The best places to unplug in Colorado
Most people picture Colorado as ski resorts. Those are fine, but they're busy and expensive, and they're not really why we'd go. The better trips are in the small mountain towns, the hot springs and the valleys at the end of a long dirt road.
Every place here is rated highly by guests and sits close to trails, water or a hot soak. These are the ones we'd send a friend to, sorted by the part of the state they're in.
The San Juans: Ouray and Silverton
The San Juan Mountains in the southwest corner of the state are steep, rough and a long way from Denver. Ouray is a small old mining town at the bottom of a box canyon, with hot springs right in town. Silverton is higher up and even smaller, over Red Mountain Pass on the Million Dollar Highway.
Telluride is over the range to the southwest, and past it Highway 145 runs down the Dolores River through Rico.
It's about as far from the Front Range as you can get and still be in the mountains. That's a good thing.
A bed and breakfast a few blocks from the Ouray Hot Springs Pool. Full breakfast, a spa tub, a garden and a library with a fireplace in the lobby. No kids 11 and under, so it stays quiet.
The Upper Arkansas Valley: Buena Vista and Salida
A wide valley in the middle of the state with the Arkansas River running down it and a row of fourteeners on the west side. There are more hot springs here than almost anywhere in Colorado, plus rafting, trails and two easygoing towns.
It's a lot closer to Denver than the San Juans, and it feels a lot less like a resort than Summit County.
BuffaloPeaks Lodge
★ 4.75Buena Vista, CO
Hot tubHiking trailsHorseback riding
From $180/night · Nov 13–15A small lodge in Buena Vista with mountain views, an outdoor fireplace and a hot tub. Breakfast is hot, and there's a coffee shop on site. Some rooms have a terrace.
Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park
Estes Park is the town at the east entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. The town itself gets crowded in summer, but the inns and cabins up along the rivers on the edge of town are a lot quieter. Elk walk right through town, especially in the fall.
It's roughly an hour and a half from Denver. In the busy months the park has often required a timed-entry reservation, so check before you go.
Estes Park, CO
Hot tubHiking trailsNear wilderness
From $278/night · Nov 13–15An adults-only inn right on Fall River, a short drive from the park entrance. There's a shared hot tub by the water, and a few rooms have their own outdoor hot tub. You can fish from the property.
At the end of the road
Some of the quietest places in Colorado are up valleys most people drive past. A few we like: the Fryingpan River above Basalt, the country north of Steamboat around Clark, and the valleys outside Crested Butte.
Cabins, chalets and lodge rooms up the Fryingpan River road past Basalt. There's a sauna, yoga, an outdoor fireplace and a shared kitchen. In winter they suggest all-wheel or four-wheel drive to get there.
Before you go
- Take the altitude seriously. Most of these towns sit between about 7,500 and 9,500 feet. Drink a lot of water and go easy the first day.
- Mountain passes can close or get sketchy in winter. Check road conditions before you drive, and bring a car that handles snow.
- Summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms up high. Start hikes early and be below treeline by early afternoon.
- Cell service drops out in a lot of the backcountry. Download your maps before you leave.
All our stays in Colorado
Arrowhead Mountain Lodge
★ 4.55Cimarron, CO
Hiking trailsHorseback ridingFishing
From $161/night · Nov 6–8
Estes Park, CO
Hot tubHiking trailsFishing
From $626/night · Nov 6–8First look
New places we find and the odd guide to somewhere quiet. A few emails a year, that's it.