The Best Small Towns in The Rockies to Chill Out In 2024
The imposing Rockies offer a reassuring sight of stability, longevity, and Mother Nature's generosity. From springtime wildflowers to the waterfalls surrounding Ouray, the enchanting scenery disarms even the most seasoned travelers from around the world. The mountains welcome horseback riders, mountain bikers, and campers, while the towns within the shadowy expanses capitalize on the beauty and resources to offer recreation, hospitality, and relaxation.
Experience the entertainment scene along the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs or stargazing in Ketchum, a Dark Sky Community. These authentic mountain towns, like many others, symbolize freedom, unbridled optimism, and the individualism of a rugged mountain man. These seven Rockies towns are a cultural gold mine, literally, having been through booms and busts with legacy-speckled downtown areas in architecture and the unfailing charm of the Old West.
Blairmore, Alberta
Blairmore is steeped in peaky vistas, fresh mountain air, and unique history along the refreshing Crowsnest River banks. More than just the Pass' oldest settlement, thriving in lumber until 1907 and incorporated in 1911, Blairmore "switched tracks" to a Canadian Pacific Railway stop, just west of a cold sulfur spring. It soon became an economic hub from coal mining, like many other Canadian industrial towns of the 1930s. With working-class grievances, it elected the first Canadian Communist mayor in 1933, thus attaining the nickname “Little Moscow.” Visitors can hear more local stories from the past at Stone's Throw Cafe or The Pass Beer Co. From the popular Crowsnest Pass Golf Club to the scenic river for a chill picnic in nature, the atmospheric Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery hosts art exhibitions just down the road. Don't miss the historic sites like a gazebo, a bandstand, and a courthouse. In the winter, really chill out at Pass Powderkeg Ski Area just south, while Spry will gear up your adventure in every season.
Home to the Crowsnest Pass Bike Skills Park and charming businesses like the popular Gilded Haus Gift Boutique and adjacent Launstein Imagery Wildlife Art Gallery, visitors can browse after a morning stroll along the nearby Turtle Mountain Trail. Five minutes west, or 20 minutes of pedaling, Coleman is home to the Crowsnest Museum & Archives and the Miners' Path, a moderate hike to a pretty waterfall. Minutes east, Frank Slide in the eponymous little mining town displays one of Canada’s deadliest rockslides, which buried Frank back in 1903. Stop by the Interpretive Center for more insights, including coal mining and resource extraction in Alberta and Crowsnest Pass. South from there, consider the Bellevue Underground Mining Tour or explore the stunning Pass with different trails, like scaling the popular Turtle Mountain for a bird's-eye view of Frank Slide's origin. Nothing beats a springtime hike along the Window Pass to a dazzling mountain lake framed by wildflowers against the beautiful Rockies!
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Looking epic day and night beneath the towering Rockies, Glenwood Springs blends enviable geography, eclectic dining, and entertainment, from farm-to-table eateries to award-winning breweries. Beckoning for a city respite year-round at the scenic confluence of the Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers, visitors can enjoy easy I-70 highway access under three hours from Denver or 1.5 hours from Grand Junction. Savor every drop without hordes of tourists or straining your wallet, like on a wintertime escape to Sunlight Mountain Resort right in town for skiing and its own riverside hot springs. Visitors can soak up the mountain views from a family pool at Iron Mountain Hot Springs and go out for a live music dinner or a mystery-themed one at the Riviera Supper Club with a piano bar.
Offering plenty of ways to stay active or simply chill out at the world's largest hot spring swimming pools and vapor caves, you can shake off the stress during a hilarious comedy-musical dinner show at Vaudeville Revue. From caving to biking and hikes, the 16-mile Glenwood Canyon Recreational Trail meanders through the Glenwood Canyon, with wildlife and access to fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and whitewater rafting in the river. The mountaintop Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park offers scenery for every level of thrill, including a 4-D theater and a zipline. Visitors can tour the underlying caves and enjoy the views via a gondola lift, an alpine coaster, or a Ferris wheel. Nearby, the moderate 1.2-mile trail to Hanging Lake is one of the most rewarding endeavors and natural sights in the Rockies.
