Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Car -- Telluride is located on Colo. 145. From Cortez, follow Colo. 145 northeast for 73 miles. From the north (Montrose), turn west off U.S. 550 at Ridgway, onto Colo. 62. Proceed 25 miles to Placerville, and turn left (southeast) onto Colo. 145. Thirteen miles ahead is a junction -- a right turn will take you to Cortez, but for Telluride, continue straight ahead 4 miles to the end of a box canyon. From Durango, in summer take U.S. 550 north to Colo. 62, and follow the directions above; in winter it's best to take the route through Cortez and avoid Red Mountain Pass above Silverton.

By Plane -- Telluride regional Airport (tel. 970/728-5313), 5 miles west of Telluride atop a plateau at 9,078 feet, is served year-round by Great Lakes Airline (tel. 800/554-5111) from Denver and America West (tel. 800/235-9292) from Phoenix. During ski season, flights from various cities are available from American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300), Continental Airlines (tel. 800/525-0280), and United Airlines (tel. 800/241-6522).

Visitor Information

Contact Telluride & Mountain Village Convention & Visitors Bureau, 630 W. Colorado Ave. (P.O. Box 1009), Telluride, CO 81435 (tel. 888/605-2578; www.visittelluride.com). The Telluride Visitor Information Center, open daily from 9am to 6pm, can be found at the corner of West Colorado Avenue and Davis Street, on the west side of town.

Getting Around

The city is located on the San Miguel River, where it flows out of a box canyon formed by the 14,000-foot peaks of the San Juan Mountains. Colo. 145 enters town from the west and becomes Colorado Avenue, the main street.

With restaurants, shops, and attractions within easy walking distance of most lodging facilities, many visitors leave their cars parked and use their feet. However, if you do want to ride there's a free town shuttle in winter and summer. Telluride Mountain Village, at 9,500 feet, can be reached in winter and summer by a free gondola, operating daily from 7am to midnight. Motorists can take Mountain Village Boulevard off Colo. 145, a mile south of the Telluride junction.

Budget (tel. 800/527-0700 or 970/728-4642) and National (tel. 800/227-7368 or 970/728-9380) provide car rentals, including vans and four-wheel-drive vehicles, at the airport, and Dollar (tel. 800/800-4000 or 970/369-0020) has an outlet in Telluride.

Fast Facts

The hospital, Telluride Medical Center, with a 24-hour emergency room, is at 500 W. Pacific Ave. (tel. 970/728-3848). The post office is at 150 S. Willow St.; call the U.S. Postal Service (tel. 800/275-8777; www.usps.com) for hours and other information. For road conditions, call tel. 877/315-7623.

Special Events

Telluride Wine Festival, late June; Chamber Music Festival, mid-August; Culinary and Art Festival, late August; Imogene Pass Run, early September; Oktoberfest, early October.