12 Off The Beaten Path Towns In The Rockies
The Rocky Mountains are a gorgeous mountain range that runs through North America for over 3,000 miles, with its northernmost point in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Southward, it stretches through the US states of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, with diverse and impressive landscapes and gorgeous vistas throughout. Spectacular waterfalls, glaciers, alpine lakes, and rivers surround the sleepy mountain towns in the folds of this mountain range.
Hidden amid lush forests, flowering meadows, and abundant wildlife, these off-the-beaten-path towns in the creases are often quite tiny, yet they shine brightly through the tallest peaks. Each town, through both countries, in the list below, takes some finding on a map and is more than a few hours' drive from major hubs like Denver, Edmonton, or Calgary. Choose one for adventures or scenic R&R to escape the city, which may as well feel part of a whole other world.
Creede, Colorado
With many notable and offbeat towns in the Rockies, none are as cool as Creede, ensconced in sheer cliffs that make for epic drives through the small town that physically cannot grow any larger. As a former mining town, Creede thrived after the mines closed, with its quintessential nature becoming a tourist attraction. With a modernized downtown area full of history and cultural attractions, its collection of hotspots offers the best cliff and mountain views, like the Desert Summertime Repertory Theater. Having started with a modest budget of $32 in 1966, the venue grew into the town's largest employee enterprise, entertaining worldwide visitors with its robust theater outreach program.
Fall in Creede is unlike any other in the Rockies, through the golden-hazed aspen forests along the Silver Thread Scenic Byway and up the fiery mountainside. Nearby, Rachel's Keep On Keepin' On will get you started with breakfast over fair trade coffee for a day's worth of exploration, or ask for a pulled pork sandwich with southwest slaw to go on a hiking trip. You don't have to knock to join the friendly local crowd at Tommy Knocker's Tavern for "the Tommyknockers" ribs, live tunes, and an 1890-era atmosphere. Don't waste a minute of your vacation by grabbing a drink while browsing San Juan Sports or Rio Grande Angler over coffee, the popular local outfitters.
Crestone, Colorado
Crestone, a picturesque mountain town truly unlike any other, sits on land that was a personal gift from the King of Spain in the 1600s. With modest, small mining town roots, it is as much an off-the-beaten-path tourist destination as it is a diverse community of New Agers and a spiritual capital for world religions. Home to the most unique and seemingly unfitting sites in the Rockies, you can visit a Hindu temple, a Zen center, a coed Carmelite monastery, and several Tibetan centers. Are you intrigued? Take a remote highway in the San Luis Valley to the end of a dead-end road against the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo Range, where 138 locals enjoy the views of 14,000-foot peaks in the skyline to the east.
Home to artists and outdoor enthusiasts living amid alternative architecture with art galleries spliced downtown, Crestone is a great place to view and stock up on local works like wood creations and Tibetan art for your home. With campsites, luxury vacation rentals, and cozy B&Bs, you can choose your own level of comfort, with the surrounding forest just a hand's reach away for hiking, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, and birding. Crestone's bodywork specialists will ease your city stress and relax your sore muscles at massage spots post-hike. The challenging 14,000-foot Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle are among the most beautiful mountains in Colorado. The annual Crestone Music Festival hosts a lively, summertime crowd to join in between nature ventures.
Clark, Wyoming
This town, amid the rolling valleys and fertile pastures, is a real Old West scene, some 3.5 hours from Denver and only half an hour out of Steamboat Springs. Near the border with Wyoming to the north, the cowboy town of Clark has something for everyone to get excited about on a family getaway from the city. The nature at Steamboat Lake State Park screams with autumn colors for hikes early in the fall that turn into snowshoeing trails come winter, while some 200 campsites call for a full-on natural immersion in the warmer months.
Stay in cabin comfort along the river shores for alpine scenery near the waters, and grab something from Clark Store for provisions or a picnic in nature. The young and the old can test their saddle-up skills at Del's Triangle 3 Ranch, among other working ranches like Elk River Guest Ranch. After a hike through the nearby Routt National Forest's 2.9 million acres of wilderness, you will be ready for a filling family dinner at Hahn's Peak Roadhouse, an all-season community hub for chow and recreation. You can glimpse into the past of the Olympian trainees at Howelsen Hill's iconic Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, North America's oldest operating ski area, which opened over a century ago.
Durango, Colorado
Durango, a hidden gem in the southwestern Colorado mountain crease, is most vibrant in the fall before a soft blanket covers the landscape. The warm gold haze of the outdoor areas cozily surrounds the town, making it the best base to explore the region between September and November, like Vallecito Reservoir, with beautiful trails just 22 miles away. The Hermosa Creek Trail extends to Telluride for an amazing adventure and another popular town you can check off without the tourist crowds that come later for skiing.
Durango, 6.5 hours from Denver, is one of the most remote towns in the state—an optimal starting point to explore in and out. You will be an easy 3.5-hour drive away if you land in Albuquerque, NM, to have java at Durango's funky Taste Coffee by lunch to get your outdoor ventures started, like at the nearby Mesa Verde National Park. One of the state's and rival country's prettiest roads, the Million Dollar Highway (Hwy 550), is right here for an unforgettable drive through the colors of autumn to the historic mining town of Silverton and then Ouray, along 10,000-foot passes.
