
6 Quirkiest Colorado Towns To Visit In 2025
Most know and love Colorado for its sweeping landscapes, full of towering, snowcapped mountains, expansive portions of high desert, and an ocean of prairies. In terms of cities and settlements, Denver, of course, should come to mind, and perhaps locations like Boulder and Colorado Springs, too, but let's focus on some of this state's more obscure communities today. These are places where you can connect with spirituality, bathe in the waters of the deepest known geothermal hot spring, or even watch a coffin race!
Here are six of Colorado's quirkiest towns that you should consider if you're looking for something new to explore as summer kicks in in 2025.
Pagosa Springs

Pagosa Springs is located in southern Colorado near the New Mexico border and is iconic for having the deepest geothermal hot spring on record, called the "Mother Spring," at a little over 1,000 feet! Several facilities in town, including The Springs Resort and Healing Waters, pipe this natural mineral water into soaking pools for your enjoyment. Primitive riverside options also exist along the nearby San Juan River, which runs through the center of town. Moreover, the river is commonly used for other recreational activities like tubing, kayaking, and fly fishing.
Various walking routes to nearby natural features like waterfalls, alpine lakes, and ancient Puebloan ruins are accessible from the surrounding national forest and nearby Chimney Rock National Monument. You are also able to enjoy the mountains at the close by Wolf Creek Ski Area, which offers alpine skiing and snowboarding while snow is on the ground, with some of the highest average snowfall in the state, with an average of 430 inches annually!
Nederland

Nederland is situated in a wonderful foothill setting just about 17 miles west of Boulder. It is a spot known for its unique community events, with the town’s most infamous attraction being Frozen Dead Guy Days, a festival that celebrates a cryogenically preserved corpse stored in a shed above town. The event draws thousands each March with coffin races, polar plunges, and themed parades.
On other days, many visitors opt to stop by the Carousel of Happiness, featuring hand-carved animals and built entirely by volunteers. Furthermore, the downtown area, centered along First Street, includes a handful of cozy music venues, eateries, and rustic saloons that reflect the town’s Western character.
Nature is close at hand as well, as Eldora Mountain ski area is only a short drive or bike ride away, and in the summer, hiking trails into the Indian Peaks Wilderness begin on the edge of town.
Crestone

Crestone is a remote high-desert town at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, renowned for its unusual concentration of spiritual centers. With fewer than 200 full-time residents, the town hosts more than two dozen retreat centers of various kinds, temples, stupas, and zendos representing traditions from Hinduism to Tibetan Buddhism to New Age mysticism and beyond. The Crestone Mountain Zen Center and the Haidakhandi Universal Ashram are among the most established. As a visitor, you can arrange anything from guided meditation sessions to silent retreats or explore the area's distinct aesthetic. Just outside of town, the UFO Watchtower in nearby Hooper draws other curious travelers hoping to catch unexplained aerial activity under dark desert skies.
About a 4-hour drive south of Denver, and 3 hours from Colorado Springs, Crestone makes for a perfect weekend escape from big city life, whether you're looking for a spiritual awakening, an encounter with E.T., or just a pleasant outing in the great outdoors this year.
Manitou Springs

Manitou Springs is an old little town on the outskirts of Colorado Springs, at the base of Pikes Peak. It mixes distinct Victorian architecture with several other historic landmarks.
What originally drew many of the community's settlers was its eight natural mineral springs, many of which are still open for the public to fill up a bottle along a walkable downtown route. Other cool draws downtown include the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade, a fun spot that holds over 400 vintage and modern games, including machines dating back to the early 1900s!
Every October, Manitou hosts the Emma Crawford Coffin Races, where teams in costume race wheeled coffins down the main street to honor a 19th-century local whose remains slid down a mountain after being buried there decades earlier. With its hilly geography, this town also serves as the starting point for the Manitou Incline, a steep former cable car track turned popular endurance hike with over 2,700 railroad tie steps.
Grand Lake

Grand Lake is a highly sought-after lake town located at the western edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. In fact, it sits beside Colorado’s largest natural lake (of the same name), while also maintaining a quirky Old West character with its wooden boardwalk lined by stores, saloons, and ice cream counters; truly a perfect destination to spend a hot day. During the somewhat short summer season in Colorado's highlands, the lake is used for boating, paddleboarding, and notably, trout fishing, while nearby footpaths and trail networks offer access to a wide variety of other natural landmarks, from pristine waterfalls to alpine views.
Be sure to check out the historic Kauffman House Museum if you want to spend some time indoors, however. This rustic log building opens a window into frontier life from the 1890s through a collection of nicely curated exhibits.
Grand Lake further serves as a gateway for a scenic drive across Trail Ridge Road, an easy way to experience the beauty of the area in an afternoon. Also, don't miss the Fourth of July fireworks over the water if you are in the region at the time.
On the other hand, winter in the Rocky Mountains usually means snowmobiling, a primary draw in Grand Lake with machines allowed on city streets and over 300 miles of connected trails.
Paonia

Paonia is a quaint, rural town in the North Fork Valley with a longstanding reputation for organic farming and its orchard-blanketed countryside. It’s also home to a surprising number of artists and other kinds of folk who appreciate its peacefulness.
With a small town center featuring mom-and-pop book shops, a community radio station, and the Blue Sage Center for the Arts, which hosts rotating exhibitions and live performances, the community here definitely has a bit of a creative spirit going. Furthermore, Paonia is, interestingly, also the base for Solar Energy International, drawing renewable energy enthusiasts from around the world to discuss and work for the industry.
In early July, the town hosts Cherry Days, a local festival that includes a parade, pie-eating contests, and wood-chopping competitions. To get another literal taste of what the region has to offer, a handful of small wineries and cideries operate nearby, many with tastings in converted barns or hillside patios. The Orchard Valley Farms & Market and Black Bridge Winery, for example, are two local favorites situated right beside each other, each sitting in a scenic spot along the North Fork Gunnison River at the northern end of town.
Enjoy All of Colorado's Uniqueness Today
Now you know you have at least six more options to explore Colorado in 2025, with a variety of things to see and do, including hiking ideas, lesser-known parks, historic downtown cores, and much more. Whether you desire to view the Rockies from another angle or want to learn more about the Centennial State's longstanding history, definitely use this list to help get your itinerary started now.