Southwest Colorado Road Trip
When my friends mother had to bail on a trip to Southwest Colorado over Thanksgiving weekend, I jumped at the opportunity. It was a lovely weekend full of snow, mountains and the best Airbnb I’ve ever stayed in.
We started our journey traveling to Montrose, just under an hour and a half to Telluride. We weren’t sure if it was a good idea as we heard the weather would not be great but we ventured on anyway. We hit a storm on the way through Fairplay but we made it through and all seemed well. Then when we reached Gunnison, we hit a really bad snowstorm. It was terrifying, but luckily for me, she is an amazing driver and had four wheel drive.
We reached our destination in Montrose, The Hodgepodge Lodge. This Airbnb was lovely! I wasn’t sure about it as we both had a room at this Airbnb but then everything else was shared space just like a bed and breakfast. I’ve never stayed in anything like this before. The rooms were so cute and welcoming. We each had access to the outside space, while it was not usable at the end of November, the views were stunning of the San Juan Mountains. The shared space was well put together and there were three different options of seating. Plus there was a large kitchen where they put coffee and homemade muffins in the morning. The hosts were incredible and very friendly. The place was perfect!
Okay, enough about the Airbnb! The evening we got in, we went into the city of Montrose as they were having a tree lighting ceremony and Santa was coming! We got free hot cocoa and cookies and watched the festivities. Then we went back to settle in for the evening and get a good nights rest.
The following morning we got up early and started our drive to Telluride. Luckily for us the roads weren’t too bad and we made our way to Mountain Village to take the gondola over to Telluride. The gondola was great! The views were stunning and it was an easy way to get to Telluride and to see the city from above. We stopped at Brown Dog for some pizza and did some window shopping. The town is really cute and I’m happy to have finally made it here. The shops are a little pricey so be prepared! Telluride is definitely a picturesque town and I’m sure the skiers and snowboarders were having an amazing time!
After exploring Telluride we went back to the Airbnb to get a good night sleep so that we could get up early and to to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in the morning. I was a little sad to leave this Airbnb, it was simply lovely.
We drove to see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison; however, when we reached the visitor station, we were informed that the road was closed for the winter and you can only go forward on foot or skis. We took some pics from the point we could go to and then started our trip back to Denver. It was a great getaway and very unexpected. I really enjoyed Montrose and Telluride, they have been on my list for awhile so I was happy to check them off the list.
Have you been to the area? Share your experiences in the comments below!