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Telluride

Telluride

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Things To Do in Telluride

Telluride boasts the most spectacular setting of any Colorado town. Its population of 2,300 is nestled into a box canyon surrounded by the jagged San Juan mountains. Telluride, with its pastel Victorian houses, 1886 Courthouse, New Sheridan Hotel, and Sheridan Opera House, retains an Old West charm and boasts one of top ski resorts in North America. People say that the name “Telluride” came from a compound found in gold, or maybe it’s from the call of the miners heading down to this remote canyon, “To hell you ride!” they were said to shout. The town began as a rowdy mining town in 1875 and flourished until the 1893 silver crash shuttered the mines. By 1930, the population hovered at 512, even though $60 million of metals was extracted from the district at the turn of the 20th century.

Snow, abundant during Telluride’s winters, saved the town and created a new gold rush. From humble beginnings, Telluride Ski Area was born and by the 1980s, when the airport opened, it became a full-fledged ski resort. Now Telluride’s casual attitude, homespun glitz, superb skiing, and stunning mountain scenery put it at the top of the A-list for outdoor fun.

Winter activities in this region include downhill skiing, Nordic skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, dog sledding, and ice climbing on Bridal Veil Falls for hardy adventurers. The Telluride Ski Resort has terrain for every level of skier, including some of the best in-bounds expert runs. The area offers 148 runs on over 2,000 acres with a vertical drop of 4,425 feet and an astounding 309 inches of snow every winter. Galloping Goose, its longest run, is 4.6 miles long.

After the snow melts, Telluride gears up for summer fun. The surrounding mountains are ground zero for alpine recreation with hiking trails, peaks to climb, bouldering and rock climbing areas, lakes and streams for fishing, mountain bike trails, scenic drives, waterfalls, hot springs, historic sites, ghost towns, 4×4 road adventures, camping, and festivals that celebrate Colorado.

Hiking, with over 100 nearby trails, is Telluride’s most popular activity. West of town rise three Fourteeners —Mount Wilson, El Diente Peak, and Wilson Peak — along with Lizard Head Peak, Colorado’s hardest 13,000-foot mountain. A host of great trails, including Sneffels Highline Trail and Deep Creek Trail, explore the hills north of town. A maze of paths threads through the Mountain Village Area, along with Bear Creek Trail to Bear Creek Falls.

If you’re an off-road enthusiast, the Telluride area yields some of Colorado’s best 4×4 tracks for jeeps and ATVs. The one-way Black Bear Pass Road, climbing over a 12,840-foot pass, is reputedly the state’s scariest trail and only for experienced drivers. Tamer tours cross 13,114-foot Imogene Pass, one of Colorado’s highest roads, and Ophir Pass. The area also abounds in scenic drives, with the best the San Juan Skyway, a giant loop through Cortez, Durango, and Ouray.

Climbers head to Telluride to test their nerve on Ophir Cliff above the old town of Ophir, or on bolted sport routes on cliffs by Telluride. A popular and safe outing is the Telluride Via Ferrata, a horizontal climbing route with cables, ladders, and big bolts that begins near Bridal Veil Falls.

Other great Telluride outings are visiting waterfalls, including Cornet Creek Falls and Bridal Veil Falls; hiking to gorgeous lakes like Navajo Lake, Hope Lake, and Blue Lake, fly fishing in the San Miguel River northwest of town, driving the Last Dollar Road, taking a nine-mile raft trip on the Lower San Miguel River, and playing a round of golf at the scenic Telluride Golf Course.



Alta Ghost Town

Alta Ghost Town

Telluride Ice Climbing Area

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Sneffels Highline Trail

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Jud Wiebe Memorial Trail 432

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Mount Sneffels – Yankee Boy Basin Trail

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Blue Lakes Trail

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Bear Creek Preserve Trail

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Tomboy Ghost Town

Tomboy Ghost Town

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Dunton Hot Springs

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Trout Lake (Telluride)

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Uncompahgre National Forest

Uncompahgre National Forest

  • Updated Jun 25, 2020
San Juan National Forest

San Juan National Forest

  • Updated Jun 25, 2020

Judy Long Memorial Park

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Middle Alta Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Tom Akin Reservoir

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Town Park (Telluride)

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Blue Lake Number 1

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Alta Reservoir Number 1

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Alta Reservoir Number 3

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Cold Reservoir

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Navajo Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Owen Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Porphyry Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Priest Lakes

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Ice Lake

Ice Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Ingram Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Lake Hope

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Thorne Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Lewis Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Silver Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Fuller Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Blue Lakes

Blue Lakes

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Bullion King Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Alta Lakes

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Barlow Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Cushman Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Divide Reservoir

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Wild Boy Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Matterhorn Campground

Matterhorn Campground

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Burro Bridge Campground

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Cayton Campground

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Sunshine Campground

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Telluride Town Park Campground

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Bridal Veil Falls (Telluride)

Bridal Veil Falls (Telluride)

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Cornet Falls

Cornet Falls

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Eagle Falls

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Ingram Falls

Ingram Falls

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
The Fred Shellman Memorial Stage

The Fred Shellman Memorial Stage

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Lizard Head Peak Vista Overlook

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Telluride Golf Club

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Mount Sneffels

Mount Sneffels

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Mount Wilson

Mount Wilson

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Wilson Peak

Wilson Peak

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
El Diente Peak

El Diente Peak

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Telluride Ski Resort

Telluride Ski Resort

  • Updated Jun 25, 2020
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