Colorado boasts some of the most famous mountain towns in the U.S., including playgrounds for the wealthy, such as Aspen and Telluride.
There are posh boutiques, fine dining, stunning views, and even more stunning prices. You could spend more on a weekend out than the ski bum washing your dishes earns in a month.
But you don’t have to break the bank for a mountain town experience this summer. Get away from the ski lifts and condos, and you’ll find wonderful small towns, places where the mountain-town spirit lives in a (relatively) affordable way.
Here are 10 mountain towns to put on your summer travel list, whether as a destination or just a place to grab a meal on your way through.
Buena Vista
This town in the upper Arkansas River Valley used to be hardscrabble town you drove through on the way to Salida or Leadville. But no more.
Buena Vista invested heavily in developing the area around the river, adding restaurants and shops, a rock-climbing wall and water park.
Where to stay: The Surf Hotel and Chateau, with a bar and restaurant right along the river.
Where to eat: Eddyline Brewing, with two locations and different menus.
What to do: Take a drive on stunning Cottonwood Pass, bring a (non-motorized) boat to Cottonwood Lake or hike one of the many 14,000 peaks in the Collegiate range.
Del Norte
This sleepy hamlet in the San Luis Valley, which was left dormant after the closure of Summitville mine, recently boomed with massive development in restaurants and shops.
The town also has a new play park on the Rio Grande for tubing and surfing, and each August, it hosts the hugely popular Rhythms on the Rio Music Festival.
Del Norte is no longer just where you turn right to ski Wolf Creek.
Where to stay: The Windsor, a restored Victorian hotel with a fine-dining restaurant. Dog owners will enjoy the Mellow Moon Lodge, where two dogs of any size can stay for a weekly fee of $25 per dog.
Where to eat: The Colorado Grill and Taphouse offers a variety of pub fare and comfort food. Three Barrel Brewing is known for its wood-fired pizza.
What to do: Mountain bike the trails around town, go rock-climbing or hiking at nearby Penitente Canyon or cool off on a hot day in the Rio Grande.
Georgetown
Some 40,000 vehicles a day pass this quaint former mining town on Interstate 70, but there’s more to do here than stop for gas and a restroom.
With a booming summer scene and dramatic mountain views, it’s a perfect day trip.
Georgetown is also the starting point for the road up Guanella Pass, an easy drive high into the tundra above.
Where to stay: Rose Street Bed and Breakfast is an easy stroll to the shops and restaurants. For hotel-style accommodations, try the new Microtel Inn and Suites east of town.
Where to eat: Cooper’s on the Creek offers a pleasant patio, pub fare and comfort food.
What to do: Drive Guanella Pass and take a hike up 14,065-foot Mount Bierstadt, known as one of the easiest 14,000-foot peaks to try. Ride into history on the Georgetown Loop Railroad or take a guided rafting trip on Clear Creek.
Granby
This northern Colorado town is no longer just known as the place where a guy built a home-made tank and ravaged it. (really, look it up)
Located within an easy drive of lakes, hot springs, skiing, and hiking, Granby is a perfect base camp for a few days, where you can enjoy the outdoors while avoiding the crowds of nearby Grand Lake.
Where to stay: Inn at Silver Creek is an “adventure hotel” with a bar, restaurant, outdoor pool and golf course.
Where to eat: Maverick’s Grille offers a “Colorado-inspired” menu with a western-themed decor.
What to do: Boat, fish or paddle on massive Lake Granby, take a trip to nearby Hot Sulphur Springs, a historic spa resort or explore the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park on stunning Trail Ridge Road.
Mancos
You might not expect to find a thriving art scene in the desert of the Four Corners region, but pull off from U.S. 160, and that’s what you’ll find.
The town boasts eight art galleries, a historic opera house and a vibrant local business scene.
Mancos makes an ideal stopover on the way to Mesa Verde National, just five miles away.
Where to stay: With few lodging options, your best bet is the Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde or Durango.
Where to eat: The Boathouse on Grand is open for dinner only Thursday-Sunday, with a constantly rotating menu based on local ingredients.
What to do: Sign up for a tour of the Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde, take a walking tour of the arts district or go boating or fishing at Mancos State Park.
Paonia
This pretty town deep in central Colorado’s mountains isn’t on the road to anywhere.
Thanks to a mild climate, it is the heart of Colorado’s wine country.
In summer and fall, the Kebler Pass Road is open, making for a gorgeous drive into the West Elk Mountains to Crested Butte.
Where to stay: The Hitching Post Hotel and Farm Store offers an eclectic old-west feel.
Where to eat: Root and Vine Market is a winery with a breakfast and lunch cafe.
What to do: Take a winery tour in the Napa Valley of Colorado, drive to the north rim of stunning Black Canyon in Gunnison National Park, or visit in early July for Paonia Cherry Days, the longest-running community festival in Colorado.
Platoro
Now, we’re way off the beaten path. This town is 30 miles down winding dirt roads, deep in the South San Juan Mountains, and only exists because of the nearby Platoro Reservoir.
It’s more of a collection of rental cottages than an actual town, but the gorgeous landscape and proximity to outdoor activities will draw you back. It even has a couple of restaurants far from civilization.
Where to stay: The Sky Line Lodge and Cabins resembles a rustic hunting lodge and has its own restaurant.
Where to eat: See above. It’s the only game in town.
What to do: Take a hike into the South San Juan Wilderness, an area so remote it was home to the last grizzly bears in Colorado. Go boating or fishing on the gorgeous Platoro Reservoir or take an ATV drive to the top of Stunner Pass.
Ridgway
The area between Ouray and Durango in Colorado, known as the “American Alps,” swarms with tourists during the summer.
But Ridgway, about 10 miles from the mountains, offers a calmer experience. You can spend a day hiking or driving in these beautiful mountains and still relax.
Where to stay: Orvis Hot Springs offers a selection of rooms and campsites in a beautifully landscaped space with multiple hot pools.
Where to eat: The Colorado Boy offers good pizza and better locally-made craft beer.
What to do: Take a self-guided tour of the many old mines on gorgeous Red Mountain Pass. Soak at Orvis or drive into Ouray for the large hot springs pool. Hike the Bear Creek National Recreation Trail.
Trinidad
This former coal-mining town in extreme southern Colorado has reinvented itself as a tourist destination, with a thriving downtown (and perhaps the largest per-capita number of cannabis stores in Colorado.)
There are great mountain biking trails and several lakes.
Where to stay: All the hotels are chains, so take your pick.
Where to eat: For over 20 years, Rino’s Italian Restaurant and Steakhouse has entertained diners with its musical waitstaff.
What to do: Take a tour of downtown on the free trolley. Go boating, hiking or fishing at Trinidad Lake State Park. Visit the site of the Ludlow Massacre, where innocent women and children were killed in the 1914 labor wars.
Walden
This town in the remote expanse of North Park is ideal for “getting away from it all.”
Its wide-open country makes it the best place in Colorado to view moose and other wildlife, and hunters flock here in the fall to hunt deer and elk.
Rivers and lakes are known for stellar fishing, and the nearby Mount Zirkel Wilderness is one of Colorado’s last hidden gems.
Where to stay: Bring a tent or camper.
Where to eat: Four Winds Pizza
What to do: Hike to Rainbow Lake in the nearby Mount Zirkel Wilderness. Go moose-watching in State Forest State Park (they have a “Moose Visitor Center.”) Go fly-fishing on the Illinois River.
