Small Hiking Town Summer Recommendations (Canon City, Durango: home, restaurants, shop)

[RescueDogs]

Hi All!

My wife and I are in our early 40's (and two dogs) are looking for recommendations for a small Colorado town from May or June through September or October. This year we may only be able to come mid May through Mid June as we have families on the East Coast that we will be with. So recommendations for those time frames would be greatly appreciated. I've heard May is iffy in the ski towns. We are currently in The Village of Oak Creek part of Sedona for those who are familiar-not crazy and chaotic West Sedona-with all the strip malls and chaos) and looking for something with a similar small town feel and quick access to amazing hiking in Colorado. Our rescue dogs are older now and have short noses (Boxer, and Boxer/Boston Terrier mix) so they appreciate - we all appreciate, LOL the cooler mountain air. Typically, we are used to hot/humid summers in Massachusetts/Maine. So we are excited to have much cooler days/cooler nights and information on temperatures in different areas are appreciated as well.

We have not spent any time in Colorado but have been told by people here, and from posts online to check out Crested Butte or Telluride. Others have mentioned the Vail area and Aspen/Snowmass. We're pretty low key-middle class and down to earth type people, and are just looking for a safe and aesthetically pleasing place with access to good hiking and a nice small town vibe. Friendly, laid back people are always a plus! We'd like to minimize as much as possible the keeping up with the Jones' feel (I know that it is everywhere, especially in nice ski areas). We're not interested in restaurants (we are vegan) or shopping, or breweries. We don't drink or do any drugs. We just love to be out trail running, hiking, and walking the dogs. Simple. We work from home so no issues with that.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my post. Any help or advice on what might be a good fit for us is greatly appreciated from the locals! I hope this post finds you all safe/healthy and happy new year!

[bluescreen73]

May is generally still mud season, and you'll likely run into snow above timberline. Mid-June is probably better if you're looking to do higher altitudes. Additionally, places like Crested Butte and Telluride are packed pretty much year-round. If you're looking for someplace a little less ritzy, try Leadville or Fairplay/Alma.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Either Buena Vista or Salida would be perfect for you. Except that, as with other picturesque mountain towns, they are both overrun with tourists in the summer and the locals can get testy. We do our grocery shopping at 8:00 in the morning, when we know we can find a parking space and can actually be able to move around in the store. Restaurants are crazy busy and traffic sucks. All the towns on your list suffer from the same problems in the summer.

You might check out small towns such as Cedaredge or Paonia or Ridgway. Broaden your horizons beyond ski towns.

[interloper1138]

Agreed that Salida sounds like a good fit, especially for arriving in May when higher elevation towns aren't as hike-able.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by interloper1138

Agreed that Salida sounds like a good fit, especially for arriving in May when higher elevation towns aren't as hike-able.

Salida is awesome, but May is when boating season will be kicking off in earnest. Lots of tourists.

[otowi]

Buena Vista or Salida would also be my recommendation, or I might even suggest that you consider lower elevation if you don't know how your body will respond to elevation here - so perhaps some place like Canon City where you're right at the entrance to the mountains. Or maybe Woodland Park.

[Arrby]

Depending on just how small a town you want, consider Westcliffe/Silver Cliff. Fewer than 1200 people between the two of them.

I also think Woodland Park or Canon City could work for you. Grand Lake is another.

[Dogmama50]

You might look at Carbondale, Redstone, Marble, Paonia, outside of Aspen/Crested Butte. Eagle outside of Vail, Steamboat Springs, Durango and Pagosa Springs.

Love VOC, great place to winter.

[COcheesehead]

Grand Juntion.
More hiking than you can imagine. From high desert to alpine. Petroglyphs to dinosaur fossils.

https://www.gjhikes.com/p/colorado.html

[Melanzana92]

I'm very biased but I suggest Leadville, at least for part of your trip.

Leadville's downside for your time frame is that being the highest city in Colorado means the month of May can be a total crapshoot. Usually May is fine in the valleys and towns themselves, but get out into the forest and you might find a lot of snow hasn't melted yet. There's no way to tell how it will be in any given year, though. If you're looking for cool weather, you'll be totally happy here.

Our hottest days in mid-summer will approach 80 degrees; usually a mid-summer day has a high temperature somewhere in the low 70s.

You mentioned trail running and that caught my eye. Leadville is a fantastic place for a trail runner. To the east of town there are miles and miles of old mining roads that wind through the forest; some of them go above treeline. I like to run on those, the Mineral Belt Trail around town, and on some of the forest roads near Twin Lakes/Mount Elbert (better on weekdays there). Plenty of hiking trails west of town past Turquoise Lake as well. Check out the Leadville Race Series if you like running events.

I think it's a super cute town and a good place to just hang out. It gets touristy but it's not crazy. Centrally located.

If you can only come in May, though, then I do suggest Salida. However, I don't suggest Salida in the middle of summer (too hot).