Top Things To Do And Places To Explore When Visiting Telluride Colorado

Since moving to Arizona in 1998 I have had the opportunity and pleasure to visit and explore Telluride Colorado and the surrounding area dozens of times. Nestled in a box canyon deep in the rugged San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado, Telluride is known for its stunning vistas, world class skiing, old west history, and a super vibrant outdoor culture and lifestyle. Im a little biased, but  I personally believe Telluride is the most beautiful mountain town in the USA. And being situated at an elevation of nearly 8,700 feet, it’s generally at least 30 degrees cooler than the Phoenix area during the summer making it a great and welcome outdoor escape from the desert heat.  Below are some of my personal favorite outdoor activities to do when exploring this stunning Rocky Mountain town and region.

Fly Fishing:

As an avid fly fisher, I have explored and fished most of the major rivers and creeks in the immediate Telluride area. The San Miguel and the Dolores are the two best known rivers near Telluride and both can fish very well at times for several species of trout including Rainbow, Brown, Brook, and Cutthroat. I would say that the San Miguel river is a lot more accessible (a section of it it runs right through the town ) and easier to fish if you are visiting and fishing the area for the first time. Personally, my favorite thing to do is to get out and explore and dry fly fish the smaller and lesser-known high mountain creeks in the area which are very numerous and don’t see a lot of pressure. These crystal clear creeks are also your best bet to land a colorful and fairly rare Colorado Cutthroat trout which I believe is the most beautiful native trout species in Colorado.

Your best bet for current fly-fishing reports, tips, and best flys to use is to visit the Telluride Angler fly shop right in town. The staff there is generally very friendly and helpful and you can also secure fishing licenses there. I have been checked many times for a license in the Telluride area over the years including some very remote spots so its a good investment to avoid a fine.

Hiking:

Telluride is a hiker’s paradise, with trails ranging from easy strolls to challenging alpine adventures. My go-to hike is the Bear Creek trail, which offers a moderate trek through beautiful forests, ending with a rewarding view of Bear Creek Falls. You can access this trail in downtown Telluride at the end of South Pine street. For those seeking a very easy hike or walk near town I would also recommend the San Miguel River trail. I would also recommend the trail and moderately hard hike to stunning Lake Hope. This trailhead is located about 35 minutes outside of town behind Trout Lake.  For those seeking more of a challenge, the hike to the breathtaking Blue Lakes in the nearby Mount Sneffels wilderness near Ridgway CO is a good option and about an hour or so away. The most important advice I can give anyone about hiking in the Telluride area is you need a day or two to acclimate to the higher elevations of the San Juan Mountains. The elevation at the Blues lakes trailhead is 9,350 feet as an example of what high altitude conditions you will be dealing with.

Take a Drive:

An excellent way to experience the raw beauty of the Telluride area and San Juan Mountains is to take a drive on one of the well-maintained highways and roads in the area. A very good and popular day trip option would be to do the Million Dollar highway loop which ends in Durango. This iconic route, part of the larger San Juan Skyway, offers a breathtaking journey through the heart of the San Juan Mountains, showcasing dramatic landscapes, historic towns, and a rich mining history. The loop ride from Telluride would probably take you about 5 hours to complete. The fastest option to get on highway 550 (The Million Dollar Highway) would be to head over to Ouray Colorado which is about an hour away from Telluride. Ouray in itself is worth a visit as its also a stunningly beautiful mountain town with great public hot springs and soaring peaks. Be forewarned the ride from Ouary to Silverton is a real white Knuckler with many steep drop offs and minimal guard rails. But of course, the alpine mountain scenery on this drive is simply off the charts. I would highly recommend you check the weather forecast before embarking on this high altitude drive.

Take A Pass:

For those looking for a little more rugged adventure, exploring the Telluride, Colorado area in a four-wheel drive vehicle is an exhilarating option that offers access to some of the most breathtaking and high-altitude mountain passes in the region. Forest roads like Imogene Pass and Ophir Pass challenge even experienced off-road enthusiasts with their steep ascents, narrow switchbacks, and jaw-dropping drop-offs. I have personally attempted to get over Imogene pass twice over the last 20 years and had to turn back both times because of the weather and road conditions. I even had 1 passenger beg me to stop so she could get out of my truck and walk as she was so freaked out by the icy conditions and extreme drop offs outside her window on a very narrow road with no guard rails. I have been over Ophir pass many times as this is my preferred way to get over to the Silverton CO area. This pass and road also offer stunning and expansive views and is a little easier to negotiate in my opinion. Regardless, you should always check the weather and pass conditions before attempting a drive.  Both of these passes are only opened seasonally because of heavy snowfall.  Black Bear pass is also in the area, but I would not recommend it  as it is extremely challenging and just down right scary from what I have heard. There area also several outfitters in town like Telluride Outside that offer guided four wheel drive adventures over and around these passes.

