One creek drainage west of Lake Creek sits Cordillera, a gated community on 7,000 acres that commands one of the most jaw-dropping views in the valley. As for amenities, for starters there’s golf: four courses including the Club at Cordillera’s Jack Nicklaus–designed Summit Course—one of the most challenging, and picturesque, tracks in the valley. 

“You’re playing at over 9,000 feet, and you take in 360-degree views of New York Mountain, the Gore Range, and Flattop Mountain,” says Darren Szot, the club’s director of golf. “It is like nothing our guests have ever seen.”

There’s also a tennis and fitness center, an equestrian center with an indoor riding arena, and a nearby outfitter offering horse-drawn sleigh rides over the snowfields. Add mountaintop restaurants (The Cordillera Club’s TimberHearth), and you’ll have plenty of reasons to call Cordillera home.

When it came time to build hers, Sotheby’s International Realty’s Malia Cox Nobrega (a valley resident for more than 40 years who sells from East Vail to Wolcott) chose the Cordillera Valley Club. “I loved the combination of a great golf community combined with huge views and easy access and proximity to go anywhere in the Vail Valley,” she says.

Just down the highway from Cordillera, Red Sky Ranch in Wolcott, another gated golf community, offers even more options in terms of courses (by Fazio and Norman) and diversions, including a nearby ranch with zip-lining and glamping and even a winery where you can bottle your own cabernet.

Number of active listings on the market, at press time: 18

Median home price of active listings: $3.23M

Number of homes sold in 2020: 99

Median price of homes sold: $2M

Average number of days on the market: 233