This post has all of my recommendations for a trip to Colorado! This guide is specifically my recommendations for a trip to southern Colorado, which includes destinations like Colorado Springs, the Great Sand Dunes, Durango, Mesa Verde, and Telluride. There are so many fun things to do in Colorado, but these are some of my favorites! ⛰️
Map
First, let’s get our bearings. 🤣 Here’s where Colorado is on a map.
Getting There
If you’re flying, the airport to fly into is Denver (DEN). You can check flights below. Then from there, it’s about an hour drive south to Colorado Springs.
Getting Around
I’d recommend renting a car because you’re going to need to drive to a lot of the things that I mention in this post. You can check out car rentals here. You’re going to want to start the trip in Denver, and end the trip in Telluride / fly home out of Montrose Airport.
Best Things To Do
1. Garden of the Gods
The first stop on your trip to Colorado should be the Garden of The Gods. We did an e-bike tour, and I’m glad we did because it’s a pretty hilly park and it was good to have a tour guide. I’ll link the tour company we used here. The best hotel to stay at in the area is The Broadmoor and I would recommend having your meals there too.
- Book a room at The Broadmoor here
- Book an e-bike tour of the Garden of the Gods here
- Make dinner reservations at The Broadmoor here
2. Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Taking the Pikes Peak Cog Railway is another fun thing to do in the Colorado Springs area. It’s basically a tram that takes you up to the top of the tallest mountain in Colorado Springs (about 14,000 feet). It is VERY cold at the top of the mountain, so make sure to wear some warm clothes. It’s about 1 hour up to the top, then you have about an hour there to go to the visitors center, and then it’s an hour back. It’s a great way to see views of the Colorado Springs area.
3. Great Sand Dunes
Then the next day we drove to the Great Sand Dunes, which was on the way to Durango. It was a very unique experience since they are the tallest sand dunes in North America. You don’t need to hike any trails or anything, you can just walk up them, and then walk back down. And I have to say, it was pretty tiring even just doing that! And make sure to pack a lunch for yourself, because there are very limited food options once you get to the park.
4. Durango – Silverton Train
From the Great Sand Dunes, it’s about a 3 hour drive to Durango. We stayed at the Strater Hotel, which was an old fashioned hotel that was kinda Wild West themed. The main thing to do here is take the Durango – Silverton train, which is a beautiful train ride through the Colorado mountains. This was definitely a highlight of the trip, but just be aware that it’s a pretty long day. It’s 3 hours there, then another 3 hours back, so I’d recommend taking the bus back if you don’t want to sit on the train for another 3 hours.
- Book a room at The Strater Hotel here
- Tickets to take the Durango – Silverton train both ways
- Tickets to take the train there, and the bus back
5. Mesa Verde
The next day we drove to Mesa Verde, which was on the way to Telluride. Mesa Verde is an old village built into the mountains by the Native Americans. If you go to Mesa Verde, you definitely want to do one of the Ranger tours. They walk you through the village and tell you all about it. They offer a bunch of different tours, but the main one is the Cliff Palace tour, which is the one we signed up for. And again, make sure to pack a lunch for yourself, because there are very limited food options once you get into the park. Then after touring Mesa Verde, we drove to Telluride.
6. Telluride
Telluride was another highlight of the trip, and definitely somewhere I would go back to, especially during the ski season! The main thing to know about Telluride is there are basically two main areas. There’s the downtown area, and then there’s the Mountain Village, and they’re connected by a free gondola. We stayed at The New Sheridan hotel, which was located in the downtown area. We only had one full day here so we basically just did some shopping and explored the two areas. If you’re looking for a nice walk, I recommend the trail along the San Miguel River. It’s very flat and has some great views of the mountains. And one thing that you HAVE to do is get dinner at Allred’s. It’s the restaurant on the top of the mountain (you take the free gondola), and it has amazing food and incredible views.
Flights Home
To fly home, we drove from Telluride to Montrose Airport (MTJ), flew to Denver (DEN), and then flew home to the NYC area. You can check return flights below.
Full Guide
For more tips, check out my full guide here ⬇️
**Video**
Weather
If you want the warmest weather, I would recommend going in July or August. If you want to see fall foliage, I would recommend going in October.
Average Temperatures (Telluride)
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Peak Colors | Highest Snowfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36 / 3 | ❄️ | |
| February | 39 / 3 | ❄️ | |
| March | 43 / 14 | ❄️ | |
| April | 52 / 22 | ||
| May | 61 / 29 | ||
| June | 73 / 35 | ||
| July | 77 / 41 | ||
| August | 74 / 41 | ||
| September | 68 / 34 | ||
| October | 58 / 24 | 🍁 | |
| November | 45 /14 | ||
| December | 37 / 5 | ❄️ |
Itinerary Map
Click the icon to the left of my profile picture for a list of all stops.
And those are all of my tips for Colorado! Do you have any recommendations? Let me know in the comments!
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