This Is The Friendliest Small Town in Colorado
Colorado’s friendliest small town has no ski lifts or resorts, but it has a restored depot, a stone roundhouse, and a railroad story that reaches back to 1879. The final trains left in 1937, but the historic buildings survived. Volunteers spent years restoring them at nearly 10,000 feet. Every August, the roundhouse becomes a concert hall for Boreas Pass Railroad Day, Como’s summer heritage festival.
Como's Colorful History
Como sits in Park County in Colorado's Rocky Mountains and was named by Italian coal miners for Lake Como and the city of Como in northern Italy. The region's first gold strike came at Tarryall in 1859, and coal mining took hold around Como in 1871. The town itself dates to 1879, when it began as a construction camp for crews laying track for the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad. The first train arrived from Denver that June, and the Como Depot went up the same year. The railroad had been pushed across Kenosha Pass to reach the silver mining areas during the Colorado Silver Boom.
Como also got its first post office in 1879. Italian stonemasons built the stone roundhouse in 1881. A branch line over Boreas Pass followed in 1882, dropping into Breckenridge before climbing Fremont Pass into Leadville. At its peak, the town handled as many as twenty-six trains a day. As with most historic mining towns, the line was eventually abandoned, and the last trains pulled out in 1937. When the trains left, so did most of Como's inhabitants. After the property changed hands in 2008, restoration of the Como Depot continued until its official completion and dedication in 2015.
Best Things to Do In Como
Today, Como is half ghost town, half working historic site. Visitors can see the depot, the stone roundhouse, and the hotel that served the rail line, listed together on the National Register of Historic Places. These buildings are still being rehabilitated to remain a visitor attraction in the years to come. Other historic buildings include the 1883 elementary school, which now serves as the town's community center. The neighboring high school building, furnished as it would have been in its working years, is a museum. Those interested in Como's railroad past can visit the restored depot museum during a scheduled open house or special event, where artifacts from the South Park line are on display.
Where Como really shines is in its outdoor offerings. Boreas Pass, a seasonal 21-mile route that climbs over the Continental Divide and drops into Breckenridge, follows the old railroad grade and is the main draw. The road crests at roughly 11,480 feet and takes its name from Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind. It closes to vehicles for the winter, usually in early November, and reopens in late spring. The Forest Service publishes an interpretive auto tour brochure for the route, available at the South Park Ranger District office in Fairplay. Aspen groves line the grade, and the color peaks between mid-September and early October. Drivers can stop at the summit to see the Boreas Pass Section House, built in 1882 to house the railroad men and their families who maintained this stretch of track. Ken's Cabin sits next to it. Originally called the Wagon Cabin, it dates to the 1860s, when the route was still a wagon trail, and both buildings now serve as winter huts. Anglers can visit Teter-Michigan Creek SWA with the required license or pass, while trophy-trout fishing at Bar Star Ranch must be booked through Mountain Angler. That property holds the 40-acre Flying Fish Lake, where the rainbows run past twenty inches. Como also sits beside Pike National Forest, where visitors can camp and hike, with dispersed sites and Selkirk Campground north of town on the pass.
Events to Look Forward To
Since Como is a tiny town, it does not have the major festivals that other Colorado towns do. However, it does host an annual heritage event called Boreas Pass Railroad Day. The event is held on a Saturday in August at the roundhouse, and admission is free. The roundhouse essentially becomes a concert venue for the day as the Denver Brass takes the stage, joined by the Celtic Colorado Bagpipers and Drums, performing Celtic and Americana favorites. The event hosts are the Denver, South Park & Pacific Historical Society and the South Park Rail Society. The depot museum and roundhouse open at 9 am on the day of the event, with the concert starting at 2:30 pm. Visitors can also ride handcars and speeders on the restored track and see Klondike Kate #4, a 1912 Baldwin locomotive that came back to Como in 2018 after decades away. The South Park Rail Society also hosts volunteer work days and open houses from May through September, allowing visitors to see the ongoing railroad restoration projects up close.
Supporting Local Businesses
Como is unique in more ways than one, as proven by its lack of restaurants and hotels. The Mountain Man Gallery on Broadway is one of the few businesses open in town. It sells wildlife photography, jewelry, and wood carvings, and it also serves as Como's post office. Residents here are used to pointing visitors toward the nearest cafe, grocery store, or eatery. While it is a good idea for visitors to bring their own food and water, there are nearby places that provide meals and also accommodation. Preservation groups are working to get the 1897 Como Hotel, known during its railroad years as the South Park Hotel, ready for guests again. In the meantime, visitors can head to Fairplay, a small town about 10 miles from Como, to be spoilt for choice when it comes to breakfast or lunch. Otto's bills its fried chicken as America's highest and serves it from a counter on US 285. The Outpost Cafe, inside the Hand Hotel on Front Street, does savory breakfasts, pastries, and espresso until early afternoon. Visitors who want to explore Como and Fairplay over a couple of days can book a rustic room at the Hand Hotel, which opened in 1932, or opt for A Riverside Inn Travelodge by Wyndham.
Find Serenity in Colorado's Friendliest Town
Como has no resorts and no ski lifts, and its residents are proud of their corner of Park County anyway. They invite visitors to experience the town's history and to explore the natural wonders around it. What separates Como from the other old railroad stops scattered across South Park is that people stayed, kept the buildings standing, and put a working locomotive back on the track. That volunteer effort is the reason a settlement this small at nearly 10,000 feet turns up at the top of a statewide friendliness ranking.
