With ski season only a few weeks away , the Vail Pass rest area reopened to the public on Tuesday with a bigger, better building that replaced a spartan structure built in 1980.

The new building features updated restrooms, with the number of stalls increasing from 10 to 22 — including two family restrooms — and a new drinking water system. Parking capacity has been expanded from 73 spaces to 248.

Parking intended for Vail Pass recreation users has been expanded from 35 spaces to 61, and parking for the rest area building grew from 32 spaces to 53. In addition, there are 19 “flex” spaces for overflow from those lots, and 95 dedicated snowmobiler spaces that are longer and wider to accommodate pickup trucks with trailers.

The Vail Pass Recreation Area sees 62,000 backcountry skiers and

See Full Page