Top Best Mountain Towns in Colorado: A Complete Guide
Colorado is one of my favorite states in America. I lived there for 3 ish years of my life and truly fell in love. It is getting quite expensive to live there now and my life has brought me to other places in the United States but if this wasn’t the case, I would move back in a heartbeat. It is the perfect place to visit if you like the outdoors, adventure, good food, and good vibes. I have outlined some of the best Mountain towns in Colorado and even added some of my favorites. Depending on where you are going in Colorado there are many airports to choose from. A lot of major airlines fly into Denver International Airport. Some airlines, like American Airlines, fly into Aspen and Vail airports. If you are going very south like Telluride or Durango, there are regional airports closer to there as well. Either way, renting a car will be super helpful for getting to and from the airport.
Fort Collins
Well, I might be biased because I went to college here but I truly think it’s one of Colorado’s cutest towns. They have everything you need, hiking, a reservoir to do lake activities, amazing food places, and fun nightlife. I enjoyed this city because there was always something to do either outside with beautiful views or inside keeping your bellies full. Fort Collins is about an hour or so north of Denver and about 1 hour and 20 minutes from the Denver International Airport. If you plan on visiting Fort Collins I would suggest renting a car to get you from the airport to some of your activities, and back. The Uber from the airport can get pricey.
Best time to visit: SUMMER
Some of My Favorite Things to Do
- Hike Horsetooth Reservoir
- Explore Colorado State Campus
- Rent a paddle board on Horsetooth
- Hangout at New Belgium Brewery or Odell Brewery
- Eat at Pickle Barrel for the best sandwiches
- Silver Grill for breakfast: get the cinnamon toast (it’s a cinnamon roll that they cut and make a slice of bread out of)
- The Waffle Lab for the best waffles/waffle sandwiches
- Blue Agave for a Classy Mexican meal
- Cafe Mexicalli for the best smothered burritos - highly suggest the sweet pork smothered burrito with the white sauce
- RARE Italian
- GO to Bondi Beach bar, Rec room, or Yeti if you are looking fo a Wild (college) night
- Go to Lucky Joe's and get yourself a car bomb!
- Sweet Lounge Rooftop Bar or Social for a classy night out
Paddle-boarding Horsetooth
New Belgium Brewery
Boulder
Boulder is a huge runner-up for the best and cutest little town in Colorado. Our school always had a rivalry with the school located in Boulder so I shouldn’t love it as much as I do, but I do. You will find a cute town like Fort Collins but placed right at the foothills of the Flatirons, and they are gorgeous. Boulder is a lot closer to skiing and is only 45 minutes from the Denver airport or the Denver city. I would highly suggest making at least a stop here on your road trip down to Vail or Breckenridge.
Best time to visit: SUMMER
Some of My Favorite Things to Do
- Hike the Flatirons or you can drive to the scenic outlook
- Tune up: a place to rent bikes, get coffee, drink on tap, and they have weekly events
- Go to Pearl Street for shopping
- Twenty Ninth Street for more shopping
- Wonder Wonder: immersive digital art experience
- Ku Cha House of Tea: best tea house
- The Buff for amaze breakfast
- The kitchen for an American Bistro cuisine
- Zoo Ma Ma for Chinese
- Audrey Janes Pizza Garage - for well you know, pizzas
- Rosetta Hall for all sorts of flavors!
- Bohemian Biergarten for some nightlife
- No Name Bar for super chill live blues
- The Bitter Bar - great for a date night!
Pearl Street
Ku Cha House of Tea
Steamboat Springs
This mountain town is successively located in the heart of the Rockies. It is about a 3-and-a-half-hour drive from Denver International Airport. I know you’re probably already thinking about it but, you are going to want to rent a car for this one. Although there is incredible skiing here, I loved the summer vibes that I got from visiting. And guess what! Steamboat Springs was intended to be a summer town before it became a ski resort. Although, I know a lot of people who love to ski here.
Best time to visit: SUMMER
Some of My Favorite Things to Do
- Go to Yampa River Botanic Park
- Old Town Hot Springs for an amaze water park
- Hike the trails at Emerald Mountain
- Outlaw Mountain Coaster for a fun ride down the mountain
- Ski Steamboat Resort in the Winter
- Wagon Dinner rides
- Hot Air Balloon tour
- Steamboat Hot springs
- Winonas Restaurant for the best breakfast
- Creekside Cafe: breakfast & lunch spot
- Laundry: for the chicest food choices
- Salt and Lime for trendy Mexican
- Aurums Food and Wine: for dining and a good time
- The Barley Tap and Tavern for fun brewery night
- Schmiggitys life music and dance bar
- Steamboat Whisky Company
Breckinridge
This cute mountain town is located at the base of the Rocky Mountains’ Tenmile Range. It is honestly my favorite place to ski in Colorado! Well at least my favorite so far, I still have a lot more to try. I like skiing here because the mountain is wide, has a lot of trails, and isn’t as expensive as some of the other mountains aka Vail. The Breckinridge historical district runs along Main Street and consists of many colorful buildings full of restaurants & shopping. It’s about a 2-hour drive from the Denver International Airport. You know the drill, rent a car.
Best time to visit: WINTER or SUMMER
Some of My Favorite Things to Do
- Ski Breckinridge Ski Resort
- Go dog sledding or snowmobiling
- Hiking in the summer
- Ghost and history tours in the summer
- Carboy Winery
- Blue Moose Restaurant for breakfast
- Bold Restaurant and Bar for Mediterranean
- Hearthstone Restaurant for a classy bite to eat
- Blue River Bistro
- Giampietro Pasta & Pizzeria
- My personal favorite of them all: Crepes A La Cart aka the best crepe stand ever and you can choose either sweet or savory
- Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant and Cantina
- Breckinridge brewery for yummy beers on tap
- Breckinridge distillery
- Après Handcrafted Libations
Aspen
Aspen is a crowd favorite. It is outdoorsy, fun, and has just the right hint of boujee. It’s a playground for the richer status but if that’s not you, you will still have an incredible time. The downtown area of Aspen is a charming little community that shows off shopping during the day but knows how to party at night. I have yet to ski here but I’ve heard it’s incredible. I enjoy visiting Aspen during the winter because it feels like a true winter wonderland. Of course, summer is a good time to visit but another amazing time is during fall. The changing of the leaves here brings about a yellow tint that brightens up your adventures.
Best time to visit: FALL or WINTER
Some of My Favorite Things to Do
- Hike Maroon Bells
- Ski Snowmass Aspen
- Glenwood Springs for the coolest natural hot springs
- Go to Aspen for the X games
- Wheeler Opera House
- Mawa Mcqueens for a clean and healthy breakfast
- Francescas Pasta Market and Empanadas
- Village Tasting Room
- Matsuhisha for Japanese
- Meat & Cheese for some amaze charcuterie
- Bosq for the most creative meals ever
- Nightlife: Escobar, Bootsy Bellows, 7908, Caribou Club
Aspen for the X Games
There are some other favorite mountain towns that people love: Telluride and Crested Butte. I have yet to go to either of these fabulous places but they are on my list. Check out my bucket list experiences for these towns below.
Pingback: The 5 Best Neighborhoods in Denver for Eating, Drinking, and Good Vibes - TravelinGoodies