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.
Design This TripStart at 221 South Oak, the historic-home restaurant where chef-owner Eliza Gavin layers Southern, Creole and French notes into a tight New American menu, then devote an evening to the ritual of Allred's, riding the gondola up for a mountaintop prix fixe and an award-winning wine program at 10,551 feet.
Keep a night for classic French at La Marmotte and another for Mediterranean shared plates and house-made pasta at The National, the buzziest table in town.
Spend a morning on the San Miguel with Telluride Outside, the town's original fly shop and guide service since 1984. We reserve every marquee table before you fly, because the best rooms fill weeks ahead.
What’s inside
A sample rhythm
The historic home
An opening night at 221 South Oak near the gondola.
Up the mountain
The ritual of Allred's, a gondola-up prix fixe at altitude.
French and shared plates
La Marmotte one night, The National the next.
On the water
A San Miguel angling morning with Telluride Outside.
The Telluridewe’d build in
Where 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 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 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.
Food & Chef Experience
Share what you can already picture. A concierge fills in everything still open and sends back a plan, not a quote.
