This post, 5 Of The Best Mountain Towns In Colorado, was originally published in September 2019 and has been completely updated.
Are you interested in visiting some of the best mountain towns in Colorado, but don’t know where to start?
Well, I’ve got you covered!
I lived in the Rocky Mountains for 4 years and got to explore and visit many of the small towns that happened to be nearby.
These are the ones I’m going to share with you today.
Want to get away?
Have you ever wanted to just get away from it all?
Escape from the busyness of life?
Except there’s one kicker – you don’t have much money.
You can’t just hop on a plane to a deserted island or beach, right?
Then I have 5 of the best mountain towns in Colorado to check out that will give/bring you serenity, breathtaking scenery and a slower pace with a surprising amount of activities to still enjoy.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks! For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
I’m talking about Winter Park, Tabernash, Granby, Grand Lake, and Hot Sulphur Springs.
They are located in the Rocky Mountains about a 2 hour from Denver to Winter Park.
From Winter Park to Hot Sulphur Springs is less than 40 minutes.
And from Winter Park to Grand Lake is less than 50 minutes.
(Sorry the picture’s not the best :()
So no matter which small town you’d like to stay at you won’t be far from the others.
Not only that, but a Rocky Mountain National Park entrance is just on the other side of Grand Lake!
The highest elevation you’ll experience (besides going over the mountains to get to these great towns is around 9,100 ft.
High Elevations
If you’ve never been to high elevations then check out my post on Idaho Springs.
There are some good tips and tricks to be aware of before you go so that you can enjoy your trip and not feel sick!
Best Mountain Towns in Colorado – Accommodations
Let’s first talk about accommodation options in these small towns.
One thing I notice when I lived there, that besides a Best Western and a Holiday Inn, you won’t find any other well-known chains in the area.
There are however many other options from small inns to bigger resorts. From apartments to vacation rentals.
Related Post: How to Pack
Winter Park
- Vintage Hotel – $$
- Winter Park Mountain Lodge – $$
- Best Western Alpenglo Lodge – $$$
- Zephyr Mountain Lodge – $$$
Fraser
- Holiday Inn – $$$
Granby
- The Inn at Silvercreek – $$$
- Snow Mountain Ranch -YMCA – $$
- Base Camp One at Granby Ranch – $$$
- Littletree Inn – $$$
Grand Lake
- Grand Lake Lodge Hotel – $$$
- The Historic Rapids Lodge and Restaurant – $$$
- Gateway Inn – $$$
- Western Riviera Lakeside Lodging – $$$
Hot Sulphur
- Hot Sulphur Springs Resort and Spa – $$$
- Ute Trail Motel – $$
Just in case you noticed, I did not put any lodging in Tabernash and Fraser only has one hotel.
That’s how small these small towns are 🙂
But that’s also what makes them some of the best mountain towns in Colorado!!
Also, to be fair, Winter Park, Fraser, and Tabernash all run into each other while you’re driving.
They are so close together that lodging isn’t far away.
Best Mountain Towns in Colorado – Activities
Now, I’m sure when most people think about Colorado or the mountains they think about skiing so let’s start with visiting these small towns in the winter.
Winter Activites in Colorado Mountain Towns
Colorado mountain towns have so many winter activities available it’s amazing.
Even the little ones in your group can have fun!
- Ski
- Cross country ski
- Snowshoe
- Snowmobile
- Horse-drawn sleigh rides
- Sledding
- Hot tubs
- Hot springs
- Campfires
- Dog sled rides
First, let me mention that ‘winter’ is the longest season in the Winter Park/Granby area.
It starts as early as September/October and can run through May or even into June.
With that being said, ski season doesn’t technically start until November and runs into April, depending on snowfall and weather conditions.
So if you are interested mostly in skiing, then you’ll want to shoot for early or late in the season.
That way you’ll avoid the crowds and have a better chance of getting your preferred accommodations.
Now, just in case you’re more interested in seeing what the shorter summer months might be like, here are just a few activities you could enjoy 🙂
You can always find things to do in the mountains!
Summer Activites in Colorado Mountain Towns
- Hike
- Canoe
- Make s’mores
- Fishing
- Disc golf
- Bike
- Mini golf
- Camping
- Gold mining
- Ziplines
- Rafting
- Alpine slide
- Horseback rides
- Tubing
- Rodeos
- Outdoor concerts
Related Product: Camelback/Water Bottle
Best Mountain Towns in Colorado – Restaurants
Just like the lodging, there are a large variety of food options to choose from.
When you stay somewhere like Snow Mountain Ranch, in one of their lodge rooms or yurts, then you’ll have easy access to their onsite cafeteria.
Booking.comIf you’d rather go to a familiar fast-food chain you’ll only find a few like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Subway.
Otherwise, you have some great choices depending on your preferences.
And you’ll find more than just burgers and fries.
How about some Mexican, Indian, Chinese, or seafood!
Here are a few of my suggestions!
- Hernando’s Pizza Pub – Winter Park
- Durbar – Nepalese & Indian Bistro – Winter Park
- Strip & Tail – Winter Park
- Goodys Mountain Creperie – Winter Park
- Azteca Mexican Restaurant- Fraser
- Sharkey’s Eatery- Fraser
- Restaurant at The Inn at Silvercreek – Granby
- Brickhouse 40 – Granby
- Pearl Dragon Restaurant – Granby
- Maverick’s Grille – Granby
- El Pacifico – Grand lake
- Sagebrush BBQ & Grill – Grand Lake
- Miyauchi’s Snack Bar – Grand Lake
- Sloopy’s Grill – Grand Lake
- Grand Lake Lodge Restaurant – Grand Lake
Just remember, you’ll find some nicer/fancier restaurants at the resorts but remember, it is an outdoorsy area so not the dressiest of places.
Related Post: Travel Accessories
My favorite place to stay
My favorite place to stay in the area is Snow Mountain Ranch (SMR).
If you’ll looking for an awesome, semi-all-inclusive family location then SMR is your spot.
They have lots of lodging options it might be hard to choose.
They have hotel-style rooms, but also cabins, that can hold up to 32 people, yurts, campsites, and RV sites.
Like I mentioned above, the lodge rooms typically include breakfast while the cabins, yurts, campsites, and RV sites do not since they figure you can make your own.
With that said, you can still go to the cafeteria or, of course, eat out if you’re not interested in cooking for yourselves.
And let’s talk about activities.
More than half of the activities listed above can be found at SMR.
What could be better than being able to walk out your front door and have so many things to keep you and our family busy?!
Now, in case you’re looking for something less outdoorsy but still would want something that has lots of options my second favorite spot will fit you.
The Inn at Silvercreek gives you great quick access to all the great small towns I’ve mentioned.
They have single room accommodations along with connected rooms in case you have a larger group/family.
Most, if not all of the rooms have kitchens so that you can make quick meals and save some money if you don’t want to go out.
They have a restaurant, which is the perfect option when you don’t want to cook but you don’t want to get in the car and venture out.
Another nice feature about The Inn at Silvercreek is that they have a workout area that includes hot tubs, a sauna, and an indoor/outdoor pool.
And if that wasn’t all nice enough, they also have a convenience store inside plus a little quiet area/library/play area that’s perfect to just have alone time.