The San Juan Mountain region is located in the southwestern “corner” of Colorado. The region includes the popular towns of Telluride, Ouray, Silverton, and Durango. Although several hours from the Denver Metro (or any other metro), it is a popular area for a road trip given its beautiful scenery and cool mountain temperatures.
We chose to explore Crested Butte and Gunnison (two new areas of us) en route to Telluride and will definitely be back to explore (ski, bike, hike) Crested Butte again! Now to Telluride. It has been on my list for YEARS and I really didn’t (because of the remote location and distance from my house) want to like it…but I did. Telluride is magical and could be my favorite mountain town. The road ends at the iconic waterfall and has 360 degree views of the mountains surrounding you. UNREAL. Plus, the vibe was spot on and a place I could spend a lot of time in. We will be back to ski in the near future.
Here is the itinerary for an adventure-filled road trip through the San Juan Mountains in Colorado!
Day One: Crested Butte + Gunnison
- Drive 4 hrs to Crested Butte across Cottonwood Pass and along the Taylor Park Reservoir + Taylor River
- Easy hike I Woods Walk
- Stroll I downtown Crested Butte along Elk Street
- Drive 30 minutes to Gunnison
- Lodging I Holiday Inn Express
- Dinner I 1880 Tapas & Spirits (highly recommend; tapas bar with an ever-changing menu using fresh, local ingredients)
Day Two: Gunni Grinder 30 + Blue Mesa Reservoir
- Gravel Bike Ride I Gunni Grinder 30
- Scenic Drive I Hwy 50
- Curecanti National Recreation Area I Blue Mesa Reservoir
- Picnic lunch I Dillon Pinnacles
- Hike I Dillion Pinnacles
- Curecanti National Recreation Area I Blue Mesa Reservoir
- Lodging I Airbnb downtown Telluride
- Stroll I downtown Telluride
- Dinner I Uno Dos Tres Tacos and Tequila (highly recommend: amazing burrito in a tiny spot “hidden” in an alley with a great outdoor vibe)
Day Three: All Things Telluride
- Bike Ride I Galloping Goose
- Cold Creek Soak + Hot Tub
- Ride the FREE gondola
- Happy Hour Ice Cream Cone
- Shopping I downtown Telluride
- Dinner I Smuggler Union (highly recommend; local ingredients used to make amazing burgers – beef + salmon)
Day Four: All Things Telluride
- Hike I Bridal Veil Falls
- Scenic Drive I Hwy 145
- Picnic lunch I Trout Lake
- Lizard Head Peak Vista Overlook
- Iconic mountain town I Rico
- Lodging I downtown Durango
- Sunday Pizza Dinner I Fired Up Pizzeria (highly recommend; solid wood-fired pizza in a historic, former bank building)
- Ice Cream I Cream Bean Berry (highly recommend; homemade ice cream plus homemade waffle cones – yum!)
Day Five: All Things Durango
- Gravel BIke Ride I Animas Overlook
- Durango Hot Springs Resort & Spa
- Dinner I 11th Street Station (highly recommend; super cool food truck venue)
- Ice Cream I Cream Bean Berry (highly recommend; homemade ice cream plus homemade waffle cones – yum!)
Day Six: Creede + Historic Bachelor Loop
- 7.5 hour drive Home
- Drove through Pagosa Springs
- Drove over the Conditional Divide I Wolf Creek Pass
- Drove past Wolf Creek Ski Resort
- Pit stop in Creede, Colorado
- Bike Ride I Historic Bachelor Loop
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