4 Colorado Towns Where Famous Movies Were Filmed
With its artistic mountain ranges and natural hot springs, Colorado is the perfect canvas for the film industry. A wide range of films were shot in the Mile High State, from gritty westerns to iconic comedies. The state is an ideal place for film tourism, as each town transformed into a screen world has much to offer it. While seeing the ranch where one of Quentin Tarantino’s movies was filmed is a rare opportunity, so is taking a gondola ride over the village that surrounds it. Keep reading this article to find the best places where a fictional world meets reality.
Ridgway
Ridgway honors pieces of the past both on film and in real life. See the past in person at the Ridgway Railroad Museum, where a vintage train runs on a half-mile loop. The museum holds historic equipment and artifacts that tell the story of the railroad industry. Another story was born here: True Grit (1969), the tale of a tough young girl, the U.S. Marshal she hires to track her father’s killer, and their tumultuous journey.
Just as rugged are the ranchers who founded the town. Go to the Ouray County Ranch History Museum to learn about these ranchers and the original settlers who paved the way for future residents and film crews. Finally, relax in the clothing-optional natural pools at Orvis Hot Springs. The naturally sourced lithium water provides ultimate rejuvenation, while further relaxation is offered by a trained team of massage therapists.
Durango
Durango is a place for both adventure and relaxation. The most lively pulse in the town can be found within its white water rapids, which travelers can experience at Mountain Waters Rafting and Adventure Center. The river routes can be either a gentle ride or a more challenging one, featuring Class 4 and 5 whitewater. Adding to the sense of adventure on the water, a scene from the famous film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) was filmed on the Animas River, which runs through the town.
Visitors can traverse this river at Santa Rita Park. Locals enjoy fishing in the gentle stream or simply walking along the river trail. Steel instruments sprout like metallic plants on the greens, welcoming anyone who wants to add their own tune to nature's chorus. Sink into warmer waters at Durango Hot Springs, a spa that offers multiple natural hot spring mineral pools as well as a reflexology path and other wellness-focused services.
Telluride
This town has set the stage for Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (2015). The film was shot on a vast and picturesque ranch craddled by Wilson Peak, a mountain made famous on Coors beer cans and many commercials. Visitors can see the snowy peaks that create Telluride from the Mountain Village Gondola. The 12-minute Gondola ride glides above the colorful landscape, giving the best view of the small town and the grand mountains that surround it. Return to the ground to warm up with a cup of coffee at The Coffee Cowboy, where baristas treat their trade like a “community ritual.”
Staying in the western theme, cups of brew are made within a horse trailer converted into a coffee cart. Or, for another type of drink, head to “Telluride's favorite watering hole”, the Last Dollar Saloon. The view from the bar’s rooftop is worth it alone, with Colorado’s fantastical mountains wrapping around the little bar.
Breckenridge
Breckenridge is full of stunning landscapes, pieces of art, and the setting for one famously ridiculous film: Dumb and Dumber (1994). The voyage through this artistic town should start on the Trollstigen Trail, which leads to a 15-foot-tall wooden troll sculpture named Isak Heartstone. The sculpture is made by a Danish artist using recycled and upcycled materials, making the troll seem like a natural part of the forest.
Remain in the wild at the Nordic Center for skiing and stomping around the snow in snowshoes. Visitors can even travel the snowy peaks in style on a Prinoth Snowcat, built in Italy to withstand harsh conditions in comfort. Those who would rather ride above the mountains can do so on the Breck Mountain Gondola that glides over five peaks of the Rocky Mountains.
From giant trolls that dwell in forests to huge Italian snowmobiles, Colorado proves that its reality is even more magnificent than the fantasies it inspires. The towns scattered through its mountains and valleys have welcomed filmmakers for generations, offering landscapes so striking they feel almost unreal. Whether you’re chasing the rugged nostalgia of a classic Western or the glittering snowfall of a modern blockbuster, Colorado invites you to step directly into the scenes that shaped cinema history. Here, the terrain is the true star, and its scenes stay with you long after the credits roll.
