SUMMER IN TELLURIDE
T
he Colorado sun glints off the distinctive alpine rooftops and glazes the Sunset Plaza grass the color of amber. It’s dusk in Mountain Village, and Heritage Plaza is full of people sipping Telluride Brewing Company’s Russell Kelly Pale Ales and cocktails mixed with Telluride Distilling Company spirits — both have tasting rooms nearby. Soon, the main courses will arrive and the sun will set, but for the moment, time seems to stand still — golden hour in Telluride’s high-alpine twin. Mountain bikers descend to the base of the Telluride Ski Resort Bike Park before spraying a day’s worth of dirt from their bikes at the cleaning station at the bottom of Lift 4. Rubber disks float and fall on the free Double Cabins Disk Golf Course. Kids and parents alike toss sandbags outside of the Madeline Hotel & Residences. A fly angler casts an elk-hair caddis from the wooden dock at Elk Lake, hoping one last rainbow trout trip sips her fly from the surface before it’s too dark to see. With its wealth of summer activities, Mountain Village is the ideal summer basecamp, and if you haven’t spent time there during the summer, you’re missing out.
The ski resort now has a lift-served downhill next to the Peaks and operated by the Telluride bike park that is currently comprised of 15 trails Golf Club are tennis, pickle ball and paddle and 17 miles of varied terrain. courts. And, not only is Elk Lake a great fishing Of course, these new activities coexist with spot, but water sports enthusiasts can also enjoy tried and true pastimes. the lake from a kayak The disk golf course, or stand up paddlecreated in 2005, is a free board. MOUNTAIN VILLAGE IS THE ski-run-turned-disk-golf The bustling Market IDEAL SUMMER BASECAMP, paradise. Don’t have a on the Plaza is a weekAND IF YOU HAVEN’T SPENT disk? Bootdoctors rents ly farmer’s market held and sells them. Prefer in Heritage Plaza every TIME THERE DURING THE using a golf club? The SUMMER, YOU’RE MISSING OUT. Wednesday through6,739-yard, 18-hole out the summer and Telluride Golf Course offers shoppers bounsits at roughly 9,500 feet above sea level, enabling ties of fresh produce, sustainably raised meat, and golfers to make longer drives because of the original artisan creations. Meanwhile, most days, altitude. Miles of hiking trails crisscross the base free outdoor live music is available on the plazas of the mountain, from the village center to the San that dot the Village Center. Sophia Station and beyond. Mountain Village may be a winter wonderland Adventure Rock is a free bouldering area, at the moment, but come summertime, it also next to the Telluride Conference Center. It’s a makes for the perfect basecamp. perfect spot for beginners to try out climbing in a As of press time, the activities mentioned in this controlled environment, as well as for advanced article were scheduled to operate during summer climbers to test their mettle on the rock’s more 2021, but this is, of course, subject to change. Visit difficult bouldering problems. Nearby, in Heritellurideskiresort.com and townofmountainvillage. tage Plaza is the famed bungee trampoline, while com/events for the latest information.
BASECAMP MOUNTAIN VILLAGE
Telluride’s high-alpine twin offers lots of summertime fun BY SAGE MARSHALL
Tony Demin telluride.com | 855.421.4360
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