For those looking for a less dramatic driving experience there are also dozens of graded and all weather forest roads in the Telluride area that offer great views and fun and interesting destinations like old mining town ruins.

 Camping: 

There are numerous and diverse camping options in the Telluride, Colorado area.  For those seeking a more rugged and back-to-nature experience, dispersed camping is available in the surrounding national forests, where you can pitch a tent and stay for up to 14 days for free. Established and fee based campgrounds like the Telluride Town Park Campground offer the convenience of facilities and easy access to the town's amenities, while still providing breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Approximately 20 to 40 minutes or less outside town along highway 145 there are also a number of beautiful, organized, and fee-based campgrounds that provide the typical amenities like designated sites, water, and outhouses. This includes the Sunshine, Matterhorn, and Cayton campgrounds. I have camped at all the above mentioned campgrounds over the years and they all have their specific charms. My biggest issue with The Telluride Town park campground is they do not allow campfires and its often full. With the exception of Cayton which is farthest out from town, all these relatively small campgrounds can fill up very quicky during the busy summer and early fall season so I would advise you try to secure a site before the weekend.

Images & More Info:

Below are a few photos (with captions) I have captured in the Telluride CO area over the years- many of these images are for sale, click for more details. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or special requests for image and video content related to Telluride. This is just a small sampling of what I have captured over the years in this stunning area. All images and video content are copyrighted.

This is me wet wading and fly-fishing on the upper Dolores river during early fall season.

I particularly enjoy fly-fishing on the many small and crystal clear mountain creeks and streams in the Telluride area.  On this particular stream I have caught 4 species of trout on the same day and all on dry flys! 

Here I am casting on the valley floor section of  the San Miguel River just outside of Telluride.  They have done a great job restoring this section of the river  to a more natural state over the last 10 years. 

This is from the hike to the stunning Hope Lake. The trailhead  to this moderately hard hike is about 35 minutes from Telluride and well worth the effort. 

Heading back down the Hope lake trail during late summer.  This is a crazy beautiful and popular day hike in the Telluride area that offers expansive views of the colorful peaks in this area.  Its about a 5 mile round trip from the trailhead with some steep sections. 

If you or your companions are looking  for an easy but very scenic walk go to the end of town and look for this pathway along the San Miguel River. 

This is near the top of the road over Ophir pass.  The pass elevation is nearly 12,000 feet.  As I mentioned in my narrative this is one of the easier passes to go over but it still can very tight in spots with only enough room for 1 vehicle to pass. So its important to be on the lookout and pull over if necessary. 

If you are looking for an easy non-technical drive through beautiful Aspen forests on wide well graded forest roads I would recommend Hillside Drive which is a few miles south of the small town of Rico off highway 145. Its probably about a 40 minute drive from Telluride to reach the entrance of Hillside Drive which is on the left hand side of highway 145 when heading south.  

One of the many expansive views on Hillside Drive. 

There  are a number of "free" and very scenic dispersed campsites in the Telluride Area. This is one of the better ones as there are picnic tables and a single outhouse. 

This is one of only 4 "walk in" tent sites at the fee based Matterhorn campground which is right off highway 145 and about 20 mins from Telluride. These sites fill up quickly. Matterhorn is rather unique in the campground system in this part of Colorado as they actually have a few hot showers. 

Paddle boarding and kayaking on beautiful Trout lake is also popular in the summer months. Trout lake is about 25 minutes from Telluride. 

The scenery is pretty epic at Trout lake and its fun spot for waters sports, picnicking ,  and fishing. 

Fall is my favorite time to visit Telluride.  This is the famous Last Dollar Road just outside of town. 

The best time to see fall colors in the Telluride area in my experience is the last week of September and the first 2 weeks of October 

A brilliant and vibrant colored stand of reddish and orange Aspen trees at fall time near the town of Telluride.  

At just over 14k in elevation, Wilson Peak is a well known and very visible landmark in the Telluride area. 

You can view a short video of some fall scenes I captured in Telluride a few years ago.

The scenery in downtown Telluride is not too shabby! Great option to take a stroll and grab a cup of coffee or a beer. 

I would love to stay at this remote and cool rustic resort some day.  Its called Dunton Hot Springs and its about hour or so outside of  Telluride.  Cant afford it!  Come on guys, hire  me as a free lance photographer and fly fishing guide! Nobody knows the West Do better than me! LOL

Music festivals like the annual Blues & Brews fest are also very popular inTelluride. 

The venue for music festivals in Telluride is in a class of its own.