Colorado · Telluride
A five-star morning above the clouds, the free gondola at dusk, a candlelit dinner at the end of a box canyon. We plan the days only Telluride can string together.
The destination, curated
Telluride tucks five-star comfort, the tallest waterfall in Colorado, and untracked San Juan backcountry into the end of one dramatic box canyon, often within the same forty-eight hours.
Ways to experience Telluride
Start with the version of Telluride you came for. Each is designed end to end, with the activities and stays that fit.
For two
A dramatic, intimate setting where five-star comfort and high-alpine wildness sit side by side. We weave both into the week.
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For families
Cabins big enough for grandparents, kids and gear, with a free gondola that turns the ride between towns into its own adventure.
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Active and restorative
Pair hard days on the canyon walls with deep recovery, and see the box canyon from the air in between.
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For groups
Reunions, milestones and offsites in an intimate property where a small group can feel like they own the place.
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For food lovers
Telluride's most characterful rooms, from a historic-home kitchen to a prix fixe at 10,551 feet, with an angler's morning woven in.
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Comfortable and inclusive
Telluride's signature luxury, the free gondola, is genuinely accessible, and the big views come without a trail.
ExploreWhere to stay
Telluride splits its great lodgings between ski-in/ski-out Mountain Village and the historic box-canyon town, with a free gondola stitching the two together.
Mountain Village
The only Forbes five-star and inaugural Michelin Key hotel in Telluride, with the best ski-in/ski-out access, an award-winning spa, the Alpine Swim Club and an ice rink.
Visit official siteMountain Village
A grand ski-in/ski-out resort home to Colorado's largest spa, indoor and outdoor pools and the Altezza dining room, with the gondola at the door.
Visit official siteMountain Village
An intimate, design-forward boutique of roughly 18 full-kitchen residences at the base of Lift 4, with a Relais and Chateaux pedigree and personalized service.
Visit official siteTown
A 59-room downtown boutique chalet with a warm European feel, walkable to galleries, shops and the gondola, known for genuinely personal, pet-friendly service.
Visit official siteMountain Village
A handsome ski-in/ski-out lodge of rooms, condos and sprawling luxury log cabins with sweeping San Juan views, plus the Alloy Kitchen and ski-butler service.
Visit official siteTown
A restored 1895 landmark in the heart of downtown where Victorian character meets modern comfort, steps from the main street and the Sheridan Opera House.
Visit official siteWhere to eat
Telluride dines small and serious, from a mountaintop room at 10,551 feet reached only by gondola to candlelit French and chef-owned New American in century-old buildings.
Mid-mountain (San Sophia)
Reached by free gondola to San Sophia Station at 10,551 feet, a contemporary-American prix-fixe room pairing sweeping canyon views with an award-winning wine program and live piano.
Visit official siteTown
A romantic, long-running French table in the 1893 ice-house building on West San Juan Avenue, serving a refined nightly prix fixe with a world-class wine list.
Visit official siteTown
A buzzy downtown room of shared plates, fresh seafood and house-made pasta with Mediterranean and Italian accents, plus a seasonal rooftop.
Visit official siteTown
Chef-owner Eliza Gavin's intimate New American restaurant in a refurbished historic home steps from the gondola, blending Southern, Creole, French and Californian influences.
Visit official siteMountain Village
The Peaks Resort's signature Italian-leaning dining room, an easy elegant option for Mountain Village guests with mountain views and a strong wine selection.
Visit official siteSpa and stillness
Telluride's resort spas are built for recovery at elevation, from a Forbes-rated alpine sanctuary to the largest spa in the state, with quieter in-residence options too.
Mountain Village
An alpine-inspired sanctuary with locally made botanicals, signature massages and an altitude-easing treatment; treatments over a set minimum unlock the Alpine Swim Club.
Visit official siteMountain Village
Colorado's largest spa and fitness center, with 32 treatment rooms, a full hair and nail salon and an enormous menu of massage, facial and recovery services.
Visit official siteMountain Village
Personalized spa and in-room treatments at the boutique Lumiere, ideal for guests who prefer privacy and a curated, low-key wellness experience.
Visit official siteMountain Village
On-site massage, a hot tub and post-adventure recovery at Mountain Lodge, convenient for guests staying in the lodge's cabins and condos.
Visit official siteMountain Village
The Madeline's heated outdoor pool and hot tubs set against the San Juans, an unhurried place to soak and acclimate that spa guests can unlock with a treatment.
Visit official siteRegional (Ridgway)
A scenic-detour recovery option down valley near Ridgway, with natural geothermal soaking pools, a serene mountain setting and a longer day of restoration beyond the resort spas.
On the mountain
Consistently rated among North America's best for terrain and uncrowded slopes, Telluride spans two base areas, with a celebrated school and heli access to the backcountry beyond.
Town and Mountain Village
A celebrated Epic-Pass resort spanning steep expert chutes to gentle groomers across two base areas, rated among North America's best for terrain and uncrowded slopes.
Visit official siteTown and Mountain Village
The resort's official school offering private and group lessons for ages two and up, children's programs and elite biomechanics-based specialty camps.
Visit official siteTelluride Airport / The Peaks
Colorado's premier heli-ski and snowcat operation since 1982, accessing more than 200 square miles of untracked San Juan backcountry with seasoned guides.
Visit official siteTown (regional)
The local AMGA-affiliated experts for backcountry ski touring, avalanche education and private guiding across the Telluride, Ouray and Silverton zones.
Visit official siteTown
A Telluride-based, AMGA-accredited guide service operating since 1973, offering private alpine instruction, backcountry touring and expedition logistics.
Visit official siteOn foot
Telluride's trails climb straight from town to canyon waterfalls and aspen ridgelines, and the airy Via Ferrata threads the north wall above the valley for those who want exposure.
