Looking beyond the tourist towns: Discover 7 mountain towns in Colorado that you may not have considered.
Close your eyes and imagine you’re sipping a warm cup of coffee on a crisp morning, watching the sun rise from a rustic wood cabin in the mountains. Envision a cute downtown lined with vintage Victorian storefronts, handmade candles and soaps inside, towering evergreens, and warm, glowing street lights. Imagine yourself sipping a bubbly glass of champagne in a hot tub while snow lightly falls around you, or sitting by the fire after a day of skiing and planning which pizza joint to try.
Listen to the quiet chatter at the local coffee shop, with windows that open onto snow-capped, rugged peaks. Picture bakeries with homemade cookies. Frozen ponds with ice skaters and hockey players. Sledding hills and year-round holiday stores. Streets that are beautiful in their nostalgia-inducing simplicity.
This is the charm of Colorado’s mountain towns. And with its towering peaks, winding mountain roads, and alpine scenery, Colorado has no shortage of them, each with its own unique character and charm.
You’ve likely already heard of the popular mountain towns like Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Ouray, Breckenridge, and the like. But what about the towns that don’t usually make the travel lists?
Here are seven charming mountain towns in Colorado to consider for your next mountain getaway.
Evergreen
If you like local charm, wildlife spotting, and outdoor fun
Evergreen is a short drive from Denver, about 30 miles west, which makes it an easy spot for a day trip or a quick mountain getaway.
There’s plenty to do around Evergreen year-round; At the center of these activities is Evergreen Lake. A walking path circles around the lake before connecting to downtown. In the summer, you’ll find people paddleboarding and fishing in the lake, and picnicking in the grass outside the Lakehouse. Come winter, Evergreen Lake transforms into an outdoor ice rink and fills with skaters, hockey players, and families. The lake is also the site of the annual Polar Plunge, for those willing to brave a very cold dip. For more winter fun, you can spend a day at the nearby Echo Mountain for affordable skiing and other winter adventuring.
Head downtown where a Western-style wooden boardwalk runs through the heart of town and is lined with local shops, coffee shops, restaurants, and galleries. You’re also bound to see some of Evergreen’s wildlife while you’re exploring. Elk are a common sight around nearby parks and meadows. If you choose to venture away from downtown, there are plenty of trails to explore such as those at Alderfer/Three Sisters Park, Elk Meadow Park, and Bergen Park. Be sure to keep an appropriate distance from the wildlife and never feed them. You can find more about wildlife tips and regulations here.
Nederland
If you like quirky spots, affordable skiing, and local restaurants
Once a mining community in the 1800s and now a laid-back mountain town, Nederland, or “Ned” as the locals call it, is about 17 miles west of Boulder. Hidden in the mountains near the Indian Peaks Wilderness and Eldora Mountain, Nederland is known for its close-knit community, quirky personality, and abundance of outdoor recreation.
One of the best ways to experience Nederland is to wander around town. You’ll find locally owned shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and plenty of colorful and unique surprises along the way (frozen yogurt in a train, anyone?). If you’re looking for somewhere to eat, stop at Crosscut Pizzeria and Taphouse for wood-fired pizza, salads, and local beer and wine. And you can’t visit Nederland without riding the famous Carousel of Happiness, a restored 1910 Looff carousel featuring 56 hand-carved animals that spins to the music of a 1913 Wurlitzer band organ.
Outside of town, Nederland is surrounded by trails and open spaces for hiking, biking, running, fishing, and enjoying the mountain scenery. Barker Reservoir and Mud Lake Open Space have fishing, hiking, and walking trails. The area also provides access to the Indian Peaks Wilderness and West Magnolia trails, which have more challenging hikes.
Come winter, Nederland becomes a winter playground. Head to Eldora Mountain for skiing, snowboarding, or snowshoeing, or stay in town and rent skates at NedRINK, an Olympic-sized outdoor rink considered Colorado’s largest outdoor ice rink.
