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Mountain Towns in Colorado
If you missed the 2024 article on "The Not-so-Obvious List of the Best Colorado Mountain Towns" by Small Town Stops, it's great! You can find the full list at www.smalltownstops.com, but here are the Top 3:
1. Paonia:
Perfectly placed in the North Fork Valley, the small town of Paonia and its surrounding hamlets are home to 12 wineries, a few vineyards, orchards, and farms. When most people think of wine in Colorado, they always refer to Palisade. But you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what Paonia and its neighbors have to offer when discovering your next varietal. Not only is the town dotted with wineries, lavender, goat, and flower farms fill the landscape as well, some of which you can tour. Downtown offers delightful farm-to-table food options, art galleries, and the historic Bross Hotel Bed and Breakfast.
2. Crested Butte:
You’ve most likely heard of Crested Butte. Known for its snow-packed winters, epic ski runs, and quaint and colorful downtown, it may be an obvious choice for one of the best mountain towns in Colorado, but for a good reason. The downtown is as cute as they come. With the colorful historic buildings restored from its old mining days, a walk down Elkhorn Ave. feels like a step back in time. The food and drink options are endless, or at least endless for a small town.
3. Del Norte:
Known as the gateway to the San Luis Valley in Colorado, Del Norte is located about 50 minutes directly west of the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Over the years, the small town has seen a bit of a resurgence, making it one of my favorite Colorado mountain towns. The tiny downtown, you can walk in 10 minutes, is starting to fill in with restaurants, shops, and that small Colorado mountain town vibe. It’s not overcrowded, there’s enough there to enjoy a multi-night stay, and you have access to some of the best mountain biking, rock climbing, and hiking in the state. Plus, the locals there are as friendly as they come with a real passion for creating a place where people not only want to live but want to visit as well.
