What do you think? Are 5 days too many to spend kicking around Ouray and Telluride? We're just looking to relax, explore, enjoy the mountains. Thought we'd spend 2 days in one place, 3 in the other but that seems a bit funny -- they are so close.

A friend of mine sent me this today, see if it interests you
And send any thanks to Ms GLou

The Peaks Resort in Telluride
(they are sending out specials notices-this is taken from the email notice)

Special Summer Rates From $99- NOW At The Peaks Resort!

As the temperature climbs, rates are cooling down at the spectacular Peaks Resort & Golden Door Spa. Ride horseback through stunning mountain landscapes, or pamper yourself from top to toe at our renowned Golden Door Spa. Starting at just $99 per room, per night, this deal won't last long! Book today to take advantage of this limited-time promotion!



*Available for a very limited time on a first-come, first-serve basis.

136 Country Club Drive
Telluride, CO 81435
(866) 282-4557
www.ThePeaksResort.com

Scarlett,

Hmmm... the same little "bird" sent me the same deal. I could use a spa treatment right about now.

-Bill

I can not recommend more highly Ouray's China Clipper Inn, a B & B, one block west of Highway 550 (the main street). Phone: 970-325-0565, or Toll Free at: 800-315-0565; Fax: 970-325-4190.

We reserved for one night and begged to stay 3. We did. After 3 nites in either Ouray or Teluride, there is not much to do (outside of Ski Season). But for pure relaxing, including socializing with the mostly older and upscale visitors at the China Clipper (as we are) it is absolutely perfect.

The property is relatively new, very clean, and "Victorian."It has a hot tub in the back, rocking chairs on the front porch which put you face to face with the side of a mountain, and a communal (full) breakfast room (or private glassed in porch).

Our "little bird" is a firm believer in random acts of kindness
Bringing this to the top for freethepress

"Are 5 days too many to spend kicking around...?"

Sounds like heaven to me!!

Last fall, we stayed at the Riversong Suite which is part of the Victorian Inn at ouraylodging.com. It is a very large 3-bedroom apartment, absolutely lovely! We were there 5 nights. There were only 4 of us, but it was a great value for the price, comparing it to the cost of 2 regular hotel rooms.

You're right about Ouray and Telluride being so close together. We enjoyed just the tranquility of the beautiful mornings, sitting on the very large deck, listening to the water pass by. Of course, we took the jeep rides, went to the hot springs, did all the touristy things.

But we also had lots of time to just relax. No better place than Ouray!

I also got the same $99 offer from The Peaks, as I had stayed there last year [very nice hotel]. Just out of curiosity I checked a few dates...and there were no rooms available at $99. I think that they must be mid-week rates as Telluride has a festival almost every weekend. The Peaks is actually in Mountain Village, not in town. You can take the gondola [free] down into town. There is a Golden Door Spa in The Peaks that is really nice.

That said, Telluride is a lovely place to kick back and enjoy the views. There are outdoor things to do and shopping along the main street is fun, but 3 days might be too long. There are terrific restaurants and some nightlife too.

Now that I live 70 miles from Telluride, I won't be staying overnight in town, but we do like going there for the day.

Debi

I love Ouray. Definitely do a jeep tour up to Yankee Boy and visit their small, but fascinating, historical museum. We love spending evenings at the hot springs pool.

Has anyone done the mine tour? I've heard it's interesting and an hour long. My younger son is hyper; I'm wondering if it will hold his attention.

For just relaxing Ouray is the best of the Two. Plan on spending more time there. Do not forget to take the drive over the Million dollar highway over Red Mountain pass to Silverton. Hang on to the steering wheel, you have some breath taking views. Also check out Box Canyon State park. costs about 10 each but its really cool. I live just west of this area been there many times. Have a great trip. Joe

Here is another vote for Yankee Boy Basin. The wildflowers are wonderful. When I was there I could drive my car over the road, but it is a road that needs constant maintenance. You might do well to inquire locally before driving it yourself.

The jeeps can go farther, higher, and wilder than you can in a regular car.
If you take a jeep tour, I hope you are not afraid of heights!1

The road to Silverton and on to Durango is indeed spectacular. I rode the train with my son when he was a youngster.
I was bored with it, but he is not in his forties and still talks about it.
I think he was 11 at the time, and he recalls many of the details of the trip!

So be prepared for some spectacular mountain scenery, and have a soak in the hot pool in Ouray.

We love that area. The jeep trip over black bear is an unforgetable experience! We did a full day tour with a jeep company in town. It's expensive, but a fantastic memory maker. Also, I don't where you are coming from, but we were coming around from Lake City and made a stop at the Black Canyon. We heard about it from someone on this site. We did a boat tour that glides through the bottom of the canyon and is narrated by a park ranger. It was also a great experience. Here is a site that tells about it.http://www.nps.gov/cure/webvc/boattour.htm It's called Morrow Point boat tour. Have a great trip!