Manitou Springs
If you’re looking for unique shops, athletic challenges, and mineral springs
Manitou Springs is tucked below the famous Pikes Peak, just outside Colorado Springs. The town has been a popular destination since the 1870s, when it was established as a health resort largely because of its natural mineral springs. Today, you can still follow a self-guided tour through town to find all eight of its public mineral springs.
The springs are a fitting place to unwind after conquering the famous Manitou Incline, a nearly one-mile hike with 2,000 feet of elevation gain. It certainly isn’t easy, but you can go at your own pace, making it a fun challenge whether you’re just beginning your fitness journey or consider yourself an athlete. And if the Incline isn’t enough, there are plenty of other trails to tackle, including Barr Trail, a 26-mile round-trip route from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak.
Take a break from the outdoors and wander through the eclectic downtown, where you’ll find shops, restaurants, art galleries, and the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade. With more than 500 arcade machines and rides spread across several historic buildings, the arcade is a perfectly nostalgic and family-friendly way to spend an afternoon.
During the winter, the town typically gets relatively little snow, so you can still hike, stroll downtown, and explore the springs. If you’re visiting during the holiday season, stop by Miramont Castle, a 14,000-square-foot Victorian-era castle and museum that is beautifully decorated for Christmas.
Silverton
If you’re looking for ultrarunning, the Wild West, and Victorian architecture
If you follow the world of ultrarunning, you probably know the town of Silverton thanks to its epic 100-mile Hardrock 100. If you’re normal and don’t follow ultrarunning, then you may not be familiar with Silverton. No, it is not the same as the frequently confused Silverthorne. However, both towns have roots in Colorado’s mining history.
Situated high in the San Juan Mountains, Silverton is one of a kind. Nearly 90% of the land surrounding the town is public land, and the town sits within 15 miles of seven 14,000-foot peaks, making it a dream basecamp for hikers, runners, climbers, and any mountain enthusiasts. The trails range from the strenuous Ice Lake Basin to the more moderate Highland Mary Lakes and easier Molas Lake Loop, while the surrounding San Juan National Forest offers even more opportunities to explore.
The entire downtown is a National Historic Landmark District, with well-preserved Victorian buildings that hearken back to the town’s mining boom days. History lovers can enjoy the San Juan County Historical Society Mining Heritage Center, explore an actual underground mine at the Old Hundred Gold Mine, or visit the Mayflower Gold Mill, a preserved 1929 mill that processed gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper.
During the summer (May through October), hop aboard the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (you will have to catch it in Durango) as it winds along the Animas River through the San Juans. You also won’t want to miss stopping at the Rocky Mountain Funnel Cake Factory for a unique and delicious funnel cake.
When the snow arrives, Silverton Mountain is known for its advanced and expert ski terrain, with no groomed runs and plenty of hiking required to reach its steep bowls and chutes. For beginners and families, Kendall Mountain Ski Area offers a much more relaxed and affordable day on the slopes, along with sledding and tubing.
Chaffee County (Buena Vista, Salida, Poncha Springs)
If you’re looking for river hangs, hot springs, and local art
Buena Vista, meaning “beautiful view” in Spanish, is the quintessential Colorado mountain town. Situated between the Collegiate Peaks and the Arkansas River, it’s an ideal spot to explore the surrounding mountains, river, and hot springs. Just down the road are two neighboring mountain towns, Salida and Poncha Springs, each with their own distinct personality.
Salida is the largest of the three and the seat of Chaffee County. Its historic downtown is home to more than 100 turn-of-the-century buildings dating back to 1880. It’s also Colorado’s first Certified Creative District, with dozens of artist-owned studios, galleries, restaurants, unique shops, breweries, and distilleries.
