Places to Explore In Southwest Colorado

Cortez

The northern escarpment of Mesa Verde to the southeast and the volcanic blisters of La Plata Mountains to the east dominate the views around sprawling...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 5 Things To Do

Creede

Creede, a flash-in-the-pan silver town, was known in its heyday as Colorado’s rowdiest mining camp. When silver was discovered here in 1889, hotels, saloons, banks...

• 0 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 3 Things To Do

Crested Butte

Like Aspen, the town of Crested Butte was once a small mining village (albeit for coal, not silver). The Victorian gingerbread-trim houses remain, many of...

• 7 Restaurants
• 5 Hotels
• 6 Things To Do

Delta

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Dolores

On the bank of the Dolores River, just downstream from the McPhee Reservoir, the tiny town of Dolores is midway between Durango and Telluride on...

• 1 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 4 Things To Do

Durango

Wisecracking Will Rogers had this to say about Durango: "It's out of the way and glad of it." His statement is a bit unfair, considering...

• 9 Restaurants
• 5 Hotels
• 13 Things To Do

Gunnison

At the confluence of the Gunnison River and Tomichi Creek, Gunnison is an old mining and ranching community and college town. It’s been adopted by...

• 2 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Lake City

Lake City—with its collection of lacy gingerbread-trim houses and other Victorian buildings—has one of the largest National Historic Districts in Colorado (more than 200 structures)...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Montrose

The self-described "Home of the Black Canyon" sits amid glorious surroundings, but it’s otherwise a typical Western town with a small historic center, where you'll...

• 2 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Ouray

The town of Ouray (pronounced you-ray) is nestled in a narrow, steep-walled canyon in the shadow of the San Juan Mountains. It was named for...

• 2 Restaurants
• 4 Hotels
• 6 Things To Do

Pagosa Springs

Although not a large town, Pagosa Springs has become a major center for outdoor sports. Hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing opportunities abound here, and there’s...

• 1 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Paonia

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 3 Things To Do

Ridgway

The 19th-century railroad town of Ridgway has been the setting for some classic Westerns, including True Grit (the original John Wayne version) and How the...

• 1 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Silverton

Glorious peaks surround Silverton, an old mining community. The town reputedly got its name when a miner exclaimed, "We ain’t got much gold but we...

• 1 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 4 Things To Do

Telluride

Tucked away between the azure sky and the gunmetal mountains is Telluride, the colorful mining town–turned–ski resort famous for its celebrity visitors (Oprah Winfrey, Tom...

• 9 Restaurants
• 7 Hotels
• 12 Things To Do