Eagle

Top image: the Eagle River at Chambers Park in Eagle. Photo by Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

Eagle is the Eagle County seat, with a downtown of 1890s and early-1900s buildings and a big trail network on public land. It sits on the Eagle River, about 30 miles west of Vail and 5 miles from Eagle County Regional Airport.

On this page: Know before you go · The town · Where to eat · Things to do · Where to stay · Getting around · When to come · Events · Good to know

• What it is: a home-rule town. It has been the county seat since 1921.
• Elevation: about 6,600 ft.
• From I-70: exit 147.
• Distances: about 30 miles to Vail and about 5 miles to Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE).
• Buses: Core Transit’s Valley Route.
• Best for:
  • mountain biking and hiking from spring to fall;
  • a walk through history on Broadway;
  • summer events in Town Park;
  • Sylvan Lake State Park.

Know before you go: winter trail closures

From Dec. 1 to Apr. 15, the Town of Eagle closes most of its open space and trails to all human activity, to protect winter range for deer and elk. That includes all open space and trails on the west side of town. Violations carry fines of up to $2,650.

Closed (Town of Eagle):

• School House Rock (Horton Street trailhead)
• Abrams Ridge, Abrams Gulch, Abrams Creek and Kill Bill (Silver Spur trailhead)
• Hernage Gulch and the LOV Connection Trail
• Third Gulch, Bailey’s, Second Gulch, Mayer Gulch, Turniphead and Wall (Arroyo trailhead)
• the third Haymaker loop, including Extra Credit
• Adam’s Way
• most Eagle Ranch open space

The Town also asks visitors to stay off the Spud Cellar property, which is wildlife habitat.

Open all winter (non-motorized), according to the Town:

• Boneyard and Redneck Ridge (exempted from BLM’s closure)
• Bellyache Road
• lower Pool & Ice, up to the seasonal gate
• Haymaker loops 1 and 2, but not past the seasonal gate
• the Town and Eagle Ranch paved paths, including the Crusher Fines Trail
• the Eagle Ranch golf course (follow HOA and golf-course signs)

Nearby BLM land, including East Eagle–Bellyache Ridge and Hardscrabble, is closed to motorized and mechanized use, bikes included, over the same dates.

Closure dates and boundaries can change. Check the Town’s Open Space and Trail Information page and BLM’s Colorado River Valley Field Office closures page before you go.

↑ Back to sections

The town

Broadway and downtown

Many of Eagle’s oldest buildings stand on or near Broadway. The Town says that by the late 1920s, Broadway already looked much as it does today.

Landmarks:

• Woodman Hall, a fraternal lodge that stood on the west side of Broadway where the Brush Creek Saloon is today, was long a community gathering place. The county records were stored in a vault there after Eagle became the county seat.
• The 1904 brick building at 108 W. Second St. was Eagle’s first brick building. It started out as the Eagle Club saloon and later became Eagle’s town hall.

The Eagle County Historical Society made a self-guided walking tour of Broadway. Small shops are found on Broadway and the streets around it.

Capitol Street (downtown)

In 2026 the Town rebuilt downtown Capitol Street from Grand Avenue to 5th Street. The work, from April to October, added:

• a new water main and storm drainage;
• new paving, curbs, sidewalks and parking;
• bump-outs and raised crosswalks.

The street reopened with a ribbon-cutting in October. Mayor Bryan Woods called it the last of the downtown streets the Town had wanted to finish.

Eagle Ranch

Eagle Ranch is a newer neighborhood on the south side of town, across Brush Creek from downtown, and home to the Eagle Ranch Golf Club. It has its own small village of restaurants. Their addresses are also on Capitol Street, in the 1100 block, separate from the downtown section rebuilt in 2026.

Chambers Avenue and Market Street

Chambers Avenue and Market Street, just off I-70 exit 147, hold the town’s highway hotels and services.

