If any town embodies Mountain Time to its fullest potential, especially in a world filled with tourist traps and simulacra, it’s Telluride.
From the first time I visited this old mining town as a wee lad of 18, it forever captured my heart and my imagination. This was why I was moving to Colorado, I thought, and it cast its magical spell over me, much like Steamboat Springs would several years later. And much like Steamboat, Telluride boasts 300 sunny days a year with just as many inches of powder per season.
The dramatic Bridal Veil Falls draws mountain lovers into the Telluride box canyon like a siren song.
But there’s a seemingly common misconception that you have to wait for a music festival or special event to visit this king of mountain towns. When in fact, in my opinion, exactly the opposite is true. My favorite time to head south to the mind-blowing San Juan mountains is any weekend there isn’t a festival, including the shoulder seasons, for a taste of authentic mountain town-ness you really can’t get anywhere else.
But there’s so many cool things about Telluride, it’s difficult to describe. It’s more than the eclectic mix of mountain folk who inhabit the turn-of-the-century mixed with tastefully modern buildings lining the quaint Main street, where people still park in the middle of the street with their cars running to have a chat with a neighbor. Or the breathtaking Bridal Veil Valls 365-foot waterfall with its watchful eye over the valley.
They’ve got a free gondola running all year until midnight delivering visitors and working locals from the Mountain Village (base of the ski area and it’s own separate “town”) to the historic downtown and back – the first and only gondy in the country that is actually a form of public transportation; and it allows dogs. Check out all the fascinating specs on the Mountain Village website.
I also think it’s important to mention that there are NO chain restaurants or shops in Telluride, something that almost every other town has given way to. And lest you think it’s completely podunk…Telluride was allegedly the first city in the world to have electric streetlights, and the world’s first AC power plant was built there. My lord, you can even camp right in town at the wonderfully maintained and inexpensive downtown public campground (again, this is why I recommend the off season).
It’s commonly repeated that the Ute Indians of the area told the miners they were riding into hell as they twisted their way up valley toward the isolated box canyon that dead-ends past town (to hell you ride), thus giving the mining-cum-resort town its name. Others say the name comes from the element Tellurium, although it wasn’t mined in the area, so the controversy surrounding the name only adds to the town’s mystique. And while a good bit of the rough and tumble history still exists, today, the opposite certainly must be true — that you are actually heading into a kind of mountain heaven as one approaches Telluride from its singular, off-the-beaten-path entrance, thus keeping a certain exclusiveness to a place that could easily be overrun with fun seekers.
If you haven’t done it, the summertime recreation in the area is something you simply have to check off your list—if not move to the area for a few seasons or permanently.
And now to the fun. Assuming you’ve had your fill of spring skiing (more on Telluride in the winter in a different article), set your sights on the summer fun-hog activities of mountain biking, climbing and fly fishing. Of course hiking, peak bagging, four wheeling, horse back riding, paddling and beer drinking are also on the menu, but let’s start with the basics.
To accomplish all of this in a long weekend, we enlisted the help of the Telluride Adventure Desk – essentially your outdoor-sport concierge, Telluride style. Check them out at telluridesports.com.
Fly Fishing
Fly-fishing with a guide is for my money one of the best experiences on the planet. You strip away all of the hassles and “work” involved in a fishing trip (research, planning parking, shopping for flies, tying knots) and are left with only the best part…Casting your line and catching fish. It’s a beautiful thing. San Miguel Anglers will pick you up wherever your truck is parked and take you to any number of first-in-class trout fishing streams. Or meet your guide at their main shop (Telluride Sports Main Street) at 150 W. Colorado Ave.; you can park behind the shop no problem in the off-season. You’ll fish either the San Miguel, the Uncompahgre or the Dolores River, maybe even the Gunnison, based on current conditions and your ability/interests.
For gear, one of the great things about an outfitter is that they will provide you with what you need; but it’s awful nice to have your own boots and waders, at the least. So check out what Redington is up to. On the cutting edge of technology and functionality, their Sonic Pro stocking foot waders feature sonically welded seams with 4-ply fabric in wear spots, a custom flip-out tool pocket, ergonomic cuts and gravel guards; pair them with the Skagit River Wading Boot–featuring specially engineered, environmentally friendly crushed walnut shell rubber bottoms.
Mountain Biking
If you want a guided ride without having to think about it, Telluride Outside is the answer. Roll down to their T-ride Sports Camel’s Garden location at the bottom of the gondy and get outfitted with all the latest in bikes and gear. Load into the very nice shuttle van and they whisk you up to the top of Lizard Head Pass to rip double- and single-track all the way back down the valley, along with stops for natural history and geology tidbits while you wait for everyone else to catch up. It’s the perfect place for that new carbon-fiber 29er you’ve been dying to put through the ringer. The town is a veritable mountain bike paradise from end to end, however, including free gondola access to the ski hill, so if you’re after a strictly mountain-bike focused trip, go nuts: https://www.visittelluride.com/things-to-do/biking.
Climbing
Telluride has a long-standing rep as a legit climbing town, so take advantage of it and get out on some rock while you’re there. I highly recommend a private full-day adventure with the San Juan Outdoor School, in business since 1981, when it comes to getting some laps done. They are also your best option for bagging Telluride’s famed Via Ferratta route above town. If you don’t need or want a guide, test your mettle on the famed Falls Walls, Pipeline (the Conglomerate rock is unbelievable), Mill Creek, the Ophir Wall or Cracked Canyon. You really cannot go wrong. Be prepared for the regular afternoon thundershowers the valley experiences all summer.
Basically, this slice of outdoor heaven is a can’t miss on all counts, from the festival scene and microbreweries and hotsprings, to the world-class mountain biking, sheer variety of rock to climb, and hands-down one of the best ski areas on the continent. Do yourself a favor and quit your job, sell the house, sell the kids, and move to Telluride and become a ski-, fly fishing- or climbing-bum as soon as possible.
