Southwest Colorado
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Southwest Colorado - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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21. Creede Underground Mining Museum and Community Center
This museum is housed in rooms that modern miners blasted out of solid rock to commemorate the lives of 1880s-era miners and trace the history of mining in the area. In summer, there are guided tours at 10 and 3 daily, but before 2:15 pm you can also take a self-guided audio tour. Reservations are recommended.
503 Forest Service Rd., Creede, Colorado, 81130, USA719-658–0811Sight Details
Rate Includes: $9 self-guided tour, $16 guided tour -
22. Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum
Housed in an 1893 hardware store, this museum showcases the essentials for life in an 1880s mining town, such as clothing, furniture, and household items. There's an intricate diorama of the town in the 1920s, complete with a moving train, plus exhibits on skiing, sledding, biking, and Flauschink, a quirky local ceremony that welcomes the return of spring.
331 Elk Ave., Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224, USA970-349–1880Sight Details
Rate Includes: $5 -
23. Crested Butte Mountain Resort Adventure Park
Make a day of it at Crested Butte Mountain Resort Adventure Park, where, for one ticket price, you can access unlimited lift-served hiking and biking, minigolf, bungee trampolines, a climbing wall, an inflated-bag jump, and a hands-on kids' mining exhibit. À la carte pricing and guided hiking are also available. The lift-served hiking and biking are summer-only, but the rest of the Adventure Park is open both winter and summer.
12 Snowmass Rd., Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado, 81225, USA855-969–3022Sight Details
Rate Includes: From $47, Closed early Apr.–late May and late Oct.–late Nov. -
24. Curecanti National Recreation Area
This recreation area, part of the National Park Service, encompasses three reservoirs along 40 miles of the Gunnison River and can be accessed at the bottom of the East Portal Road. Blue Mesa, nearly 20 miles long, is the largest body of water in Colorado; Morrow Point and Crystal are fjordlike reservoirs set in the upper Black Canyon of the Gunnison. All three reservoirs provide water-based recreational opportunities, including fishing, boating, and paddling, but only Blue Mesa offers boat ramps. Excellent fly-fishing can be found upstream (east) of Blue Mesa Reservoir along the Gunnison River. A variety of camping and hiking opportunities are also available. The Elk Creek Visitor Center on U.S. 50 is available year-round for trip-planning assistance.
102 Elk Creek, Gunnison, Colorado, 81230, USA970-641–2337Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
25. Durango Hot Springs Resort and Spa
Come to this newly renovated, luxurious hot springs resort to soak your aching bones after a day of hiking or skiing. The complex includes an Olympic-size, saltwater swimming pool infused with aquagen, and 27 total natural mineral pools ranging from 98°F to 110°F; all are open year-round. The pools are outdoors, perched at the base of the mountain and thoughtfully designed to blend in with nature. The grounds also feature a spa, sauna, reflexology path, food carts and fire pit, stage for live music, stream, separate adults-only area, and hydrotherapy "yin-yang" pool.
6475 County Rd. 203, Durango, Colorado, 81301, USA970-247–0111Sight Details
Rate Includes: $39 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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26. Galloping Goose Historical Museum
Housed in a replica of the town's 1880s-era train station, this museum displays Galloping Goose No. 5, one of only seven specially designed engines built in the 1930s. The "Geese" were motored vehicles built from touring-car bodies that could operate for much less than steam-powered engines.
421 Railroad Ave., Dolores, Colorado, 81323, USA970-882–7082Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and mid-Sept.–mid-May (except by appointment) -
27. Gunnison Pioneer Museum
Anyone interested in the region's history shouldn't miss the Pioneer Museum. The complex spreads across six acres and includes an extensive collection of vehicles, from Model Ts to 1960s sedans. There are also two old schoolhouses; an impressive display of arrowheads; mining exhibits; and a train, complete with coal tender, caboose, and boxcar. Admission is cash only.
803 E. Tomichi Ave., Gunnison, Colorado, 81230, USA970-641–4530Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10, Closed Oct.–mid-May -
28. Hartman Rocks Recreation Area
This free recreation area is a haven for mountain bikers, hikers, horseback riders, rock climbers, and ATV riders in the summer and Nordic skiers and snowshoers in the winter. With 8,000 acres of public land, encompassing 45 miles of single-track trails and 45 miles of road, there's enough room for everyone.
Gunnison, Colorado, 81230, USA -
29. Historical Tours of Telluride
Notable BuildingOperated by local thespian Ashley Boling, Historical Tours of Telluride provides humorous walking tours through the downtown streets and buildings, adding anecdotes about infamous figures such as Butch Cassidy and Jack Dempsey. Tours last about 90 minutes.
Telluride, Colorado, USA970-728–6639Sight Details
Rate Includes: $20, By reservation only; no credit cards -
30. Hovenweep National Monument
Straddling the Colorado–Utah border, this monument is known for distinctive square, oval, round, and D-shape towers that were engineering marvels when they were built around AD 1200. The buildings are spread throughout a series of ancient villages, once home to 2,500 people. The visitor center is on the Utah side of the monument. Per rangers, don't attempt to use your GPS to find Hovenweep. Most devices will take you either over rough dirt roads or to more remote parts of the monument.