"More on Box Canyon Falls Park"

I am sorry I miss quoted the price of the Box Canyon Park. It is owned and run by the town of Ouray not the state. Fees are $3.00 for adults, $1.50 for children (5-12 years) and $2.50 for seniors (65+). Summer hours for this must-see park are 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Please check out the web site for Ouray. Joe

http://www.ouraycolorado.com/Home

5 days may not be enough. If you are into 4 wheeling, this is the area. To get to many of the great areas and trailheads, you will need a vehicle that can handle bad roads.

Ouray is a quaint town. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Box Canyon is neat to see. The drive toward Durango is spectacular.

If you go to Durango and have not done the narrow gauge rail trip, take it. It's all day, but its laid back with spectacular scenery. The layover in Silverton gives you plenty of time to see it. Our kids gave the bottomless cup of hot chocolate the thumbs up.

Telluride is spectacular, but be prepared to spend some extra $'s.

We just came back from Telluride. We hiked Bear Creek Canyon to the falls there. It was gorgeous! We were at a festival so did not get to do much "nature" stuff but we plan to go back so we can.

We flew into Durango, drove to Telluride through Cortez and Delores - beautiful and nice drive but did not have time to stop anywhere. On Monday, drove back to Durango via Ridgway, Ouray & Silverton. The sights on the drive back took our breath away.

We took our time driving back & stopped several times to take in the views, including the Box Canyon in Ouray. The drive was beyond words - best scenery we have ever seen.

~~~ttt~~~

OK, let me answer my own question. 5 days are not too many. In fact, we did 6 (including a night at Mesa Verde N.P) and it was pretty much on target. Here's the low down:

We started off at Mesa Verde. Do not miss this national treasure! The views stretching across the mesas and to the 4 corners are outstanding, not to mention the ruins themselves. We stayed in the park at the Far View Lodge. A lot of people seem to complain about this place but we had a recently remodeled room with an unobstructed view. It's not fancy but I can't imagine staying outside the park in a chain motel.
On to Ouray, up the scenic highway -- and it really is scenic. We stayed 2 nights at the Box Canyon Lodge and Hot Springs. A comfortable spot -- and worth it for soaking in the hot tubs that ramble up the hillside. But it's not much of a lodge, more of a motel and located adjacent to two other motels. Ouray, for us, was no more than a 2-nite stay at best. You can walk through the town pretty quickly and while not without charm it lacks Telluride's energy and style. We also felt more hemmed in in Ouray -- the mountains are closer. But we had fun. We rented a jeep (tip: be sure to have your insurance info with you; we had to have it faxed) and 4-wheeled all day up into Yankee Basin. Yeah, you have to be a little fearless, but you can also join a jeep tour. We preferred doing it on our own and taking a beautiful hike at the top where the road ends. You're 13,000 feet up and can feel every breath. The other thing we did in Ouray was take the Bachelor Mine tour. This was just so-so. It's an hour down, jerking around in the dark on this little mine train. If you're at all claustrophobic, forget it. We were on the tour with a large group of very small children, probably a day care. There were two college-aged chaperones and a bunch of kids ranging probably from 4 or 5 to 8 years old. Unfortunately, our train derailed on the way down. This required the engineer to hike back out for help, maybe about 15 minutes. This scared the hell out of some of the kids (and adults too!) and the crying began. Three of the kids had to be carried out. Well, it did add some excitement.
Telluride was a 3 night stop. We stayed in town (as opposed to up the gondola to the mountain ski village). In town was good. Maybe during ski season the moutnain village is better, but it struck us as being a huge condo development and there was lots of construction going on. Still, the gondola is pretty neat. Runs all the time. You never wait, and it's free. Also free is the little Telluride public bus (more of a van) that circles the town. The Galloping Goose or something like that. But Telluride is very walkable and more enjoyable, a livelier street scene, than Ouray by far. We hiked up to the Bear Canyon Falls and we also rode horseback with an outfitter nearby named Roudy. He's kind of a character. It's not cheap but if you like to ride, I'd recommend
it. It's not really a mountain ride; you're more on range. All in all, SW Colorado (it was out first time) is well worth exploring with a variety of activities and you can easily spend 6 days or more.

Thanks for taking the time to post a trip report and the feedback. I am glad you liked our corner of the world...it is indeed special and not to be missed. We are away from the big, fancy named places, but we sure do have lots to offer here in SW Colorado.

Debi

ttt

Freethepress,
Awesome trip. Thanks for reporting.

Topping for lisabobbi!