Everything You Need to Know About Your Trip to Telluride, Colorado (From a Local)

Telluride, Colorado

Planning to visit one of my favorite places…Telluride, Colorado? I’ve been living here with my family for about five years. In this post, I’m sharing everything you need to know for your upcoming trip, where to stay, where to eat and some of the awesome activities too.  

Telluride sits in a box canyon so it is surrounded by the Rocky mountains. The views are simply jaw-dropping.

Where To Stay

You can stay in a beautiful hotel with great amenities like “The Madeline,” or “The Peaks”.
These are both in Mountain Village.
Mountain Village is exactly what it sounds like, a village in the mountains.
It sits pretty high so if you are sensitive to elevation, you may want to stay in Telluride proper instead.
Mountain Village is connected to Telluride via a FREE gondola. It’s a very easy and efficient system.
Both “The Peaks,” and “The Madeline” are ski in and ski out.

You can also rent a townhouse via “Sea to Ski,”  “Latitude 38″ or “Exceptional Stays.”

In Telluride, I would take a look at the rentals in the gorgeous, Element 52. 
And, The River Club. 
If you’re on a tighter budget, check the Airbnb options here.

Where to Eat

For fine dining, check out “Cosmopolitan,” “La Marmotte,” “New Sheridan,” “National,” “221 South Oak” (has vegetarian menu) and our favorite “Allred’s Restaurant.”
Allred’s has the best restaurant views I’ve ever seen. 
If you want a more casual dining experience, head to “Tomboy Tavern” in Mountain Village or Smugglers in town.
“Siam,” for Thai in town or for some seriously awesome pizza, try “Brown Dog Pizza,” or “High Pie.” I prefer High Pie because they have a thin crust option.
For dessert, try “Baked in Telluride“. Get there in the morning for fresh donuts, cookies, and coconut macaroons.
My kids also like to order their spaghetti and meatballs.

What To Do – Summer

Hiking

During the summer, hiking is a MUST. I love the Bear Creek Falls hike. It’s about a five mile hike round trip. You can hike or drive up to see Bridal Veil Falls. There’s a new bridal veil hike that is spectacular!
Hiking up any of the ski trails, you will see pretty spectacular views.
Hope & Blue Lake hikes are also very popular!
Here is more information about hiking. 

Biking

I’m not much of a cyclist and truthfully I’m terrified of mountain biking…
But, there are some pretty awesome routes and trails if this is your thing.

Mountain Passes

My family’s favorite Colorado activity is renting a JEEP and going over Imogene Pass (weather permitting.)
Although, I wouldn’t attempt this ride unless you are a really great JEEP driver and not afraid of heights.
It’s also not a good idea if you are sensitive to altitude.
We try to time our drive over Imogene so we end up in Ouray for lunch and then drive over Ophir Pass into Silverton just in time to see the trains leave.
The Durango & Silverton steam train is just magic and should not be missed.
(See picture below)

Train Ride 

You can ride the train from Durango (about 1 hour and 45 minutes from Telluride.)
I would recommend taking the bus back, though.
And, make sure you pack or wear a puffer coat, even in the summer. I’m not joking.
Ride in the closed cars to avoid soot. If you ride in the open cars, you’ll be covered, so skip wearing white or light colors. 

Fishing

My husband has taken his friends, and our son fly fishing at Dunton Hot Springs.
It’s an all-inclusive, luxury lodge, but they also offer day fishing.
For $100 per person, you can fly fish and have a gourmet lunch in a gorgeous setting.
Be sure to call ahead and make a reservation.

Telluride Academy

If you are going to Telluride for a couple of weeks in the summer, there is nothing better for your kiddos than “Telluride Academy.“
My son has gone to this camp two years in a row and he LOVES it. I wish I could go! 
They take the kiddos, hiking, canoeing, swimming, camping, etc.

What To Do – Winter

Skiing

The mountain has plenty of trail options, something for every level of skier.
I’m an intermediate skier and I love the blue runs and groomed blacks.
My husband is an expert and he skies the double black diamonds, and hikes to expert ski terrain.
The kiddos are just learning and they both love the ski school and feel quite comfortable on the mountain. 
My husband and I both own skis, but the kids rent. It is really easy to pick up rentals. There are also ski valet services and they will come to you!
The ski school will store your kids stuff while they are in school so you don’t have to lug it back and forth each day.

Other Activities

You can also try nordic skiing, ice skating, ice climbing, snowshoes, snowmobiling and sledding.
See a list of winter activities here.

Ski Gear

If you are like me, of course you will want the CUTEST ski outfit before your trip!!
I picked out some of my favorite ski jackets, and pants below.
If you are petite, I highly suggest buying a pair of “short” or “petite” ski pants.

Base layers are TRICKY. I’ve tried a zillion options and still feel like I have yet to find the holy grail. Hot Chilly’s are always decent. For maximum warmth, try insulated base layers! I love how Sweaty Betty base layers look, but they are always sold out.

Also, if you are prone to cold toes, like me, I would highly recommend getting ski boot warmers like these by Hotronix.
Salomon now makes heated boots with built-in heaters. I bought them last year, but haven’t tried them yet.

Be sure to grab heated mittens or gloves too if you always freeze like me. It’s a circulation thing. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you have it.

For luxury ski gear suggestions, be sure to visit this post.

Where to shop?

To find out where to SHOP be sure to check out this post.

A great resource for all things Telluride, Telluride Inside…and Out.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Don’t forget to subscribe to my exclusive newsletter. And, thank you SO much for stopping by!