Yep, another summer trip to a ski resort town…these are my favorite summer getaways (see past posts on Vancouver, Whistler, Banff, and Park City)! Telluride is a very small box canyon town surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, and was originally established as a gold mining area in the mid-1850’s. This one was just over two days, so I’ll call it two. It was a July weekend with the kids, and we drove to Telluride from Phoenix (it takes just under 8 hours). It was a long drive, but it’s not the easiest place to get to. Denver is about a 6 hour drive, and it’s in the same state! There is the Telluride Regional Airport (TEX) there, and in the summer there are direct flights from about 5 major cities. If you can find a way to get there, I definitely recommend making the trip! If you’re a skier, I’m sure it’s just as beautiful in the winter.
Here is a sample itinerary based on our 2-day trip to Telluride in the summer:
DAY 1: KAYAKING TROUT LAKE AND EXPLORING DOWNTOWN TELLURIDE
There are two main areas of Telluride…the historic downtown side, and the Mountain Village side. They are separated by a mountain, and connected by a free Gondola that takes about 15 minutes to travel from one side to the other. Mountain Village is the area to stay in, with large resorts, homes, shops, and access to the ski slopes. On this trip we stayed at the Madeline Auberge Resort, which was an absolutely beautiful property with an outdoor pool and fire pits that overlooked the mountain with sprawling views.
Start off Day 1 with an outdoor adventure on one of the pristine (and chilly) lakes or rivers in the area. We chose kayaking on nearby Trout Lake, but check out Telluride Outfitters for rental and tour information for Stand-Up Paddle Boarding and White Water Rafting as well. Our kayak tour took about half of the day, so we made our way back over the mountain to Telluride to check out the historic downtown. We did a little shopping and grabbed pizza for dinner at Brown Dog Pizza…don’t miss this one! We headed back to our hotel and watched the sunset from one of the fire pits by the pool. It gets chilly at night, so be sure to pack accordingly.
DAY 2: HIKING, WATER FALLS, AND SOME TELLURIDE HISTORY
There are quite a few nice hiking trails near Telluride to explore. We chose Bear Creek Trail to Bear Creek Falls, which is easily accessible right from downtown Telluride. It is moderately challenging with just over 1,000 ft of elevation gain, but there’s a beautiful water fall at the end as a reward. There are also lots of hiking and biking trails with easy access on the Mountain Village side.
After our hike and some lunch, we checked out the Telluride Historical Museum. It’s a neat place to stop and learn a little something about the history of the area for just a small fee.
We finished up Day 2 with some pool time and dinner at the hotel. Black Iron Kitchen and Bar at the Madeline did not disappoint! We explored the Mountain Village area for a bit, grabbed some ice cream, and called it a night since we had a long drive back to Phoenix in the morning.
While Telluride is quite small, it is very picturesque…just like you would imagine an old gold mining mountain town should look like. And that crisp Alpine air is such a nice relief from the heat and humidity in the summer. Add this one to your bucket list!