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Insider's Luxury Guide to Telluride: The Layout

Telluride sits in the southwest corner of Colorado, where the geology gods did some of their best work. Fourteen-thousand-foot peaks melt into red-rock mesas as countless stands of pine and aspen watch in awestruck silence. Though Telluride has gone from booming mining village to virtual ghost town to bustling ski resort, the 13 city blocks of brick hotels and clapboard storefronts look much like they did in the 1880s. It’s a National Historic District, so all construction must adhere to the Victorian town’s “Wild West” image and code. After all, Butch Cassidy robbed his first bank in Telluride.

In 1972 a Beverly Hills entrepreneur named Joe Zoline opened a couple of lifts and welcomed a nonstop parade of die-hard skiers from around the world. Even the most jaded experts still tingle at the classic Telluride experience — staring through your ski tips at mogul-studded pistes, glimpsing the town thousands of feet below.

Getting to Telluride isn’t easy. No Colorado resort sits farther from Denver’s international airport; in fact, Telluride is closer to Albuquerque.

Driving

A two-lane blacktop road winds up into town, 8,750 feet above sea level. The scenery along the drive is astounding, as is the length of the fence surrounding Ralph Lauren’s ranch, which follows the road for what seems like miles.

Flying

Telluride Regional Airport isn’t just convenient (seven minutes from Telluride and Mountain Village), it’s also astonishing, sitting on a mesa at 9,078 feet, making it one of the highest airports in North America. Fly your own GV there and park it, or take advantage of one of several luxury charter services (FlightOne, 970/728-0545; Falcon Flight Charter, 970/728-3959; MayaAir, 866/629-2247). If you’re flying commercial, you can also try Montrose Regional Airport, which has more flights and is only 65 miles away.

Getting Around

Park the car and leave it parked. The free gondola connects old Telluride with the newer, more luxurious base town of Mountain Village on the other side of Coonskin Ridge in a mere 12 minutes. The Galloping Goose, Telluride’s free shuttle bus, runs from 6 a.m. to midnight. And, at only eight by 12 blocks, Telluride’s compact size makes walking a viable alternative.