town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Vail, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 94% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in summer (96th percentile) and lowest in spring (43rd). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), less than 0.1 mi away.
When is the honey flow in Vail?
- First forage: Apr 16 (dandelion, willows)
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Aug 31, peaking late Jun (snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Nov 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Vail, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on Jun 17.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, willows, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, native wildflowers; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, willows; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
No rated bee crops within about 3.7 miles of the town center. The forage here is wild plants, trees and gardens.
The land and water around Vail
Mostly: Rocky Mountain Subalpine Dry-Mesic Spruce-Fir Forest and Woodland; Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Woodland; Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.09 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.22 mi NE.
How Vail ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 71st | 29th | 84th | 96th |
| Colorado | 94th | 43rd | 96th | 93rd |
| Southern Rockies | 96th | 77th | 96th | 91st |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 43% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Vail: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Minturn 7 mi · Avon 8 mi · Red Cliff 9 mi · Edwards 14 mi · Copper Mountain 14 mi · Silverthorne 15 mi
All towns in Colorado · National map · How the scoring works
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Vail (39.6378, -106.3625); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.