Telluride and Southwest Colorado: By Car

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By Car

Dollar, Thrifty, Hertz, and National car rental agencies have counters at the Montrose Airport. Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, and National all have counters at Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Telluride Regional Airport, and Durango-La Plata Airport.

Crested Butte is 230 mi southwest of Denver. Take U.S. 285 south (it briefly becomes U.S. 24 and then reverts to U.S. 285) to U.S. 50 west to Gunnison. From Gunnison take Route 135 north to Crested Butte. Telluride is 330 mi southwest of Denver. There is no such thing as a direct route, but the fastest is probably U.S. 285 south to U.S. 50 west to Montrose. Take U.S. 550 south to Ridgway. From Ridgway, take Route 62 west to Placerville and Route 145 south to Telluride. In winter, the only way out of Crested Butte is to head toward Gunnison, because the alternate route to Aspen, Kebler Pass over Route 133, is closed.

Getting to the remote Four Corners region is a bit simpler. If you're entering Colorado from the south, U.S. 550, U.S. 160, and U.S. 491 lead to the Four Corners region. From the east or west, I-70 (U.S. 6) intersects U.S. 50 in Grand Junction; U.S. 550 runs south to the San Juan Mountains and Four Corners from Montrose. From the Denver area, take Interstate 25 to Interstate 70 west for a long drive to U.S. 50.

The main roads in the region are Route 135 between Crested Butte and Gunnison; U.S. 50 linking Poncha Springs, Gunnison, Montrose, and Delta; Route 149 between Gunnison, Lake City, and Creede; U.S. 550 from Montrose to Ridgway to Silverton to Durango; Route 62 and Route 145 linking Ridgway with Telluride, Dolores, and Cortez; and U.S. 160, which passes from Cortez to Durango to Pagosa Springs via the Mesa Verde National Park north entrance. With the exception of Kebler Pass, none of these roads officially closes for winter, but be prepared at any time during snowy months for portions of the roads to be closed or down to one lane for avalanche control or to clear ice or snowdrifts.

Information

American Automobile Association of Colorado (866/625-3601. www.aaacolo.com). Colorado Road Report (877/315-7623). Colorado State Patrol (970/249-4392. www.csp.state.co.us).