↑ Back to sections

Where to eat

Eagle’s restaurants are spread across three areas:

• Downtown: on and around Broadway and Second Street.
• Eagle Ranch: the neighborhood’s small village of restaurants on the 1100 block of Capitol Street.
• Near I-70 exit 147: places to eat around Market Street and Chambers Avenue, by the highway hotels.

Hours change with the seasons, so check a restaurant’s own site before you go. ECL adds individual restaurant listings only after confirming they are open.

↑ Back to sections

Things to do

Ride and hike (spring to fall)

• The Town says Eagle has more than 100 miles of singletrack.
• The Town owns about 1,180 acres of open space.
• BLM’s Hardscrabble–East Eagle area lies between Eagle and Gypsum:
  • the eastern side, near Eagle, has mountain-bike singletrack;
  • the western side has routes for ATVs and motorcycles;
  • hikers can use the whole area.
  • There is no entry fee.
• Remember the Dec. 1 – Apr. 15 closures above.

The Eagle River

• Eagle River Park is a whitewater park by Chambers Park and the fairgrounds, just off I-70.
  • It has four in-stream drops: two advanced, and two for beginners and intermediates.
  • A bypass channel lets boaters and fish go around the drops.
  • It also has riverside seating, a beach and a pavilion.
  • It was completed in 2019 and designed with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
  • Parking and restrooms are at Chambers Park, and tube rentals run on site in summer.
• The main rafting and kayaking season is spring and early summer snowmelt.
• CPW lists rainbow and brown trout and mountain whitefish in the river. Shore and wade fishing is possible almost year-round at lower elevations.
• Float fishing, from Wolcott to below Gypsum, runs in late spring and early summer.
• Check CPW regulations and any closures before you fish.

Pool, rink and golf

• Eagle Pool & Ice Rink (Mountain Recreation, 1700 Brush Creek Rd.):
  • a new outdoor pool opened in 2025, with zero-depth entry, two slides, a lazy river and lap lanes;
  • the NHL-size rink runs from October through March.
• Eagle Ranch Golf Club is a public, 18-hole course designed by Arnold Palmer. It opened in 2001 and is a certified Audubon sanctuary.

History

• After a contested 1920 election and a court fight, the county seat moved here from Red Cliff in 1921. The county records arrived by rail freight car in November 1921.
• The Eagle County Historical Society’s museum is in an 1899 dairy barn in Chambers Park, just off exit 147. It covers Native American culture, mining, ranching and recreation, and it is open in summer.
• Eagle Public Library (600 Broadway) has a local-history department.

Sylvan Lake State Park

About 15 miles south of town, up Brush Creek Road, at about 8,500 ft.

Summer:

• trout fishing on the 42-acre lake and on East and West Brush creeks;
• paddleboard, canoe and kayak rentals from Memorial Day to Labor Day;
• the 1.5-mile Lake Shore Loop.

Winter:

• ice fishing;
• cross-country skiing;
• snowshoeing, with free snowshoe loans at the visitor center;
• bald eagles are frequent visitors.

Rules:

• A CPW park pass is required.
• Only non-motorized boats or electric motors, and boats must pass an aquatic nuisance species inspection, which isn’t offered at the park.

Further out: Fulford Cave

• A cave in the White River National Forest, reached by Brush Creek Road (about 10 miles) and then East Brush Creek Road (about 7 miles). The last mile is rough.
• You must register online with the Forest Service first, and gear must be decontaminated.
• The cave is closed Oct. 15 – Apr. 15.

↑ Back to sections

Where to stay

Hotels near exit 147:

• Wingate by Wyndham Eagle Vail Valley (75 Pond Rd.)
• Best Western Plus Eagle Lodge & Suites (200 Loren Ln.)
• Quality Inn & Suites Vail Valley (285 Market St.)

Sylvan Lake State Park:

• 44 campsites;
• cabins you can book year-round;
• three yurts, open mid-May to mid-November.
• Reserve through CPW up to six months ahead.

