premiere ski areas but summer's a great time to discover the "other" Vail.

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Explore 'Other' Side Of Vail With This One Tank Trip

We'd heard about a great breakfast at the Sonnenalp Hotel so we decided to check it out, Bill Clarke said.

Bring your appetite because a Sonnenalp breakfast buffet has much more than you'd expect. There are three different kinds of smoked salmon: regular, chipotle, and cracked pepper.

The view comes at no extra charge and from Sonnenalp, you can see Gore Creek and Vail Village.

Then it's time for a trip north of Vail, first, alongside Interstate 70 and then 10 miles up to Piney Lake. It doesn't take long to leave the pavement behind, to let the dirt and gravel road lead you to a very special place called Piney River Ranch.

The ranch itself is just 68 acres and some of it is the lake. It's all surrounded by national forest and wilderness and all of it is a little bit of paradise. The mountains beyond are the centerpiece because they are the famous Maroon Bells of Vail but the ranch itself is a great destination or starting point for a hike.

"We want to keep it as pristine as we can, yet let people come up here and enjoy it," said Linda Hansen, who runs Piney River Ranch.

"They've stocked the lake with 6,000 trout.

Of course, a ranch wouldn't be a ranch without horses so there are pony rides for those 7 years old and younger and extended riding tours for those more grown up. Hansen said the trick is to find a good family balance.

"You've got grandma who wants to sip a lemonade and look out at the beautiful view and little kids who want to go on the zip line," said Hansen.

The ranch serves up good grub and there are several places to camp.

If you're not into roughing it, Piney River Ranch also has a couple of log cabins. They each sleep six people and go for $150 to $175 a night and each comes with its own hot tub.

The water there was 104 degrees -- just right, Bill said. And "just right" is one way to describe this one tank trip to Piney River Ranch.

Bill's Trip Notes

The Sonnenalp Resort has all the charm you'd expect from a top-of-the-line Vail establishment. And we found it had all the warmth and hospitality you'd expect from a family-run, European-based lodge. The best of both worlds!

The $20 tab for a buffet breakfast may seem like a lot if you're used to a grab-and-go type meal. But it doesn't take long to see that the quality of the food makes it a great deal, especially the pastries and the smoked salmon (a weakness of mine). Again, the Sonnenalp breakfast buffet is available seven days a week, although the management told us there may be some specialty brunches this summer.

Finding the road to Piney River Ranch is easy. But you have to remember that almost everyone who takes the main Vail exit heads toward Vail Village and the ski area. To get to Piney River, you have to think a little differently.

First, take the main Vail exit. When you get off I-70 you're at a roundabout. Instead of going into Vail Village, you take the frontage road that runs parallel to the freeway and immediately north of it. About a mile west, you'll see a sign for Piney Lake. Follow the signs into the mountains (you never thought there was anything above Vail on the north side of the valley, did you?). Even after the pavement ends, the dirt and gravel road is a good one.

The day we were up there, we saw cars and sport utility vehicles carrying 75 girls from local churches to Piney River Ranch. They had no problems with the roads and neither did we.

The Ranch itself is a blast, and if you want something more quiet and contemplative, there are canoes and paddleboats to take out on Piney Lake, or you can hike up toward Mount Powell. This is the very edge of the Gore Range and it's a sight to behold.

The nice thing about Piney River Ranch is that you can be so far away from all the trappings of civilization and then head into Vail to hang with the summertime jet set.

If you have to ask which one has cell phone service, you need some time in the wilderness more than you thought.

More Information:

For the Sonnenalp Resort go to Sonnenalp.com or (866) 284-4411.
For Piney River Ranch, go to their Web site PineyRiverRanch.com or call (866) 447-4639 (44-PINEY).
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