Town (east end)
A roughly 2-mile out-and-back climbing the canyon headwall to the 365-foot Bridal Veil Falls, Colorado's tallest free-falling waterfall, crowned by a historic power station.
Visit official siteTown (South Pine St)
An accessible, roughly 2-plus-mile route from downtown through Bear Creek Preserve to a cascading falls, threading aspen and pine groves with steady canyon views.
Visit official siteTown (Aspen St)
A roughly 3-mile loop right from town that climbs through dense aspen to a ridge with panoramic views of the box canyon, Bridal Veil Falls and surrounding peaks.
Visit official siteTown (canyon walls)
The exposed cable-and-rung route etched into the canyon's north wall above town, best done with Mountain Trip, the only Telluride-based outfitter permitted to guide it.
Visit official siteTown (canyon walls)
The Local Experts since 1986, running guided daily Via Ferrata trips with full equipment, instruction and rope protection on the airy traverse.
Visit official siteOn the river
Telluride's home water is the San Miguel, with more than 20 miles of quality public access, and the town's outfitters reach the Dolores, Uncompahgre and Gunnison beyond it.
Town
Telluride's original guide service and fly shop, with access to more than 20 miles of public water on the San Miguel and trips on the Dolores, Uncompahgre and Gunnison.
Visit official siteTown
A dedicated guide operation fishing four San Juan rivers, with the San Miguel as the home water for wade trips suited to all skill levels.
Visit official siteRegional (Ridgway)
A respected nearby outfitter guiding the San Miguel plus the Uncompahgre and Gunnison, offering both walk-wade and float options across the region.
Visit official siteTown
The travel and trophy-water arm tied to the Telluride Angler shop, curating premium guided days locally and farther-flung angling adventures.
Visit official siteRegional (Durango)
A renowned Durango fly shop within the San Juan Skyway region, guiding the storied Dolores River tailwater and San Juan waters on full-day float and wade trips for guests extending the loop.
Visit official siteThe signature days
Beyond the slopes, Telluride offers 4x4 climbs to ghost towns and alpine passes, scenic helicopter flights, tandem paragliding off the resort and snowmelt rafting on the San Miguel.
Black Bear and Ophir are the reliable high-alpine 4x4 passes; Imogene Pass remains affected by 2024 road damage, so outfitters adjust itineraries to current conditions.
Town
Guided 4x4 tours to the Tomboy ghost town and high alpine passes, the most popular a half-day climb up the old mining road above town.
Visit official siteTown
Private off-road Jeep tours to iconic objectives like Black Bear Pass, Ophir Pass and the Alta ghost town, with itineraries adjusted to current pass conditions.
Visit official siteTelluride Airport / The Peaks
Fifteen-minute scenic helicopter flights over the San Juans for up to four or five passengers, departing from The Peaks or the Telluride Airport.
Visit official siteMountain Village / resort
The only permitted, fully insured commercial tandem paragliding operator launching from the ski resort, billed as the highest-elevation paragliding school in the country.
Visit official siteTown
Half-day to two-day whitewater trips through Class II-III rapids on the snowmelt-fed San Miguel, a hands-on paddling river running a short late-spring-to-summer season.
Visit official siteTown and Mountain Village
The free, wind-powered 12-minute gondola linking the two towns over Coonskin Ridge, the only system of its kind in the U.S. and a scenic ride in its own right.
Visit official siteOn the course
Telluride's summer golf plays atop Turkey Creek Mesa near 9,545 feet, a thin-air par-70 with San Juan backdrops, open to members and guests of The Peaks.
Mountain Village
A par-70 course atop Turkey Creek Mesa at roughly 9,545 feet, among the highest in the world, semi-private and open to members and guests of The Peaks Resort.
Visit official siteThe long views
The free gondola is Telluride's signature view, and the canyon frames Bridal Veil Falls, while the San Juan Skyway loops past Ouray's box-canyon cascade for a no-trail grand tour.
Town and Mountain Village
A front-row, 10,500-foot ride over the ridge between the towns, offering expansive views of the San Juans, mesas and waterfalls, free and open daily into the night.
Visit official siteTown (east end)
The dramatic cliff-edge waterfall closing the box canyon east of town, viewable from the valley floor or up close via the trail to the historic power station.
Visit official siteRegional (Telluride hub)
A 236-mile National Scenic and Historic Byway looping through Telluride, Ouray, Silverton, Durango and Cortez, taking in the Million Dollar Highway and high passes.
Visit official siteRegional (Ouray)
A short, spectacular detour off the Skyway in Little Switzerland Ouray, where a thundering 285-foot cascade roars through a narrow slot canyon.
Visit official siteRegional (Ouray to Silverton)
The most dramatic stretch of the Skyway, US 550 between Ouray and Silverton, a cliff-hugging, guardrail-free climb over Red Mountain Pass past old mines and sheer drops.
Regional (near Telluride)
A celebrated high-country back road through aspen stands and ranchland with Sneffels Range views, among the finest fall-color drives in Colorado in late September.
When to go
The gondola opens the resort for skiing, the ski and snowboard school, Helitrax heli-skiing, spa days and fireside dining; the 2025-26 season closes April 5, though snowmelt shifts dates.
Hiking, the Via Ferrata, fly-fishing, 4x4 passes, paragliding and golf arrive with the warm months, plus short-season San Miguel rafting from late May into early August.
Bluegrass in June, Jazz in August, the secretive Film Festival in early September and Blues and Brews in mid-September book out far ahead and command premium rates, so we plan early.
Late spring mud season in May and late fall from October to mid-November, before the lifts spin, bring the calmest town and the best value between the two peaks.
Your Telluride
Tell us the shape of the trip you can already picture. A concierge fills in everything still open and sends back a plan, not a quote.
