Cindy Hirschfeld
Jul 13, 2023
Well known for its ski resort, this mountain town in southwestern Colorado attracts plenty of summer and fall visitors, too. Here’s how to spend a few days.
“This view is, like, killer,” I overheard a 20-something say to his companions during a recent visit to Telluride. We had just walked by each other on the main street of this southwestern Colorado mountain town, wedged into a box canyon. The group was looking toward the vertiginous cliffs high above, where Ingram Falls plunged over a notch in the rock; below the falls, a thread of water followed a steep, diagonal runnel, glinting silver, like the precious metal miners once sought here.
The comment was an understatement. Surrounded by soaring peaks in the craggy San Juan Mountains, Telluride sits in an almost impossibly beautiful setting. I’ve been visiting regularly from my home near Aspen for almost 30 years, and every time I drive the final stretch into town, my breath catches when the lofty panorama bursts into view.
Well known for its ski resort, Telluride attracts plenty of summer and fall visitors, too. A season-long slate of weekend festivals ranges from bluegrass to blues, mushroom hunting to classic cars. For a time, some locals even designated one July weekend as the “Nothing Festival” to provide a break from the hectic schedule. Later this summer the star-studded Telluride Film Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary (Aug. 31 to Sept. 4).