When John Denver sings “Rocky Mountain High” you just want to hop on a plane and explore the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. We are going to show you the best things to do and places to eat on the high roads of Colorado. Durango, Silverton, Ouray, and Montrose have so much to offer for any type of adventurer.
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Durango, Colorado
You will be able to start your journey right in Durango, Colorado! We flew nonstop from Phoenix to Durango on American Airlines. Two airlines serve Durango-La Plata County Airport: American Airlines flies nonstop to Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth, with seasonal service to Los Angeles and United Airlines flies nonstop to Denver.
Central Durango is about 15 miles away from Durango-La Plata County Airport. Central Durango offers delicious restaurants and lots of activities for explorers. Whether hiking, zip-lining, or watersports are your thing or if lounging around town, shopping in the lovely boutique shops is more up your alley, Durango has it all!
To cure your hungry stomach make your way to Fired Up Pizzeria where you will find delicious brick oven pizza. The staff is friendly and the prices are very reasonable! This restaurant is centrally located to a lot of shops in Durango.
You can try some of our favorites such as the Fired Up Pizza which includes fennel sausage, mushroom, roasted red bell pepper. Also one of Jonah’s favorites is the Bacon Green Chile Pizza with toppings like bacon, roasted green chiles, onion and smoked mozzarella. Just as a warning, this pizza is a little spicy! Make sure to ask for some Colorado Drafts to have with your meal!
If you are looking to stay in a historic hotel, look no further than the Strater Hotel. Built in 1887, it is one of the most iconic hotels in the West. We just caught a glimpse of the hotel and did not have a chance to stay here…maybe next time! The room rates range from $134 to $232, depending on how luxurious of a room you are wanting. This hotel also has daily live music/entertainment and hosts shows and concerts throughout the year.
All aboard!! The train, that is. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is one way to get from Durango to Silverton. It is a very neat experience but kind of expensive, which is why we did not end up doing it for this trip. Prices range from $70-$219, depending on what type of cabin you are looking to get. This coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive will take you on the same path that many miners, and employers of the West took so long ago. It operates out of the same train depot, built back in 1882.
Silverton, Colorado
If you are opting to drive to Silverton, you will get there in about an hour, headed North. This National Historic Landmark is a must see if you love the outdoors! If you are visiting in the summer you can go ATVing, camping, hiking, rafting, etc and if you are going in the winter you can go skiing, sledding, ice fishing, etc.
There are many little quirks about this teeny town that are fascinating and we walked around for hours. Freenotes Harmony Park is a neat park with outdoor musical instruments that is fun for any age!
We walked around town, popping in and out of shops and we were getting a little hungry for a snack so we stopped into Rocky Mountain Funnel Cakes.
They are very reasonably priced at $7.25 and absolutely delicious!! We got the Peanut Butter Cup and Strawberry Cheesecake funnel cakes.
After this tasty treat, we decided to walk it off and explore more of Silverton! We saw the old jail house along the way as well as the City Hall.
If you are looking for a beautiful, possibly interesting hotel stay, look no further than the Grand Imperial Hotel. This hotel was built in 1883 and was know as the crown jewel of Silverton. There are rumors of it being haunted on the second floor and in the lobby, by a spirit named Luigi (a man who ended his life in 1890). Room 219 is the room specifically said to have the presence of this spirit. The room rates vary, from $138 to $282, depending on what type of room and which floor you want to stay on. We were not able to stay here for our trip, but maybe next time we will be brave enough to stay at this historic hotel.
Ouray, Colorado
25 miles North of Silverton, you take the “Million Dollar Highway” to the town of Ouray. Known as the Swizterland of America, Ouray is surrounded by breathtaking mountains and canyons.
The first thing we did upon arrival in Ouray is go to our lodging facility. If you are looking for a comfortable place to stay, you will definitely want to check out Ouray Riverside Inn and Cabins. It offers a few different options for accommodations: rooms, suites, and cabins. We stayed in a suite and it was very comfortable and convenient since there was a kitchen. They are pet friendly and have a community pool and grill!
The other great thing about this lodging facility it that they offer Jeep rentals with Riverside Jeeps. Also, they will give you a discount on your room rate if you rent through them. These are great if you are wanting to go four-wheeling in the mountains, which was loads of fun for us! Check out our video here.
After we got all settled in our room, we went out for dinner, to Maggie’s Kitchen. This restaurant offers casual dining at a reasonable price.
It is a really neat environment due to the graffiti they allow people to draw ALL over. The walls, ceilings, tables, chairs, etc. It is really unique!
Jonah got the mushroom onion swiss burger added guacamole and chile and a mushroom cheese burger, both with fries. We also added a side of onion rings, which were hot and crispy!
After that delicious meal, we walked around the town, and popped into Mouse’s Chocolates and Coffees for some ice cream. They have a variety of flavors (pictured below) and they are worth every penny. Sierra had the huckleberry and vanilla bean and Jonah had mouse tracks and mocha almond fudge. The ice cream was creamy and very tasty!
The next day we were in Ouray, we took the Jeep up to Yankee Boy Basin and the drive to get up there was definitely difficult. It was a very narrow path, with many rocks, boulders, and even streams running through it.
Make sure that you rent a Jeep or ATV to make this drive up because your regular trusty SUV or car is absolutely not going to hold up on this rocky trail. It took around 3 hours to get to the top, with us stopping every so often to take pictures.
The views are absolutely STUNNING. We actually met another couple while we were up there, from New Zealand, and they were telling us how incredible these views were compared to the mountains of New Zealand. We have not been to New Zealand yet but have heard it was beautiful. Hearing them say how amazed they were with these mountains really gave us a new appreciation for the beauty of Colorado.
The drive up the mountain was not as nerve racking as the drive down. But what goes up must come down! So we carefully crawled down the mountain, back to Ouray. It did not take long for it to start hailing, and of course, we had the top down on the Jeep so we were getting pelted with ice. Thankfully, it did not keep up for that long, and just like the typical Colorado weather that cannot make up it’s mind, it stopped after about 30 minutes. We would recommend bringing a jacket if you are going to head up the mountain, just in case of any rain/hail.
After coming back into town, we went to Ouray Hot Springs to relax. There are 5 different hot springs pools and 2 water slides. There is also an inflatable water obstacle course and a 12 foot climbing wall. The admission is $18 per person plus $3 for unlimited slides on the water slides.
They are open everyday until 9pm except for Monday. On the weekend they open at 11am and weekdays they are open at 12pm.
Right outside the pool area, there is a pond filled with Koi fish. You can purchase fish food from the inside desk you purchased the admission tickets at.
Montrose, Colorado
45 minutes North from Ouray is the city of Montrose. We headed there to catch a flight to Denver and decided to stop by Mi Mexico, an authentic Mexican restaurant with big portions.
The prices are very reasonable for how much food you get and it is all so delicious! They serve lunch until 4pm and stay open for dinner until 10pm, except for Friday and Saturday when they continue serving until 11pm.
After stuffing our faces and stomachs, we headed to Montrose Regional Airport to catch our flight!
There are 4 airlines that service Montrose Regional: American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Allegiant Air. There is year round service to Denver with United Express. Seasonal routes include: summer service to Houston with United Airlines and Dallas with American Airlines and winter service to Houston and Newark with United Airlines, Dallas and Chicago with American Airlines, to Atlanta with Delta Airlines, and finally Los Angeles and Phoenix/Mesa with Allegiant Air.
We took our United flight off to Denver, and that was the end of our adventure in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado! We had so much fun exploring the beautiful scenery, experiences, and of course, as always, the amazing food. So take a hike and get out to the stunning Rocky Mountains!
