Telluride Deals & Travel Info
Deep in the San Juan Mountains of SW Colorado near the end of a canyon you will find the Telluride Ski Resort. The mountain resort is defined by its two separate mountain villages and the massive amount of legendary terrain that can be found across all the resort’s peaks. While this is most often noted as a top resort for experts, Telluride also has more beginner skiing than most, if not all of the other CO ski resorts. Mountain Village is practically built around the children’s skiing zones, and there is a beginner’s route down the mountain from as high as the top of the Prospect Express lift.
Telluride Ski Resort Highlights
Telluride has both a historic town and modern alpine village. These are joined together by a free gondola that is free for all foot passengers, skiers, and snowboarders. Here are a few of the Telluride highlights for visitors:
- High avg. snowfall totals
- Free gondola
- Top CO resort for experts
- Beautiful scenery all around
Getting to Telluride
Telluride is located in the heart of the San Juan Mountain Range of the Rocky Mountains in SW Colorado. CO Highway 145 is the only paved road in and out of Telluride. There is a small regional airport here for travelers, but it has a very limited number of commercial flights. Lizard Head Pass is located to the south of Telluride on HWY 145.
Telluride, CO FAQ
Yes! Stay in the Mountain Village area. The magic carpet lifts and beginner terrain all center around this village.
The best! Try the hike-to terrain of the Gold Hill Chutes, Palmyra Peak, or the Black Iron Bowl.
Both are in the top 3 Colorado Resorts. Telluride has fewer skiable acres but we consider it to be slightly better for beginners and slightly better for experts. Vail is probably superior for a lot of skiers and riders that are intermediate to lower-experts. The back bowls at Vail are perfect for lower-expert skiers and riders.
Aim for the Heritage Parking Garage in Mountain Village. Parking is free and you can catch the free Intercept Gondola into the center of Mountain Village from here.
Chuck Horning and the Horning family purchased the ski resort in 2004.
Trail Maps
Main Trail Map
Revelation Bowl
Palmyra Peak Area
Full-size trail maps on the official Telluride website here.
Tips for Skiing & Riding at Telluride
Descend the ridgeline on See Forever for beautiful scenery and photo opportunities. This trail is normally groomed and it has a blue circle rating. You’ll be surrounded by black diamonds, but the reef fish are able to swim safely among the sharks here.
Take advantage of free skiing on arrival or departure day. The gondola that goes between downtown Telluride and Mountain Village will give you access to more than 1,500′ of free skiing that you don’t need a lift ticket for. This is perfect if you only want to sneak in a few quick runs.
Experts head to the Gold Hill Lift. There is lots of expert skiing descending from here and you will need this lift to access the Gold Hill Chutes. Some of these chutes can be accessed via traverse from the top of the Gold Hill lift. You can access the hike-to chutes from the top of the Revelation Lift. You can also scope out Palmyra Peak and the Black Iron Bowl from this part of the mountain.
