National Forests
Uncompahgre National Forest
Sprawling across the northern region of the San Juan Mountain range, the Uncompahgre National Forest encompasses the Mount Sneffels Wilderness, the Uncompahgre Plateau and the San Juan Mountains. With close to 1 million square acres of pristine wilderness to explore, the Uncompahgre brings a big fat dollop of bucket list adventures near Telluride.
Things to Do in Uncompahgre National Forest:
• Elevation Gain: 2,509 ft
• Activities: Fishing, Hiking,
Horse-riding, Camping
• Length: 7.7 miles
• Elevation Gain: 2,841 ft
• 4WD: Required to reach trailhead
• Length: 7.6 miles
• Elevation Gain: 3,097 ft
• Length: 10 miles
• Elevation Gain: 3,671 ft
• This is a difficult hike – there is some exposed climbing.
San Juan National Forest
The San Juan National Forest covers the southwestern corner of Colorado with a whopping 1.8 million acres. It’s definitely large and in charge, with 14 of the state’s fourteeners, as well as Colorado’s largest wilderness area known as the Weminuche Wilderness. Another wilderness primed for recreation is the Lizard Head Wilderness, which resides just south of Telluride.
Things to Do in the San Juan National Forest:
• Length: 9.2 miles
• Elevation Gain: 3,809 ft
• 4WD: recommended to reach trailhead
National Parks
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
If you’ve never laid eyes on the Black Canyon before, think of the Grand Canyon’s edgier little cousin who’s going through a goth phase. This maniacal, attention grabbing chasm is home to third steepest cliffs in the lower 48, diving 2,250 feet. And even with all that drama, Black Canyon of the Gunnison is the least visited National Park in Colorado. Just 77 miles from Telluride, this is a great pitstop or day trip for rambling around the area.
Things to Do in Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Mesa Verde National Park
Home to one the world’s largest cliff dwellings and 5,000 known archaeological sites, Mesa Verde National Park holds one of the most significant archives from North America’s original peoples. Visitors can explore the high rise palaces up close on guided tours, or take longer hikes to more remote ruins deep within the park. Regardless of how much time you have to spend in this historic kingdom, Mesa Verde is a must visit destination of Southwest Colorado.
State Parks, Recreation and Conservation Areas
Ridgeway State Park
Ridgeway State Park comes with a backdrop nothing short of obnoxious. Even the trout and bass have a front row seat to the mountain views here. With wide beaches for lounging, trails for strolling, camps for campin’,and fresh alpine water for recreating, Ridgway Reservoir is a great place to stay near Telluride, or spend the day on the lake.
Things to Do
- Hiking and Biking
- Paddleboard, Kayak, Boating
- Fishing
- Camping
Curecanti National Recreation Area
Curecanti National Recreation Area is comprised of three beautiful reservoirs strung together along the Gunnison River. It’s where boaters and fishermen go to never be seen again… Not in a bad way, they just have absolutely no reason to leave. Blue Mesa Reservoir is the largest body of water in Colorado and home to the largest Kokanee Salmon fishery in the United States.
Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area
Named after the Spanish explorers who made a miraculous journey across the West in the 1770s, this swath of wilderness is a hidden gem along the Gunnison River. The area is rich with ancestral indigenous history, wildlife, and diverse ecology. This area offers a plenty of ways to recreate, with labyrinths of hiking, biking and off roading trails, and calm sections to float the Gunnison River. No matter how you choose to explore Dominguez-Escalante, the landscape offers a captivating escape into the untamed beauty of Colorado’s western wilderness.
Red-rock canyons and sandstone bluffs hold geological and paleontological resources spanning 600 million years, as well as many cultural and historic sites. The Ute Tribes today consider these pinyon-juniper–covered lands an important connection to their ancestral past.