Aspen is $900/night and Telluride is booked in January. Colorado’s mountain town experience doesn’t require either. The state has a second and third tier of small towns — former mining communities, railroad stops, agricultural valleys — that have preserved their character precisely because the ski industry didn’t fully consume them. These are the places worth driving past the famous resorts to reach.
Ouray: The Switzerland of America
Ouray sits in a box canyon in the San Juan Mountains and earns the nickname. The town of 1,000 people is surrounded on three sides by 13,000-foot peaks, has a historic downtown of Victorian brick buildings, and natural hot springs that fill a public pool in the center of town. In winter, the Ouray Ice Park (a natural amphitheater fed by irrigation water to create ice climbing routes) draws climbers from across the country. In summer, the jeep roads above town lead to some of the most dramatic high-altitude scenery in Colorado.
Accommodation is 40–60% cheaper than Telluride, which sits 45 minutes away over a mountain pass.
Million Dollar Highway: The drive from Ouray south to Silverton on US-550 is one of the most spectacular highway drives in North America — no guardrails, sheer drop-offs, 11,000-foot passes. Drive it in both directions at different times of day.
Silverton: Mining Town Preserved
At 9,300 feet, Silverton is one of the highest towns in Colorado. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (a 45-mile steam train route through the Animas River canyon) is the main draw, but the town itself — almost entirely on the National Register of Historic Places — is worth the visit independently. Population 700. One main street. Several good restaurants that punch above the town’s size. Genuinely quiet after the afternoon train leaves.
Crested Butte: The Anti-Aspen
Crested Butte is technically a ski town, but it’s historically been the place that people go when they’ve given up on Aspen. The ski mountain is excellent and underrated. The town is a genuine community — artists, cyclists, mountaineers — with a local character that resists homogenization. The wildflower season in July is the best in the state; the mountain meadows above the town turn into a carpet of color that photographers travel specifically to shoot.
Ridgway: The Base Worth Having
Ridgway sits at the north end of the San Juan Skyway, between Ouray and Telluride. Small enough to retain a working-town character, large enough to have good food options and accommodation. The Sneffels Range visible from town has been photographed more times than the residents can count. It’s a better base than either Ouray or Telluride if you want to explore the full San Juan region without paying resort prices.
Europe on Film — Photography & Travel Guide
A photography and travel guide to 12 European destinations — shooting locations, timing, logistics, and the lesser-known spots that don't make the highlights reel.
Get the Ebook — €18 →
