How To Spend a Weekend in Telluride, Ouray, and Ridgway During the Summer

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You can experience the quaint mountain towns of Telluride, Ouray, and Ridgway easily in a weekend. Whether you live in Colorado or the surrounding area or are flying in for a vacation, below are top recommendations when you only have a weekend to explore.

We lived in Grand Junction for over ten years. When we lived here, one of our favorite weekend activities was an adventure to the San Juan Mountains to dink around Telluride, Ouray, and Ridgway.

This guide breaks down how to explore these charming mountain towns in a weekend.

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How To Get Here

These mountain towns are located in the southwest corner of Colorado.

Flying: If you are not from the area, you can fly in from Denver, Grand Junction, or the Montrose Airport(s). There is a small airport in Telluride but it’s best to fly into Grand Junction or Montrose.

Driving: If you fly here, you’ll want to rent a car so you can explore. There really isn’t any public transportation around here — like don’t count on an Uber or anything.

Where To Stay

There are gorgeous places to stay in Telluride. One thing to know is that the hotels and inns are expensive, but you can’t go wrong with the views and proximity to the main strips and outdoor adventures.

Find hotels in Telluride with mountain views.

Things To Do in Telluride

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Image Credit: iStock.com/danicachang

Ride the Free Mountain Village Gondola

Since Telluride is a small town tucked away in a massive box canyon, it is best to get into town and start the day early to find a place to park and beat the crowds. Head over to the Telluride Mountain Village Gondola and hop on. On the enclosed gondola, you’ll be able to take in the views of the San Juan Mountains.

Check out the Visit Telluride website for additional details. The gondola is pet-friendly and handicap accessible.

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Riding the gondola in the summer

Hike the Telluride Trail

Hop off the gondola at the first stop to take pictures. From there, if you want to hike around, there are trails to run, walk, or bike.

We love the Telluride Trail for a morning hike. It goes straight down into town. Lots of people run this section as well — it has epic views.

The trail can be steep, so wear hiking shoes and bring water. It is a blue run (for skiing and snowboarding season).

Eat at Brown Dog Pizza

After your trek down the Telluride Trail, head to the main Telluride strip and grab a table at Brown Dog Pizza. If you like pizza and beer — Brown Dog is the place. They also offer gluten-free pizza (if you’re gluten-free like me).

Ask for a table upstairs with a window to watch the town meanderings.

When you are done with food, check out all the local shops — it is such a cute town to explore.

There is a trail through town by the stream you can check out while you are wandering around.

Things To Do in Ouray

After you’ve had time exploring Telluride, hop in your car and head to Ouray. Ouray is about an hour from Telluride and is a beautiful drive.

Visit the Ouray Hot Springs

The Ouray Hot Springs are a great place to relax and savor mountain views.

The town sits in a bowl and is hailed as the “Switzerland of Colorado.”

Treat Yourself to Chocolates & Coffee

When you’re ready for a sweet snack or coffee, head over to Ouray’s main strip and grab a delicious dessert or coffee at Mouse’s Chocolates & Coffee. You deserve it -– you probably hiked at high elevation today.

We love this place so much — we never go to Ouray without stopping here.

Things To Do in Ridgway

Visit Orvis Hot Springs

If you are up for another hot springs adventure, Orvis Hot Springs, outside of Ridgway, is a clothing optional facility. It is romantic to visit at night because the darkness offers more privacy as the springs create a steamy ambiance. Check out the Lobster Pot — the name of one of the hot pools.

Stay at the Chipeta Lodge

If you don’t want to stay in Telluride, or you’re doing a road trip to hit all the towns, the Chipeta Lodge in Ridgway in another great choice. It is about 20 minutes north of Ouray and an hour from Telluride if you head straight to or from the lodge. It’s also a good spot to base a road trip to all three towns.

This fun adobe-themed lodge and spa has a pool, hot tub, rooftop bar, happy hour libations and food, healthy breakfast options, and charming rooms. We love the sushi happy hour in the summertime.

The first time I ever stayed here was for a private yoga retreat when I was doing my 200-hour Iyengar yoga teacher certification. Then we stayed again for a wedding close by.

Visit Ridgway State Park

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Ridgway State Park

If you have more time to adventure, there is a paved trail in Ridgway accessible from the central town park, which leads to Ridgway State Park along the river.

Ridgway State Park has gorgeous views from the top of the hill, and is a nice place if you have time for a paddle or want to camp.

Have fun on your trip.

Ashlee & Pablo


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Pin this guide on Pinterest to plan your getaway later.

top left photo: hiking in Telluride; top right photo: eating pizza in Telluride; bottom photo: girl hiking in Telluride during the summer.

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Ashlee Fechino

Ashlee Fechino is an outdoor recreation and travel writer sharing the best-kept secrets that aren’t in your typical guidebook. Her goal is to inspire people to travel with a sense of adventure by sharing hidden gems across the U.S. and beyond. She is married to an expat Argentine, Pablo. They camp in their Aliner often and love wandering the world. Follow their latest adventures on Instagram @thehappinessfxn.

2 Comments

  1. Juli Ames-Curtis on October 15, 2020 at 6:53 pm

    Wow! Great GF pizza, yummy chocolate, stunning scenery, fabulous hiking trails-and the Chipeta Sun Lodge to top it off. I may want to stay a week!!! Thanks for the inspiration.



    • Ashlee Fechino on October 16, 2020 at 10:52 am

      Hi Juli! Thanks so much for reading our post. The Telluride area is amazing. When you go, we would love to hear more about it. Have a beautiful day.