Golden, British Columbia
Golden is a real Canadian nugget, often disregarded as a mere enroute pitstop to the Okanagan. But amidst six stunning national parks, this small town likes to stay hidden as a promise to the boundless outdoors, with adventures "mounting" atop each other. From peaks, waterfalls, trails, and lakesides, Golden is an all-season vacationland for active natural explorations, ecotourism, and even some serene R&R. You can camp in the woods without bringing your own tent or even sleeping bags, with everything ready for you at Camp Moose Trail for a cozy stay with the majesty of Purcell Mountains views from a private tent with your own lined queen bed and wood stoves for maximum relaxation.
Head to Reposados for a Mexican-inspired lunch of tacos with homemade corn tortillas and incredible plant-based options like pulled jackfruit and battered avocado with cashew cheese. After filling up on food, you can fill up on sights and your camera at Golden Skybridge, the Instagram-worthy highest suspension bridge in Canada, 426 feet above the river. Cross the thrilling span over the breathtaking canyon in the Columbia Valley via the bridge or wander down into the canyon, which has another bridge and a 200-foot waterfall, to set up a picnic. Open from May through October, this family-friendly adventurous attraction offers six panoramic viewing platforms, three kilometers of forest paths, a 1,500-foot zipline, and even a treetop village play park to let the little monkeys go wild.
Invermere, British Columbia
The town on the northern end of Windermere Lake on Hwy 93/95 in the Kootenay River Valley is some 19 km (12 mi) south of Radium Hot Springs and 19 km (12 mi) north of Fairmont Hot Springs, as well as Golden, just 120 km (75 mi) to the north. If your small, big city heart is nature-starved of scenery and your feet are itching for adventures, but you enjoy modernity and all at-hand amenities, this little urban hub in the Canadian Rockies will fix you right up. Invermere, BC, has it all, from the beach to mountain hikes and a state park to wind down after at a great local craft brewery downtown. The charming centerfare, chock full of darling local artisan shops, is just a short drive from Windermere Lake if you care for dips on a hot day.
Lake Windermere, one of the warmest bodies of water in the Kootenay Valley, is an all-season destination to enjoy swimming, boating, and trout fishing, with golf and hiking nearby to take in the views of snow-capped peaks. With ample parking, change rooms, and washrooms, Kinsmen Beach is great for a whole day of family fun along the well-maintained sandy beach with floating docks and water slides. The Lake of the Hanging Glacier, for avid hikers, winds you through lush forests and steep switchbacks, past waterfalls, and into alpine meadows for a whole day trip! Come for the fall foliage or a holiday shopping spree, and discover indigenous and settlers' hands-on history at the Windermere Valley Pioneer Museum and Pynelogs Cultural Centre, an art gallery.
Jasper, Alberta
Jasper, a favorite Edmonton getaway destination still four hours away, is also one of the most scenic routes in the world from Calgary. Highway 1 onto Highway 93, the Icefields Parkway, takes you past over 100 ancient glaciers, turquoise lakes, and alpine meadows. With the world's second-largest dark sky preserve in Jasper, you will be awestruck day and night when camping and stargazing through some of the largest telescopes in the Rockies at Jasper Planetarium. The remote town of Jasper, the "cabin capital of Canada," in the northwestern reaches of the Canadian Rockies features 438 individual rustic and luxurious cabins for rent, with resident caribou wandering around. In winter, you can stroll along the natural ice sculptures, caves, fossils, and even towering frozen waterfalls stretching up to 30 meters along the walls from the floor of the frozen canyon.
Talk about the deep wilderness! Still, once you reach this plentifully modern town with fantastic hotspots, it will spoil you with nature but feed you with hearty mountain food. Try traditional barbecue and game meats at Maligne Canyon Wilderness Kitchen, with its huge patio overlooking the cold Athabasca River rushing into a spectacular canyon. From town, the 84-kilometer Scenic Maligne Lake Drive passes the impressive Maligne Canyon, along the intriguing Medicine Lake, and onto Maligne Lake. Its hallmark bright glacial water against the mountains and glaciers, together with Spirit Island, are the most photographed places in the country. Andromeda Coffee will get your day started with made-from-scratch goodies, while the iconic Patricia Street Deli is perfect to grab a sandwich for adventures to go or satisfy your sweet tooth in between.
Lake City, Colorado
The town along the Silver Thread scenic byway, in the heart of the San Juan Mountain Range, is the epitome of a Colorado mountain town. It offers a real escape from the mundane city sights and crowds, with perfect mountain views and the historic roots of the Ute Indians against a splendid backdrop. Lake City is a dreamy summertime escape, just minutes away from the spectacular San Cristobal Lake, Colorado's second-largest natural lake and also great for ice skating. From creek and riverside strolls with deer and smaller mountain critters to wild hikes with views of snow-covered peaks and scenic drives along the byway teeming with wild animals and flowering meadows, Lake City welcomes you back to recoup. Find fun for the whole family, with kids welcome at the city-run ice walls and the local Lake City Brewing Company alike. Visit the Hinsdale County Museum for an intriguing story about its most notorious resident, Alferd Packer, allegedly a cannibal who became a vegetarian after jail.
