Places to Explore

• Cortez

  The northern escarpment of Mesa Verde and the volcanic blisters of the La Plata Mountains to the west dominate sprawling Cortez. A series of Days Inns, Dairy Queens, and Best Westerns, the town has a layout... (more)

• Creede

  Creede once earned a reputation as Colorado's rowdiest mining camp, and was immortalized in an evocative poem by the local newspaper editor, Cy Warman. "It's day all day in daytime," he wrote, "and there... (more)

• Crested Butte

  Like Aspen, the town of Crested Butte was once a small mining village. The Victorian gingerbread-trim houses remain—albeit painted in whimsical shades of hot pink, magenta, and chartreuse. Unlike... (more)

• Dolores

  On the bank of the Dolores River at the McPhee Reservoir, Colorado's second-largest body of water, Dolores is midway between Durango and Telluride on Highway 145. This sleepy little town in the San Juan... (more)

• Durango

  Wisecracking Will Rogers had this to say about Durango: "It's out of the way and glad of it." His statement is a bit unfair, considering that as a railroad town Durango has always been a cultural crossroads... (more)

• Gunnison

  At the confluence of the Gunnison River and Tomichi Creek, Gunnison is a traditional ranching community that has been adopted by nature lovers because of the excellent fishing and hunting nearby. In fact... (more)

• Lake City

  Lake City—with its collection of lacy gingerbread-trim houses and false-front Victorians—claims to have the largest National Historic District in Colorado. But the history the town is perhaps... (more)

• Ouray

  The town of Ouray (pronounced you-ray) nestles in a narrow, steep-walled valley in the shadows cast by rugged peaks of the San Juan Mountains. It was named for the great Southern Ute chief Ouray, labeled... (more)

• Pagosa Springs

  Although not a large town, Pagosa Springs has become a major center for outdoor sports. Hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing opportunities abound not far from the excellent ski area of Wolf Creek... (more)

• Ridgway

  The 19th-century railroad town of Ridgway has been the setting for some classic Westerns, including True Grit and How the West Was Won. Though you'd never know it from the rustic town center, the area... (more)

• Silverton

  Glorious peaks surround Silverton, an isolated, unspoiled old mining community. It reputedly got its name when a miner exclaimed, "We ain't got much gold but we got a ton of silver!" Silverton is the county... (more)

• Telluride

  Tucked like a jewel in a tiny valley caught between azure sky and gunmetal mountains is Telluride, once so inaccessible that it was a favorite hideout for desperadoes like Butch Cassidy, who robbed his... (more)