Free aerial views
Town and Mountain Village
The Gondola
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.
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Comfortable and inclusive
The grandeur, reached step-free.
Telluride's signature luxury, the free gondola, is genuinely accessible, and the big views come without a trail.
Design This TripTelluride's signature luxury, the free gondola, is genuinely accessible: cabins can be slowed for boarding, and attendants help with wheelchairs and strollers, making the scenic ride between towns open to everyone.
Stay at The Peaks, the largest hotel in Mountain Village, with elevators, a level walk to the gondola and an indoor pool, where the spa offers seated and gentler treatments.
The landscape with no trail required.
Allred's is reachable by that same step-free gondola for a high-mountain dinner without a hike, and scenic drives along the San Juan Skyway plus the valley-floor view of Bridal Veil Falls deliver the landscape with nothing to climb.
What’s inside
- The step-free gondola between the two towns
- The Peaks, with elevators, a level gondola walk and an indoor pool
- Seated and gentler spa treatments at The Peaks
- A mountaintop dinner at Allred's, reached by gondola
- The San Juan Skyway and valley-floor Bridal Veil Falls views
A sample rhythm
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Easy arrival
A confirmed accessible room at The Peaks, a level walk to the gondola.
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The scenic ride
The step-free gondola over the ridge between the towns.
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A gentle spa day
Seated and gentler treatments, then the indoor pool.
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Grandeur without a trail
A gondola-up dinner at Allred's and a San Juan Skyway drive.
The Telluridewe’d build in
The pieces that fit this trip.
The long views
A wind-powered gondola and a 236-mile byway.
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.
Iconic 365-foot falls
Town (east end)
Bridal Veil Falls
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 siteAll-American Road
Regional (Telluride hub)
San Juan Skyway
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 site285-foot gorge cascade
Regional (Ouray)
Box Canyon Falls (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 siteCliffside mountain pass drive
Regional (Ouray to Silverton)
The Million Dollar Highway
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.
Premier fall-color drive
Regional (near Telluride)
Last Dollar Road and the Dallas Divide
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.
Where to stay
Mountain Village above, Victorian town below.
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.
Five-star flagship
Mountain Village
Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Collection
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 siteLargest spa resort
Mountain Village
The Peaks Resort & Spa
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 siteBoutique ski-in/ski-out
Mountain Village
Lumiere by Dunton
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 siteEuropean-style chalet
Town
The Hotel Telluride
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 siteAlpine lodge and cabins
Mountain Village
Mountain Lodge Telluride
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 siteHistoric landmark
Town
The New Sheridan Hotel
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 siteSpa and stillness
Altitude-easing rituals and Colorado's largest spa.
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.
Forbes-rated alpine spa
Mountain Village
The Spa at Madeline
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 siteLargest spa in Colorado
Mountain Village
The Spa at The Peaks
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 siteBoutique in-residence
Mountain Village
Lumiere Spa Services
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 siteLodge spa and recovery
Mountain Village
Mountain Lodge Wellness
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 siteHeated pool and soak
Mountain Village
The Alpine Swim Club at Madeline
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 siteGeothermal soak down valley
Regional (Ridgway)
Orvis Hot Springs
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.
Where to eat
A gondola-up prix fixe and historic-home tables.
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.
Mountaintop prix fixe
Mid-mountain (San Sophia)
Allred's
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 siteClassic French
Town
La Marmotte
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 siteMediterranean and Italian
Town
The National
A buzzy downtown room of shared plates, fresh seafood and house-made pasta with Mediterranean and Italian accents, plus a seasonal rooftop.
Visit official siteChef-driven New American
Town
221 South Oak
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 siteItalian alpine dining
Mountain Village
Altezza at The Peaks
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.
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Accessible Luxury Travel
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