The former town of miners is a tourist destination with many avenues for adventurous summertime hiking, camping, boating, fly fishing, horseback riding, and mountain biking. North Clear Creek Falls, just off the Alpine Loop Backcountry Byway, is one of the most photographed waterfalls in the state, with three more beautiful waterfalls around the area. Come for affordable skiing at Lake City Ski Hill or a relaxing getaway over some ice fishing and excellent night sky photography. Despite a remote atmosphere, the most remote town in the lower 48 states offers modern and history-inspired pursuits to stay active or relax, like mine tours and mini golf in the natural skyscrapers of the San Juans. In September, the four-day OHV Rally & Festival features live music, OHV vehicle competitions and demos, and historic tours of the Alpine Loop.
Pagosa Springs, Colorado
This off-the-beaten-path town, 5 hours from Denver, is an escape you've been dreaming of into boundless nature with friendly locals and a charming downtown area. Pagosa Springs, a great mountain town for fall adventures with trails through amazing mountain landscapes, is also a year-round getaway destination for the hot springs. Stop by the Root House to get your day started along Main Street near the hot springs.
Thirty minutes away, the Wolf Creek Ski Area attracts falltime hikers and snow bunnies alike. You are now primed for a hike along the Continental Divide Trail as far as your nature-starved soul and city legs take you, like Alberta Peak, Spruce Lakes, and Railroad Pass. Nothing feels better than relaxing your sore muscles post-adventure in the warm waters of numerous privately owned hot springs in town or the free Hippy Dippy hot springs open to the public in the town's river.
Palisade, Colorado
Palisade, an off-the-beaten-path town on the far western slope of Colorado, is just off Route I-70, the main east-west interstate in Colorado. Reach the town in about four hours, west of Denver or one hour west of Glenwood Springs. Copeka Coffee, right off of the main street downtown, will recharge you with a snack and caffeine boost to explore outward into the stunning mountain scenery. A sweet treat from one of the many nice cafés selling peach-filled baked goods, this farming town's staple fruit, is a perfect to-go snack for your adventures.
The small town with lots of charm on the outskirts of the larger city of Grand Junction is surrounded by the most diverse landscape, including many vineyards for wine tasting. Stroll along the through-running Colorado River and explore the world's largest flat-top mountain, the Grand Mesa, along the Colorado Scenic Byway, topped by over 300 alpine lakes! Its shifting color of aspen-laden slopes is popular among professional and amateur landscape photographers to hunt up and down for stunning, colorful panoramas.
Saguache, Colorado
Saguache, a real off-the-beaten-path gem, sits amid the most scenic and uninterrupted natural landscape west of the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. A favorite escape among summertime camping enthusiasts, you can pitch a tent and explore outward on the best budget getaway from the city, with views for days and no crowds but just your loved ones and wildlife roaming nearby. Stay in comfort in a forest cabin for real relaxing times in between nature ventures, including some of the state's most peaceful hot springs you can soak in under a night sky full of stars.
From great biking, horseback, and hiking trails in the immediate surroundings, the Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is an hour's ride southeast. Dine right along the main thoroughfare on Mexican or head to the most popular Saguache 4th Street Diner & Bakery. Right across the street from the small, highly rated Saguache County Museum is a really cool Gillette's Trading Post stop to shop. The nearby town of Crestone does not seem nearly as off the beaten path when making a day trip from Saguache to visit its many temples, like Karma Thegsum Tashi Gomang monastery.
Waterton, Alberta
This town, with its awe-inspiring nature, is a real place of wonder, as attested by 400,000 visitors a year. Never too crowded and with a slower pace, its unique shopping opportunities and cozy stays in lieu of outlet shopping malls, along with top-notch fine-dining restaurants, will make you feel at home. With amazing seafood and views like the Lakeside Chophouse & Wine Bar, you can enjoy surf-n-turf in an outdoor setting.
The captivating town transports you back to a simpler time and a whole other natural world that feels eons away from the city, alongside friendly locals—some real avid outdoor lovers. Surrounded by Rocky Mountain wildlife, the small Waterton Park is a real Canadian treasure to explore all the nooks and crannies for every level of activity to reconnect with Mother Nature and your close group. The quirky yet highly rated Weiners of Waterton will refuel you post-hike in style on gourmet hot dogs, or try the renowned mountain sweet treat at the local favorite BeaverTails Waterton.
With over one hundred worthy towns in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, these gems will astound you with their serenity. Shining through the peaks with real mountain charisma and the true character of the region in every season, you can enjoy skiing, hiking, mountain biking, or ice fishing. From Canada to the US, each unique Rockies town has a common denominator: unreplicable mountain views. These twelve off-the-beaten-path towns feature the darkest night skies and the brightest fall foliage. Choose a cozy cabin, a rustic campsite, or an upgraded resort stay with nature steps away and historic downtowns for unique shopping, art, and hearty mountain grub nearby.