The Victoria Tavern, or “The Vic,” is a must-visit dive bar with handcrafted cocktails and live music. During the warmer months, water activities, especially river surfing, are popular in both Buena Vista and Salida. The most popular spot for river surfing is The Scout Surf Wave at Salida Whitewater Park. There’s also plenty of other water adventures happening at Buena Vista River Park and all along the Arkansas River.
The smallest of these three towns, Poncha Springs, also known as the “Crossroads of the Rockies,” is at the junction of U.S. 285 and U.S. 50. Though small, it is a hub for mighty mountain adventures in the surrounding mountains and Monarch Pass; one of its most popular adventures is the Crest Trail.
After all the adventuring, the area’s hot springs are the perfect place to soak your muscles after a day outside. You’ll find Cottonwood Hot Springs and Mount Princeton Hot Springs near Buena Vista, as well as the Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center in town.
In the wintertime, Monarch Mountain is about 20 minutes from Salida and offers 800 acres of skiing and snowboarding, with terrain for beginners through experts. There is also plenty of snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling throughout Chaffee County.
Creede
If you’re looking for a small town, mining history, and cliffs
Everything about Creede is epic. It’s located in a former volcanic caldera (a bowl-shaped depression formed after a volcano erupts), and it’s surrounded by towering cliffs that have essentially kept the town from physically growing, preserving it as a small town. The town itself feels like stepping back in time, with historic storefronts dating back to the 1890s lining Main Street.
You can go even further back in history at the Creede Underground Mining Museum, which is actually built into the rock of the mountain, or the Creede Historical Museum, housed in an old railroad depot and filled with artifacts from Creede’s mining and Wild West history. Like all Colorado towns, there’s plenty of hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rafting, and other ways to explore the San Juan Mountains. One of the most popular hikes is the Up-and-Over Trail, which takes you up above downtown for a panoramic view of Creede.
When winter arrives, trade your hiking shoes for snowshoes or cross-country skis. Creede has miles of groomed and ungroomed Nordic trails, along with ice skating, hockey, snowmobiling, and ice fishing. And if you have a sweet tooth, you can time your visit for the annual Creede Chocolate Festival, held the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Perhaps what’s most unexpected and unique about Creede, though, is its live theater. The Creede Repertory Theatre is a professional theater company that brings a full season of big city productions to the tiny mountain town.
If you want to see more of the surrounding area, Creede has several scenic drives, including the Silver Thread Scenic and Historic Byway and the Bachelor Loop, a 17-mile route that takes you past old mining sites, abandoned town sites, and spectacular mountain scenery.
Ridgway
If you’re looking for John Wayne, artists, and hot springs
Just like a Wild West gunfight, we’re finishing the list with a bang: Ridgway, Colorado. On the way to Ouray and Telluride, you’ll discover this small mountain town tucked into the San Juan Mountains. Ridgway was founded as a railroad town in 1891, but its most famous claim to fame came nearly 80 years later, when the town was transformed into 1880s Fort Smith for the filming of the original “True Grit.” If you’re a John Wayne fan, you can still see pieces of the movie throughout town. Stop by the True Grit Cafe or take a True Grit walking tour to see some of the original filming locations.
If you’re not particularly interested in Westerns, there’s plenty more to keep you busy. Spend the day soaking at Orvis Hot Springs or stay at Chipeta Solar Springs Resort, where you can soak in solar-heated pools. Ridgway State Park is another popular spot, with a 1,000-acre reservoir for boating, fishing, swimming, and paddling, along with hiking and biking trails.
Back in town, Ridgway FUSE, one of Colorado’s Certified Creative Districts, is home to galleries, artist studios, and the historic Sherbino Theater. In the winter, popular activities range from backcountry skiing to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and fat biking (bicycles with oversized tires that allow you to explore snow-covered trails and icy landscapes).
When the sun goes down, look up. Ridgway is an International Dark Sky Community, meaning the town has made an effort to protect its unusually dark night skies from light pollution. The result is endless stars stretching across the San Juan sky.
