It is said that at the height of the gold rush there were more millionaires in Telluride, Colorado, than there were in Manhattan. And while most of those fortunes were made mining, lifting ore out of the ground wasn’t the only way to strike it rich. Butch Cassidy also started a productive career here. His first job lightened Telluride’s San Juan Bank of $24,580 during a brazen 1889 robbery. The sum, worth about $600,000 in today’s dollars, was never recovered.
Over 100 years later, millionaires still flock to Telluride. No longer drawn by the prospects of making a fortune, they come to spend one. A more upscale version of its neighboring mountain towns Ouray and Silverton, Telluride is so used to celebrity guests that we witnessed a casual Kelly Ripa walking the sidewalks completely unmolested and largely unnoticed by citizens apparently familiar with seeing such sights.
After the gold boom went bust, Telluride reinvented itself as a premier skiing destination. The first resort opened in 1972 with five lifts and a day lodge. By 1985, developers added the faux-European town of Mountain Village along with its eight miles of Nordic trails. During summer months, an additional three miles of mountain biking trails open allowing for year-round entertainment.
Probably the most interesting thing about the area, though, is its unique public transportation system. Transit between Telluride and Mountain Village is provided by a system of completely free gondolas. Arriving nearly every minute, 275 days per year, the 2.5 mile ride between these two mountain destinations takes a total of about 11 minutes. Vacationers and residents alike take advantage of what Telluride calls the “best commute in America.” We found the splendid alpine views to be well worth the trip, even when our destination was nowhere in particular at all.
Everywhere Once 
Wow, if we had to commute, that would be our kind!
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No doubt. We’re urbanites and dig public transportation (I could read the newspaper, or a book, or get some work done while getting into work. Don’t know why anyone prefers the hassles of driving.)
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Telluride is on our to do list. Where did you set up camp? Colorado can sometimes be a challenge finding places for bigger rigs. We’re heading to Steamboat next week 🙂
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Hi Ingrid,
We stayed in Ouray at the 4J+1+1 RV Park (awful name, good place to park, within walking distance of the downtown area.) We day-tripped into Telluride.
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I need to be someplace where I could bike to work. This sounds like it fits the bill!
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What an excelent way to get to work (or anywhere!) Pity we don’t have mountains or even hills over here in Holland or I would be suggesting this as an addition to the public transport system.
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Give it a shot anyways. I think gondolas could be made to work in Holland. They’re obviously not necessary, but they’d be a quirky-cool addition.
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I think it is great that they offer the gondolas for free. So many places take advantage of the tourist and charge a bundle for a gondola ride. Talking of camping how is the area for boondocking?
Kevin and Ruth
http://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
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Hi Guys,
The Telluride gondola is a good deal. They tried to charge us 16 bucks each for a similar ride in Utah. No thanks.
Don’t know about boondocking in that part of CO, we stayed at a private campground. Beautiful area. Seems like there should be lots of places to park out in the wilderness.
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The things you learn while blogging and reading blogs. 🙂 I like the witty delivery as well.
Now I’m getting inspired to travel in the US more. Thanks for reading my blog too!
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Amazing view.. would love to hit up that gondola.
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Butch Cassedy did strike it rich, been to Colorado, but a big fan of Washington State!
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Wow, I want to visit Colorado so bad. Look gorgeous and sounds like a neat town.
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Colorado is lovely. We actually found the “Western Slope” of the CO Rockies to be even prettier than the “Front Range” on the east.
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My wife and I love Colorado. We lived there before I had to move for school, and our honeymoon was in Frisco, Colorado. I hope to get a job teaching in Colorado when I finish grad school
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Great post. I felt like I had a mini vacation from my work day. Thanks!
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