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31. Kebler Pass
Scenic DriveThe scenic Gunninson County Road 12 runs northwest from Crested Butte over Kebler Pass to Paonia. The 31-mile stretch of road is beautiful but unpaved, so plan plenty of time to drive it. The road is closed to motor vehicles in winter.
Crested Butte, Colorado, USA -
32. Main Avenue National Historic District
The intersection of 13th Street and Main Avenue marks the northern edge of Durango's Main Avenue National Historic District. Old-fashioned streetlamps line the streets, casting a warm glow on the elegant buildings filled with upscale galleries, restaurants, and shops. Dating from 1887, the Strater Hotel is a reminder of the time when this town was a stop for many people headed west.
Main Ave. between 13th St. and 12th St., Durango, Colorado, USA -
33. Mayflower Mill
Northeast of Silverton, the Mayflower Mill (also known as the Shenandoah-Dives Mill) is a beautifully restored landmark with tours that explain how precious gold, silver, and other metals were extracted and processed.
135 County Rd. 2, Silverton, Colorado, 81433, USA970-387–0294Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10, Closed Oct.–early June -
34. McPhee Reservoir
In 1985, crews completed construction of an irrigation dam across the Dolores River, forming the McPhee Reservoir, the second largest in the state. It draws anglers looking to bag a variety of warm- and cold-water fish along its 50 miles of shoreline, which is surrounded by spectacular specimens of juniper and sage as well as large stands of pinyon pine. There are two boat ramps. The area also has camping, hiking, and a relatively easy mountain-bike trail, and the mesa offers panoramic views of the surrounding San Juan National Forest.
Forest Service Rd. 271 off Rte. 184, Dolores, Colorado, USASight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Marina closed Nov.–Apr. -
35. Museum of the Mountain West
Run by a retired archaeologist, the museum depicts life in Colorado from the late 1800s to the 1940s. It features roughly 500,000 artifacts and 23 buildings, including a schoolhouse, church, carriage works, and jail cell, as well as homesteads and teepee replicas.
68169 E. Miami Rd., Montrose, Colorado, 81401, USA970-240–3400Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10, Closed Sun. and Mon. -
36. Navajo State Park
Park (National/State/Provincial)About 36 miles southwest of Pagosa Springs, Navajo State Park is an off-the-beaten-path hideaway for fishing (northern pike are abundant), a houseboat journey, or a waterskiing holiday on Navajo Reservoir.
Off State Hwy. 151, Arboles, Colorado, 81121, USA970-883–2524Sight Details
Rate Includes: $7 per vehicle -
37. Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour
A mine train takes you 1,500 feet underground into the Old Hundred Gold Mine for a tour of one of the area's oldest mining facilities. Your miner-guide follows the vein and operates authentic equipment to show you how mining was done in the old days. Old Hundred operated for about a century, from the first strike in 1872 until the last haul in the early 1970s. Temperatures remain at a steady 47°F, so be sure to bring a sweater or a jacket. Guided tours leave every hour on the hour from 10 am to 3 pm (arrive 15 minutes early to secure your spot). Your ticket price also covers panning for gold, silver, copper, and gemstones in the sluice boxes outside the mine.
721 County Rd. 4A, Silverton, Colorado, 81433, USA970-387–5444Sight Details
Rate Includes: $28, Closed early Oct.–mid-May -
38. Orchard Valley Farms and Market and Black Bridge Winery
Family fun takes an organic approach at this friendly farm. Take a stroll through the gardens and orchards and pick your own fruits and vegetables, or choose from a nice selection at the farm market, which also features a broad selection of other local products. Enjoy your bounty immediately at creek-side picnic tables. The on-site Black Bridge Winery offers $5 tastings of its Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and other wines.
15836 Black Bridge Rd., Colorado, 81428, USA970-527–6838Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Nov.–late May -
39. Ouray County Museum
This small but surprisingly stocked museum housed in an 1887 hospital highlights the history of mining, ranching, and railroading in the San Juan Mountains. The basement features a life-size model mine tunnel, as well as an impressive collection of locally found gems and minerals. Other exhibits include Native American artifacts and depictions of domestic and commercial life in the late 1800s.
420 6th Ave., Ouray, Colorado, 81432, USA970-325–4576Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10, Closed mid-Nov.–mid-Apr., and Sun.–Wed. in mid-Apr.–mid-May and in Oct.–mid.-Nov. -
40. Ouray Hot Springs Pool
The massive, renovated Ouray Hot Springs Pool is brimming with a million gallons of naturally heated mineral water, kept between 78°F and 106°F. Kids love the two large waterslides, bouldering wall, volleyball net, and inflatable obstacle course, while grown-ups can bask in peace in the adults-only pool.
1220 Main St., Ouray, Colorado, 81427, USA970-325–7073Sight Details
Rate Includes: $21
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