10 Best Colorado Towns for a Summer Vacation, According to a Local

Ticking off a list of things you "must do" in any one place is so passé. Today, travel is all about feeling better — feeling better about yourself, the planet, and everyone on it — and one of the best places to do this is in my home state of Colorado.

When my friends are planning summer vacations in Colorado, these are the charming small towns I recommend they visit. Connect three or four of these fantastic stops and spend a week kicking around the Centennial State, or hit every single one and never leave. Trust me when I tell you that a visit to Colorado in the summer can turn into a lifetime of adventure. It happened to me.

Snowmass Village

My beloved first home in Colorado, Snowmass Village is a stunning hamlet in the Elk Mountains. While it has the feel of a wilderness retreat, the town is only nine miles from nearby Aspen, where you can access just about anything, from Italian designer boutiques to high-end Japanese restaurants. But to be honest, Snowmass Village stands firmly in its own identity. It's home to gorgeous peaks, great restaurants, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, the family-oriented Base Village, live music, festivals, and some of the most spectacular backcountry trails in the world. Don't miss the free guided hikes with naturalists from Aspen Center for Environmental Studies through the fields of wildflowers.

Palisade

Palisade is a small town in western Colorado where rich agricultural history meets the energy of an emerging destination. Once mainly known for its surrounding small vineyards and farms, Palisade is now home to several boutiques, bakeries, and restaurants including Pêche, a farm-to-table eatery helmed by one of Colorado's best chefs, Matthew Chasseur (formerly of Alinea in Chicago). On top of that, it's an emerging mountain biking destination. The Palisade Plunge, one of the longest singletrack downhill mountain bike trails in the U.S., starts at the top of Colorado's Grand Mesa and descends into the town. The Plunge opened in 2021 after a decade of planning, construction, and multimillion-dollar investment.

Telluride

Telluride may already be well known among Coloradophiles, and at the height of the summer season it can be crowded, but if you time it right (early or late summer) you'll quickly discover what makes this community one of the best in the state. Telluride has a Western mining town vibe with a little leftover hippie tossed in. Its box canyon and Bridal Veil Falls are both beautiful and humbling, its historic downtown is full of locally owned shops instead of chain stores, and its summer music festival scene cannot be duplicated. There's nothing like floating down the San Miguel River in an inner tube on a hot summer afternoon or setting up a chair for a bluegrass concert in Town Park.

Dinosaur

This remote community of ranchers in northwestern Colorado gets its name from the nearby Dinosaur National Monument, a 210,000-acre natural preserve on the border between Utah and Colorado. One of the town's greatest assets is its proximity to the park, where you'll find dinosaur fossils, rock art, and a network of hiking and biking trails all within a 30-minute drive. The Utah side of the park has all the dinosaur bones (most of them are located at the Quarry Exhibit Hall in Jensen, Utah) but the Colorado side offers impressive canyon and river views. After breakfast on Brontosaurus Boulevard (Dinosaur's main road), head two miles east to the Canyon Visitor Center, where most of the hiking trails start. Other draws in the area include whitewater rafting, stargazing within the International Dark Sky Park, and taking a scenic drive along Harpers Corner Road, which boasts views of the Green and Yampa rivers.

Grand Lake

The beautiful town of Grand Lake offers a laid-back vibe, fantastic outdoor activities, and access to the western entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. If you're looking for a guide to the park's 415 square miles, try Kaiyote Snow, a naturalist, wildlife photographer, artist, and former instructor for the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. She and her company Kaiyote Tours lead visitors on hiking and overnight backpacking trips in the summer to learn about birding and wildlife in the park.

Denver

Chances are, if you are flying to Colorado, you'll touch down at Denver International Airport, so why not check out our capital city? There is certainly no shortage of great hotels offering world-class amenities. Over the last few decades, Denver has grown immensely, attracting young people from all over the world to its vibrant culture and "work hard, play hard" ethos. Yes, it has easy access to the mountains and nearby Red Rocks, but Denver also has deep roots in the arts. The Denver Art Museum has been a cultural hub since the 1970s, while contemporary immersive art experiences like Meow Wolf's Convergence Station invite visitors to explore installations, rooms, and portals by local creatives.

Buena Vista

Now here's one of those towns that not everyone visiting Colorado may know, but will easily fall in love with when they arrive. The name of this town in Central Colorado says it all (come on, it's basic Spanish, folks). Buena Vista is known for its beautiful mountain views, camping, fly-fishing, and excellent rafting, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding opportunities on the Arkansas River. Those looking for an adrenaline rush can also explore a network of off-road trails and passes in a 4X4. After all the adventure, soak in one of Colorado's best hot springs at the nearby Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort.

Mancos

Connect with Colorado's ancient heritage in Mancos, located adjacent to Mesa Verde National Park, which became an International Dark Sky Park in 2021. For a small town of less than 1,500 people, it has a surprisingly vibrant community full of fantastic coffee shops, breweries, boutiques, and restaurants. Beyond the national park, join Native American guides for tours of Ute Mountain Tribal Park. Together you'll discover Ancestral Puebloan ruins, cliff dwellings, and pottery, and learn about the communities of this unique area.

Fort Collins

Home to Colorado State University, Fort Collins is an eclectic and welcoming conglomerate of college kids, ranchers, tech entrepreneurs, and families in one vibrant community. The town is connected by more than 285 miles of bike trails and lanes, and its historic downtown was the inspiration for Disneyland's Main Street U.S.A. Fort Collins is also close to the Colorado Shoe School, where you can design and create your own custom shoes from repurposed leather destined for the landfill and recycled sole material from discarded tennis balls and balloons.

Leadville

Leadville stakes its claim as North America's highest incorporated city at slightly more than 10,000 feet above sea level. While many of its historic buildings have undergone renovations, it hasn't lost its scrappy, hard-fought spirit that made it one of the silver mining boomtowns of the 19th century. With access to a number of 14,000-foot peaks, hikers in Leadville can also hop on both the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail from town. After a day outdoors, head to Two Mile Brewing, one of Leadville's most popular brewpubs, which serves craft beers like Leadville Lager and Camp Hale Pale Ale.