If you don’t want to hear my brag about my home state of Colorado, stop reading now! I mean it. You aren’t going to like the audacious claims I’m about to make.
My family still lives there and so Doug and I had visited many times before we bought the RV but in 2020 I insisted that we needed to be there to see the fall colors and the pretty, yellow, fluttering leaves of the Aspen trees so we went and we made several trip criss-crossing the state from east to west and back again (see this post, this one, and this one).
We’ve since seen the bright red and orange leaves of eastern states like New Hampshire and Vermont, which I will confess best those of the Colorado Rockies, but Doug and I have had many discussions and agree that so far, in the lower 48, Colorado has the most beauty per mile! I dare anyone to argue with me. Mic drop.
Colorado has hanging lakes like Maroon Bells, shimmering metallic lakes like Ice Lake Basin, large lakes like Dillion Reservoir, rugged mountain passes like Independence Pass near Twin Lakes and Aspen, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, more 14,000 ft peaks than any other lower 48 state, picturesque mountain towns like Breckinridge, Ourey and Telluride, some of the steepest cliffs in North America make up the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Utah-like mesas at Colorado National Monument, the best Puebloan ruins in the nation at Mesa Verde, the painted hills of Paint Mines, and the largest sand dunes in the United States! This state’s sheer variety is absolutely phenomenal and frankly until it was the first state to legalize marijuana, it was a fairly well kept secret.
We took a slightly different route this year to see family and sneak in a few places more spots – Mesa Verde (post here), Telluride (below), east side of Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and east entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park.
The drive from Mesa Verde, past Dolores on Colorado Hwy 145 is scenic. There in mid-May, the roads were clear but snow still capped the mountains and held onto the valleys below. Telluride sits in a box canyon with the San Juan Mountains with dominating the small former mining town. Building fronts that could easily be the backdrop for an old western movie line either side of the street but instead of housing baths, saloons, and general stores, are organic, gluten-free bakeries with lattes and cappuccinos or boutique clothing shops, high end bicycle shops or yoga studios.
At the far end of town, multi-million dollar homes sit up on the hillsides taking advantage of their viewpoint, a small bike trail runs alongside the river, and Doug witnessed a small “avalanche” (video below). It was opening day at the campground at the edge of town which was still pretty muddy due to recent snow melt. If you aren’t shopping, eating or there for wellness, in the summer this town offers hiking, climbing, and white water kayaking and in the winter is a prime location for skiing.
Telluride is everything you imagine you’d get in a Colorado mountain town.
