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Summer is pretty darn rad in Telluride, Colorado
With some splendid Summer skiing options combined with some of the best hiking trails on the planet, its hard not to love a place like Telluride. And therefore, after visiting for over 17 years, I see no reason to stop now.
Just like last year, after a quick acclimatization hike up to Bear Creek Falls, the following day I rented a trusty Jeep and headed up Imogene Pass searching for summer snow. On July 26th, Ashton joined the party and we were pleasantly surprised by the coverage.
Unlike last summer, a chute connected to the summit above Savage Basin. Aston took a lap followed by a scenic ride on his motorbike while I headed up the chute.
Most importantly, how did it ski?
Well, let’s just say it was summery snow but with minimal suncups which provided a perfect late July descent. After a few laps on the lower patches, it was time to head down for some snacks at Baked in Telluride.
Two days later, with the weather looking bluebird, I ventured back up there to give it another go. Why not? Quite remarkably, the snow in the chute melted pretty significantly. However, the snow was smooth…well, smooth for July 28th. Again, I followed that up with some groomer laps on the lower patches and then enjoyed a cold beer on the roof deck of the New Sheridan.
The following week provided some splendid weather so we ventured out on hikes all around the town of Telluride. On each and every hike, the wildflowers were just stunning. Starting in Ophir, we headed up toward Yellow Mountain and literally walked through fields of them.
Add that the kids were in Telluride Academy almost the whole time we were there, and you pretty much have the formula for a perfect trip.
We also spent a fair amount of time hiking the trails up to Gold Hill, Bear Creek Falls, Upper Bear Creek, the Wasatch Trail, out of the town of Ophir and even did a lap around the ski resort on the Basin Trail.
Do yourself a favor and check this place out in the Summer, I can guarantee some fun for the entire family. Oh yeah, winter is fun as well.
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Departing from SFO with kids isn’t too bad considering you can pass the time playing Mario Kart…
Waving goodbye to Lake Tahoe as we flew over Sonora Pass…
Speaking of Sonora Pass, we caught a nice glimpse of ‘the Y Couloir’ and Leavitt Peak…
Even at 2 months old, DIA is too much to deal with…
Enroute from Denver, we said hello to Rocky Mountain National Park…
The best way to acclimatize with a family is to head up Bear Creek…
Even the 5 year old made albeit complaining the entire way…
Bear Creak Falls is fairly easy hike that ends in a waterfall!!! Now who doesn’t like waterfalls?…
Without waterproof camera, this was as close as I could get…
The next day we decided to head up See Forever Trail…
On his 8th birthday, his wish was to hike to the top of Chair 15…wish was granted but had to quickly run back down due to lightning in the area…
The following day, it was time to head to the snow and make some turns on Imogene Pass…
Ashton descended first so he could get back on his dirt bike while I wasted time skiing in late July…
With a chute connecting to the summit, I gave her a go…
Even though the clouds rolled in, the snow skied beyond expectaions…
You’ll find a ski nerd in that chute and he was stoked…
After skiing the top, I ended up lapping the smoother lower patches below…
The wind lip on the lower patch had the most variety…
No complaints for the end of July…
Jeepin’ up and down Tomboy Road is even more entertaining than skiing…
The views on the drive aren’t half bad either…
Wednesdays offer free concerts in Mountain Village and also make a great spot to enjoy a local brew…
Did I mention sunsets? Because I probably should…
The following day, we took the kids up on Imogene Pass 4×4 tour so they could admire dad’s ski tracks…but they weren’t impressed
The wildflowers were alive and colorful at 13,000ft…
You can actually Jeep all the way to Ouray down to the valley below…
The mailbox is here for target practice…
The scenery continues to amaze even after all these years…
What would Summer in the mountains be without afternoon thunderstorms?…
And then the storms always clear before dinner…
Another bucketlist item for my son was to loop the new Basin Trail. Too bad Bon Vivant wasn’t serving Croque Monsieurs
We looped past Chair 12 and admired the wetlands nearby…
Did I mention rainbows? Yeah, they come out quite frequently as well…
With so many trails nearby, its hard to choose but the Wasatch Trail always works for scenic vertical…
The views are ridiculous as you gain altitude above Bear Creek…
The Mrs. doesn’t stop for photos so I try my best…
You can loop the trail back to the ski resort from Bear Creek and cross Revelation Bowl…
If there’s snow, why not glissade?
On a following bluebird day, I headed back up to Imogene Pass…
I love the variety of mountains around this area…
The views of Black Bear Pass and beyond to Bridal Veil Basin…
Yet again, it seems that I’m the only skier around…
Better visibility and less clothes…times were good!
The snow definitely receded even though it was only a few days after my last visit…
Did a few laps on the lower section until I ran out of water…
Here is a view and remnants of my signatures…
Before departing, I ventured from Ophir to take a peek of the wildflowers near Yellow Mountain…
Oh boy…SUCCESS! High alpine streams, wildflowers, blue skies and man-eating bugs!
This is a popular zone for ski touring in the area…
I spotted snow…so the glissade was ON!
The last day of the kids’ camp meant that I had to run up the mountain from Town…just because its there.
The Mrs. was not impressed on my route finding skills of avoiding anything resembling a trail…
The youngest of the squad did quite well…sleeping through most of the night that is!
Time to head home for a bit…’wave to the Sierra kids.’
