Discover Telluride

MOUNTAINS AS MEDICINE

Welcome to Mountain Village and Telluride and to our little corner of the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. To be honest, I have never been more grateful for these mountains. Since March 2020, they have provided us with wide-open spaces, fresh air and beauty when we needed them most. They have served at times as personal trainer, muse and therapist and given us solace and harmony in some pretty challenging times.

After this past year and more, it’s impossible not to embrace these mountains as medicine, with the power to help keep us sound in body, mind and spirit. It’s a theme reflected, I think, in this summer’s issue of the Official Guide to Telluride and Mountain Village.

Our cover story, for example, looks at Telluride’s over 70s, an extraordinarily active bunch whose fountain of youth is clearly this area’s wondrous backyard. Reading of their exploits as hikers, runners, bikers and more both exhausted and inspired me.

I enjoyed too the history feature. It examines a Telluride Historical Museum program, Hike into History, that engagingly details our colorful and fascinating history during hikes into the backcountry. And there’s an article on Telluride Academy. This beloved summer camp has spent the last 40-plus years getting kids outdoors, exploring, learning and having fun. What more can I say? Mountains as medicine.

I sat down to put these thoughts on paper in mid-spring and to me it seemed then as though Mother Nature and current events were in a period of synchronicity. Our natural surroundings, much like we as a society, were in a state of hushed expectancy; snows were retreating, trees budding, the days growing warmer and the sun higher with each passing day, but still with the possibility of chilly nights and springtime snow.

Let’s just say that hope was in the air, but we hadn’t put away the snow shovels, or the masks, quite yet.

Now, with summer underway, I encourage visitors, part-timers and locals alike to respect the existing public health guidelines. They are sure to evolve over the summer months and are designed to keep our close-knit community safe and healthy.

Protecting our community brings me to another thread woven throughout this issue: protecting our natural environment. It has provided us with so much, especially of late, and perhaps now it’s time for us to return the favor by giving it a bit of breather. We can do this by observing good trails etiquette, following Leave No Trace priniciples and by participating in local initiatives such as Live Like a Local, Tag Responsibly and Opt-In for Trails, all of which are detailed on these pages.

These mountains sure have given us an awful lot of love. This summer, let’s make sure we love them back.

EXPLORE THE VISITORS CENTER

Want to make your Telluride experience an unforgettable one? Try the welcoming, informative Visitors Center. Located beside Elks Park and just across Colorado Avenue from the historic New Sheridan Hotel, this interactive space and its knowledgeable, friendly staff are ready to steer you toward a summer adventure, memorable meal or the perfect boutique.