8 Towns in Colorado Plateau with Unique Traditions
One of the best things about traveling is seeing new things and taking in the sights in your vacation locale. Be it panoramic landscapes or architecture, there is much to enjoy with your eyes during trips. But you know what is better and makes for a more authentic experience? Joining locals in their customs, celebrations, and traditions.
Seeing things is one thing, but doing things is another! As they say, do as the Romans do—or, in this case, do as the locals do in the Colorado Plateau. This desert region in the southwestern United States has a slew of activities, practices, and annual festivities that will tickle your fancy. From Sedona’s art fests to Durango’s cowboy parades, here are some towns in the Colorado Plateau with unique traditions!
Sedona, Arizona
Perhaps constant exposure to Verde Valley’s beautiful red sandstone formations has made this Arizona city passionate about the arts. Home to many galleries, the Chamber Music Sedona, and the Sedona Arts Center—among the oldest in the northern side of the state—Sedona is serious about artistic pursuits.
If you feel as strongly about the arts as this city, there are some annual festivals you should join. Try your artsy hand at Sedona Plein Air Festival, a celebration of outdoor painting that uses Sedona’s sublime sandstones and environment as its subject. Sedona Arts Festival, another October gathering of some of the best artists and crafters across the country, is also a fundraising activity for arts education in the area. Music lovers will enjoy the Red Rocks Music Festival, while cinephiles should attend the yearly Sedona International Film Festival—arguably the hottest show in town!
Kanab, Utah
Can Kanab impress new visitors? You bet it can! Whether you are a fan of Western film history, love biking and hiking away your red-rock fever, or want to watch balloons soar, this Kane County city knows how to keep its distinct Kanab characteristics as its legacy. Western film buffs usually make a pilgrimage to its Little Hollywood Museum, which has preserved Kanab’s time in the limelight as the former go-to movie set for old Western movies. As a bonus, eat at the cowboy buffet of the nearby Chuckwagon Cookouts for added immersion.
However, the city's biggest annual event for locals and tourists alike happens every February—and it mixes the fun of balloons and good tunes! Launching 40 hot air balloons in Kanab’s skies while hosting a Battle of the Bands contest, the Balloons and Tunes Roundup is a 3-day Kanab festival full of soaring and drumming you should not miss.
Telluride, Colorado
Although its silver mining days are long gone, Telluride still tries to honor its quarry heritage while celebrating its current tourism magnet: skiing. Every winter, the town becomes a hot spot for snow-centric activities such as backcountry skiing, ice climbing, fat biking, and dog sledding. But its old 1896 miner’s hospital, which now houses the Telluride Historical Museum, is still lovingly preserved.
Visit during Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve to see the town merge its mining and skiing days with a loud bang—literally! At around 6:30 PM, the town blows up dynamite to signal the start of the Torchlight Parade, and you will see snow patrol whiz down Telluride Trail on their skis and snowboards while holding bright red torches. It is quite a sight and something you can easily see from any spot in downtown Telluride!
Durango, Colorado
The Old West is alive and well in Durango—at least in festival form. Durango treasures its American Frontier past so much that it has not one, not two, but three cowboy-themed yearly events! In the summer, attend the True Western Roundup, scheduled every summer, to rodeo it up on saddle bronc riding, breakaway roping, and bull riding. The Fiesta Days Rodeo, which started in 1935, is a more festive party with its parades and horse racing in addition to rodeo demos.
Perhaps the biggest among the three is the Durango Cowboy Gathering every October. Organized to honor, preserve, and share the traditions of the American West and its hardworking ranch people, the town goes all out for it: motorless parades (the largest, in fact), chuckwagon breakfasts, and cowboy music and poetry—you name it! Outside the festivals, you can still easily get your cowboy experience via horseback riding on the surrounding trails, horse-drawn sleigh riding in winter, and rocking it out at Wild Horse Saloon.
Bluff, Utah
Balloons, arts, and cowboy and Native American festivities—these might sound like a hodgepodge of random celebrations. Still, they make Bluff truly unique and interesting to a wide range of travelers. For starters, Bluff gladly promotes its art community through the Bluff Arts Festival every October. Hands-on workshops, film festivals, live music, and an art walk are just some of the artsy-craftsy enticements you can experience.
Meanwhile, September has the Utah Navajo Fair and Rodeo, where a traditional powwow is held, and rodeo pros giddy it up with their roping and riding skills. Lastly, start your year right with the Bluff Balloon Festival. This tiny Utah town has organized it for 25 years now, and it does not look like it is stopping itself from filling its skies with vibrant balloons every January anytime soon.
Lupton, Arizona
Home to not even 20 people, Lupton is more of a roadside attraction than a proper town. Still, this unusual western front door of Arizona deserves a quick stopover on your next Colorado Plateau road trip for its Route 66 history, trading posts, and Native American art pieces.
The place was a popular resting point along the historic Route 66, with shops like the TeePee Trading Post as old as the highway itself. While not as bustling as before, you can still find some jewelry, blankets, and other authentic handmade souvenirs made by Native American artists here. The staff at TeePee, Yellowhorse, and Chaparral trading posts would even gladly share with you tidbits about their Native traditions and stories about almost every trinket. Keep this Route 66 tradition alive and support Lupton’s local Native Peoples by dropping by here! In addition, the red cliffs behind the Painted Cliffs Welcome Center look absolutely stunning!
Williams, Arizona
Add one more stop to your Route 66 and Grand Canyon road trip with the town of Williams, where its highway past, bygone cowboy days, and work ideals are celebrated. As the last historic Route 66 town to be bypassed by the I-40, it keeps its highway legacy through its yearly Route 66 JDM Classic Car Show, where participants display their vintage vehicles and car collections. For those curious about the highway’s history, the Route 66 Museum and Gift Shop is more than welcome to show its antique exhibits and memorabilia (vintage gasoline, anyone?).
The title of the biggest Williams annual event probably goes to the Labor Daze party—Williams’ fundraising shindig that celebrates the spirit of hard work. Set every September 1st, it doubles as a craft beer fest to also highlight the town’s go-to craft brewery. Want to see the pros display their rodeo roping skills? Stop by Williams Rodeo Ground in August and September for the World Series of Team Roping. Now that is worthy of yee-haw!
Jemez Springs, New Mexico
While other towns on this list focus on parades and parties, Jemez Springs is all about health and wellness with its favorite spa tradition. In fact, one of its most popular historical sites is the still-operating Jemez Springs Bath House. Constructed in the late 1800s, locals and tourists would regularly soak in its warm waters to relieve them of their ailments.
For a weekend getaway at this purported healing spring of a town, stay at the Jemez Hot Springs Resort and plan a few hikes to reach its surrounding notable springs. The McCauley Warm Springs is one of the most visited, as it is a scenic trek with excellent water temperatures. You will pass by Battleship Rock and Soda Dam. Not into hiking? Sticking with the bathhouse or a soak under the stars at the resort. Both are excellent choices that encapsulate Jemez Springs’ tradition.
Part of what makes a trip memorable and educational is the opportunity to do new things and expose yourself to new cultures. Luckily, with its gorgeous red rock landscapes and diverse towns, the Colorado Plateau has oodles of avenues for you to get out of your comfort zone and experience something new.
Kanab and Bluff’s hot air balloon festivals, Telluride’s ski resort and mining heritage combo, and Durango’s cowboy sprees are just some of the towns in the Colorado Plateau with unique traditions and celebrations. Lounging in resorts is always nice, but wading yourself in the mirth and jubilee of a community will always elevate your trip!
