Sun Up Bowl

The top of the Sun Up Bowl is fairly wide open with small tree islands throughout. The road to Blue Sky Basin traverses across the top of the bowl and this route will bring you into the bottom of the China Bowl.

If you travel to the top of Vail Mountain on the Northwoods Express Lift, the Sun Up Bowl will be the first large back bowl immediately ahead of you on your left. The Sun Down Bowl will be on the right.

Vail Sun Up Bowl in Vail's back bowls with part of Blue Sky Basin in background
Sun Up Bowl trail map for Vail

Terrain Info

Mostly open-bowl terrain with pine tree and aspen glades in the lower portions.

Mongolia Bowl Stats

  • Opened: 1962
  • Vertical Drop: Approx 1,850'
See All of Vail's Back Bowls

The area shown in the photo below (Milt’s Face, The Slot, Headwall) is one of the first places that you will get to ski if you are entering the Back Bowls. The slope is perfect for skiing deep powder snow, and this bowl is wide enough that it doesn’t get completely tracked out immediately after it opens.

Sun Up Bowl Vail, CO
Looking upward into the bowl
Sun Up Bowl looking west
Looking west into the Sun Up Bowl (Cow's Face, Campbell's, Milt's Face)
Lower part of the Sun Up Bowl in Vail's Back Bowls
Bottom of the Sun Up Bowl (Chicken Yard, Apres Vous)

Follow me to Blue Sky Basin!

groomed pathway to Blue Sky Basin on top of Vail
The road to Blue Sky Basin starts here. Veer right and give the snowboarder in your group one of your poles.
Vail Sun Up Bowl in Vail's back bowls with part of Blue Sky Basin in background
The photo above looks across the top of the bowl with part of Blue Sky Basin in the distance in the top-right. You can see the Sleepytime Road catwalk traversing around the top of the bowl in this photo on its way back to Blue Sky.

All Vail Back Bowls

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