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Colorado boasts some of the most famous mountain towns in the U.S., including playgrounds for the wealthy, such as Aspen and Telluride.
There are posh boutiques, fine dining, stunning views, and even more stunning prices. You could spend more on a weekend out than the ski bum washing your dishes earns in a month.
But you don’t have to break the bank for a mountain town experience this summer. Get away from the ski lifts and condos, and you’ll find wonderful small towns, places where the mountain-town spirit lives in a (relatively) affordable way.

What’s harder to predict in August, snowfall at Colorado resorts in the middle of winter or the teams that will meet in the Super Bowl next February?

The Ute Trail is a lengthy path that crosses alpine, subalpine and montane habitats in Rocky Mountain National Park. The trail follows parts of an ancient route across the tundra of Rocky that was used by indigenous peoples for thousands of years to cross the steep mountains.
The western portion of the trail starts at the southwestern end of Poudre Lake at Milner Pass and climbs up above tree line to Fall River Pass and the Alpine Visitor Center.

Farm-to-table dining is hardly a fad. The movement has gained momentum for decades, and for good reason. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy the freshest ingredients possible while supporting nearby farmers using sustainable practices?
With over 1,000 farms and sweeping views of the Front Range, Boulder County is an idyllic place to experience agritourism. Our suggestion? Tour a farm, then head downtown to taste their harvest at a local restaurant.
Explore the farms:

Your business has perhaps never been more appreciated in Hawaii as the state makes a comeback from the tragic fires on Maui in 2023.

By LAURIE KELLMAN
SINTRA, Portugal — The doorbell to Martinho de Almada Pimentel’s house is hard to find, and he likes it that way. It’s a long rope that, when pulled, rings a literal bell on the roof that lets him know someone is outside the mountainside mansion that his great-grandfather built in 1914 as a monument to privacy.
There’s precious little of that for Pimentel during this summer of “overtourism.”

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).

Drivers traveling on the stretch of U.S. 50 between Delta and Montrose don’t have many reasons to pull over. But in the summer, one family-owned farm boasts an eye-popping roadside attraction that’s well worth a pitstop.

With Labor Day less than three weeks away and preseason ski sales coming soon, Vail Resorts announced projected resort opening dates for its Colorado holdings on Wednesday, along with details regarding Epic Pass deadlines.
Breckenridge is scheduled to open Nov. 8 and Vail on Nov. 15. Beaver Creek and Crested Butte are slated to open on Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving.

Cataract Canyon doesn’t have the scale or reputation of its sister gorge, the Grand Canyon, but this sky-reaching ravine should top any river trip list.
Remote and little-known, you’ll likely only share the water with a passing canoe at the junction of the Green and Colorado rivers, the latter of which starts in its namesake’s Never Summer Mountains.
Otherwise known as the “Center of the Universe,” the confluence is the largest in the Southwest. As the climate shifts, historic rapids resurface summer after summer, making for an even more interesting ride.

Summer is not the time for leaf peeping in Colorado, but it might be the time to consider aspen trees. Populus, billed as the country’s first carbon-positive hotel, is set to open soon at 240 14th St. (and you can make reservations starting in September), just in time for fall colors.