Whether staying in downtown Telluride or staying in the Mountain Village, you will want to take advantage of the free gondola that can shuttle you between the two. Depending on the time of day, there can be long lines to get on the gondola, but it moves pretty quickly. There is also a stop at the summit that is 10,540 feet high (3,212 meters) with hiking trails and a really nice restaurant called Allred’s with incredible views.

The gondola operates 290 days per year, with scheduled downtime during the non-peak seasons, and runs between 6:30 am and midnight daily (and until 2:00 am on Friday/Saturday). The ride between Telluride and the Mountain Village takes a little less than 13 minutes as the gondola travels at 11 miles per hour during the journey. Most of the cabins are fitted with bike racks in order to carry mountain bikes up to the top of the mountain.

Although the gondola serves as transportation between the Mountain Village and the town of Telluride, it is really about the incredible views of the mountains that make it worthwhile even if you don’t have a reason to travel from one location to the other. It was hot during our stay in Telluride, so it was also nice to get a little higher in altitude where the temperatures were slightly cooler.