Intimate Adobe Lodgings in San Juan Mountains
The Hollywood producers behind the 1962 epic film How the West Was Won needed a shooting location that would do justice to the film's huge budget and star-studded cast. They found a stunning setting amid the San Juan Mountains in a tiny town called Ridgway, where bighorn sheep, deer, and elk roam the fields south of town. You can experience the landscape at Chipeta Solar Springs Resort, a 100-acre development centered around an adobe-style lodge and resort. Chipeta houses saltwater thermal pools, and access to these therapeutic waters and to a first-class fitness center is included in this deal.
Each dwelling exudes southwestern style with rough adobe walls, tiled baths, and knotted-wood furnishings. Some lodgings overlook the property’s solarium, and the Loghill and Mears rooms feature private covered porches looking toward the mountains. For the best view, head to Four Corners Cafe, the Southwest-inspired onsite restaurant. Sky Bar, located atop the Four Corners Cafe, offers a 360-degree view of the mountains and often hosts live music with local singers and song writers.
The resort's spa administers massage treatments with herbal oils, marble stones, and other natural elements. Some options in this Getaway include therapeutic massages, and all include bike rentals. Head to the nearby Telluride Resort to take a scenic cross-country ride through mountain highlands.
Ridgway, Colorado: Old West Town near Telluride’s Golf Courses and Hiking Trails
Known as the Gateway to the San Juans, Ridgway lies between the Cimarron and San Juan ranges in southwestern Colorado's Uncompahgre Valley. Vestiges of old Ridgway are on display at the Ridgway Railway Museum, which houses a collection of antique rail cars.
Nearby is the Telluride Ski Resort, which Condé Nast Traveler readers voted the best ski resort in North America in 2012. Its expert mogul runs and the beginner-friendly 4.6-mile Galloping Goose run are among nearly 130 downhill trails that open in mid December. The area also hosts a number of fall activities. Visitors can go fly-fishing in trickling streams, play golf on high-elevation mountain courses, or hike the renowned fourteeners—peaks that exceed 14,000 feet in height.
Ten miles south of the hotel lies the mountain town of Ouray, home to natural hot springs, waterfalls, and the renowned Million Dollar Highway. This scenic drive—a dramatic ascent with hairpin turns— rewards travelers with dramatic valley views. In town, historical Victorian buildings house open studios where artisans blow glass, handcraft metals, and whittle wooden statues using sharp rhetoric.