↑ Back to sections

Getting around

By car: I-70 exit 147.

By plane: Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) is about 5 miles away.

By bus:

• Core Transit’s Valley Route links Eagle with Gypsum, the airport, Edwards, Avon and Vail. Its Eagle stops include Chambers Park-n-Ride and 5th St. & Wall St.
• Fares: most rides are fare-free. Fares apply only to trips to or from Gypsum, the airport or Leadville. Riders 18 and under ride free through the 2026–27 winter season.
• Schedule: the winter 2026–27 schedule starts Sunday, Nov. 22, 2026. Check coretransit.org for timetables.

On foot or by bike: the paved Eagle Valley Trail connects Eagle with Gypsum and runs east toward Wolcott. The last gap, between Wolcott and Edwards, is still unbuilt.

Driving in winter: see Visitor Essentials for I-70 winter driving.

↑ Back to sections

When to come

Summer:

• Eagle’s event season: Flight Days, free Thursday concerts and the county fair and rodeo.
• Pool days.
• High-country fishing at Sylvan Lake.

Spring and fall:

• Trail season. Town trails reopen after Apr. 15 and close again on Dec. 1.
• The river runs highest in spring snowmelt.

Winter:

• Skating at the Eagle Pool & Ice Rink, where the rink is open October through March.
• Ice fishing and snowshoeing at Sylvan Lake.
• Most Town trails are closed. See Know before you go.

↑ Back to sections

Events through the year

• Eagle Flight Days (June):
  • A summer festival on Broadway and in Town Park, with a parade, a pancake breakfast, a fun run and live music.
  • It started in 1922 as a September harvest party and was revived in 1961.
  • The 2026 festival was June 26–27.
• ShowDown Town: free Thursday-evening concerts in Eagle Town Park in summer, presented by the Vail Valley Foundation. The 2026 series ran July 2 – Aug. 13.
• Eagle County Fair & Rodeo: held each July at the Eagle County Fairgrounds.
• Community Table (late summer): a community dinner on Capitol Street in Eagle Ranch. The 2026 dinner was Aug. 30.
• Through the year, the Town lists a Twelfth Night Christmas tree bonfire (January), a Mushroom Festival (August), the Eagle Ranch Pumpkin Patch and Trick or Treat Street (October), and Christmas on Broadway (December).

ECL’s Eagle coverage, including Día de Muertos and the Capitol Street reopening, appears under Latest from ECL below.

↑ Back to sections

Good to know

• Emergencies: call 911. The nearest hospital emergency department is Vail Health Hospital, 180 S. Frontage Rd. W., Vail.
• Urgent care: Eagle Urgent Care (Vail Health and Colorado Mountain Medical), 377 Sylvan Lake Rd., Suite 120, at the Eagle Healthcare Center (lower-level entrance).
• Library: Eagle Public Library, 600 Broadway.
• County offices: Eagle County Building, 500 Broadway.
• Town Hall: 200 Broadway.

↑ Back to sections

A little history

• Founding: Eagle was founded in 1887 and incorporated in 1905. A photo in the Town’s history album is captioned to say the town was called McDonald in 1895.
• The county-seat fight: When the legislature created Eagle County in 1883, Red Cliff was named the seat.
  • Eagle’s attempts to win the seat failed or were overturned in 1895, 1904 and 1912.
  • In 1920 Eagle won the vote 1,097 to 425.
  • Red Cliff sued, and the courts upheld the result in February and October 1921. The records arrived by train that November.
  • A local legend puts the move on Nov. 11. The historian Kathy Heicher treats that date as lore, so this guide doesn’t use it.
• The rivalry with Gypsum: A May 2026 Vail Daily story traced a long rivalry with Gypsum, its neighbor. The Historical Society’s president says Eagle declined to annex the land that became the airport, and Gypsum took it.

Last checked October 25, 2026. See something out of date? Tell us.