Guided Tours in Telluride, Colorado
Telluride is a top travel destination thanks to its location in the beautiful San Juan Mountains. Visitors flock to this mountain town to enjoy its natural beauty and the many outdoor activities it offers. From walking tours in the downtown area to off-road adventures in the surrounding mountains, Telluride has a wide range of tours available. The following guide can help you learn more about the best Telluride tours available.
From its charming downtown area to its winding trails in the San Juan Mountains, Telluride is a great place for sightseeing. Telluride Historical Museum offers a self-guided Telluride historical walking tour to help you learn more about the area’s past as a mining town. The museum also offers guided tours for special events, such as Telluride ghost tours in fall. Telluride Jeep tours are available for exploring different areas in the mountains, including ghost towns. Dave’s Jeep Tours and other tour operators typically offer short guided Jeep tours, as well as full-day tours. Telluride Helitrax provides an exciting way to see the area with helicopter tours and scenic flights.
For even more adventure, consider a guided tour through the mountains to remote areas or tours with more challenging activities. Go on a 4WD tour or 4x4 tour for off road adventures in the mountains, take a snowmobile tour through the area in winter, or explore via water on a stand-up paddleboard tour. San Juan Outdoor Adventures and other tour operators offer mountain biking tours, which include rides along rail trails and excursions to backcountry area. You can also take a thrilling rock climbing or mountaineering guided tour to get up close to the mountains while exploring the area.
While Telluride is mainly known for its slopes, the town offers plenty of other types of activities, including cultural and culinary tours. Telluride Catering by Chef Eliza culinary classes and Ah Haa School for the Arts both offer culinary classes if you want to test your cooking skills and learn some new ones. Ah Haa School for the Arts also offers art classes, while Red Dirt Rogers Studio Gallery offers painting classes. The Telluride Art Walk provides a great way to walk around town and admire local works of art.
Telluride’s natural surroundings offer ideal places to watch for local birds and other wildlife. San Miguel River South Fork Preserve, Telluride River Trail, Hope Lake Trail, the Valley Floor, and San Juan Skyway are just a few spots noted for their natural landscapes and abundant wildlife. Guided tours give you a better chance of being able to spot different species, while also learning more about them as you go. Box Canyon Birding offers guided birdwatching tours, including a Telluride Town Walk, night birding, and birding for beginners. Telluride Canopy Adventure takes you up high to view the area from the treetops while zip-lining or rappelling. Take a guided 4WD tour of Bridal Veil Falls, which plunges from a height of 365 feet. Dave’s Mountain Tours and other local tour operators offer guided tours to the falls and other scenic areas in and around Telluride.
Telluride’s beauty makes it an ideal place to visit during any season. Explore the mountains in winter on a guided snowshoe tour with Wild Hare, or take a winter backcountry tour with Telluride Mountain Guides to see more remote locations. Book a fall foliage tour with Telluride Outside, Telluride Offroad Adventures, or other local tour operators to see the trees in their full autumn glory. Enjoy summer weather and picturesque surroundings with a guided whitewater rafting tour. Telluride Via Ferrata tours are a daring way to explore the area. During these tours, climbers rely on fixed anchors to make their way along cliff faces and other hard-to-reach spots. While these tours are available all year round, they’re done less often in winter due to harsh weather conditions.
Although you can explore Telluride and the surrounding mountains on your own, guided tours offer a more memorable way to tour the area. Tour operators are local guides and experts who can provide you with in-depth knowledge of the area, whether you go on a birding tour, culinary experiences, or off-road excursion. Several tour operators, such as Telluride Outside, San Juan Outdoor Adventures, Bootdoctors, Mild to Wild, and Mountain Trip offer a wide range of guided tours in and around Telluride. Going on these tours helps you gain insider knowledge, while also enjoying enriching narratives. Depending on the activities you’re interested in, local guides and experts also help ensure a safe experience, whether you’re rafting through rapids or rappelling down a mountain.
Hearing about others’ experiences with local tour operators can help you get a better idea of what to expect. Reading testimonials and reviews can also help you evaluate the quality of the tours they offer. On Yelp, Telluride Outside has received glowing reviews. One user states that their Jeep tour included stopping at different points to learn more about the area’s mining history and properties, such as Pandora and TomBoy. On Trip Advisor, several users recommend Mountain Trip when booking the Telluride Via Ferrata tour. They describe the tour as a thrilling, yet fun experience, while feeling safe thanks to their guides. On Google, San Juan Outdoor Adventures has received positive reviews from users who booked their ice climbing, Via Ferrata, and snowshoeing tours.
Whether you want to take a thrilling helicopter ride over the area or sample the town’s culinary delights, you can book tours directly through the operator or venue. Keep in mind that the exact tours that are available and the dates they are available may vary. Before booking tours, read through cancelation policies and other important information. Many tour operators include detailed information on what to bring and how to prepare for guided tours, especially those that require more caution or advanced skills. Call or visit the tour operator or venue you’re interested in to get started on booking Telluride guided tours for your trip:
With so many guided tours to choose from, Telluride offers something for everyone who visits. From informative walking tours through town to daring ice climbing and Via Ferrata tours in the mountains, you can find the right tours to make the most of your Telluride visit. Explore all of the different tours available in and around Telluride to plan the perfect vacation. Whether you’re traveling solo or bringing the whole family, you can look forward to many adventures in this charming mountain town.