Golden, British Columbia
Nestled at the confluence of the Columbia and Kicking Horse Rivers within the forested Canadian Rockies, the rugged geography makes Golden a thriving outdoor mecca at the gateway to Yoho National Park. Established in the late 19th century, visitors can stop by the Golden & District Museum to discover its past significance in the development, trade, and transportation of the region following the Canadian Pacific Railway, with exhibits like local railway artifacts, industries, and early settlers' lives. From Takakkaw Falls, one of Canada's highest, to Emerald Lake, choose Emerald Lake Lodge or Cedar Lake Campground for a cozy lakeside weekend retreat in the mountains with easy access to downtown.
Visitors can enjoy wet and dry pursuits or scenically relax overlooking the Columbia Mountains and several other sites. The Golden Skybridge is a suspension pedestrian bridge across a deep canyon, renowned for sweeping mountain vistas. The Natural Bridge, once carved by the Kicking Horse River, offers a fun scramble for a picnic or photoshoot by the large rock formation. Nearby, the Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Center features guided tours about the wolves, their behavior and ecology, as well as their importance in the mountain habitat. Stop by the Golden Visitor Center for more regional insights and ways to explore, like Alpine Rafting or the cozy Confluence Park for a waterside stroll, while the Bear & Bone Burger Co. will satiate your hunger.
Huntsville, Utah
In a snug embrace with the towering Wasatch Range, Huntsville is an idyllic escape from Salt Lake City, just an hour from the state capital. Nestled on a beautiful reservoir, a prime spot for fishing with crappie, smallmouth bass, and tiger muskies, Pineview Reservoir offers a lovely warm-weather weekend escape on the water. Home to Windsurfer Beach, with picnic areas and public restrooms, visitors can enjoy boating and paddleboarding in the surroundings of lush parks, relax with a picnic, or hike the perimeter of the lake in the fresh mountain air and scenic views. How about a summertime backpacking trip to conquer the heights or a refreshing springtime getaway for scenic mountain biking at the world-class Snowbasin Resort?
As one of the best places in the region for stargazing, the magic continues into the warm summer nights with minimal light pollution, while the Huntsville Astronomic and Lunar Observatory offers the comfort of a hotel to enjoy the celestial nightly dance. Nearby, Ogden Canyon features a pretty waterfall after some scrambling. In winter, visitors can ski from the highest peaks at one of the three major ski resorts nearby, including Snowbasin Ski Resort and Nordic Valley Ski Resort, as well as cross-country skiing at Wheeler Creek. Unwind at Utah’s oldest bar, Shooting Star Saloon, within taxidermy-inspired digs, and wind down at Compass Rose Lodge to be up early for a stroll at the next-door town park with an onsite coffee shop and observatory.
Ketchum, Idaho
Anything but a "sleepy" mountain town, Ketchum bursts with vibrant nature, attractions, and a spirit for the outdoors, with an authentic feel that lets visitors discover the rugged in comfort, like at the homely Warm Springs Day Lodge. Nestled beneath the high Rockies peaks in central Idaho, the big blue skies reflect in the crystal-clear waterways alongside miles upon miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. The Sawtooth Botanical Garden features rock gardens with natural flora and fauna, while the Sun Valley Museum of Art flaunts unique exhibits inspired by local nature. Boasting a lively downtown with regular cultural events, there's no wrong time to enjoy a bevy of the "apres" scene, including fine restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Born out of the late 1800s silver and lead mining boom and named after David Ketchum, a trapper and guide, Ketchum survived the late 19th-century silver crash as a livestock center for farmers and sheep ranchers.
Turning to resort activities with water piped from Guyer Hot Springs, officials from the Union Pacific Railroad founded the iconic Sun Valley Resort, a world-class skiing and boarding facility along the 4,300-acre Brass Ranch. On Labor Day weekend, the Wagon Days Parade celebrates its mining and pioneer heritage as the PNW's largest non-motorized parade. Ketchum, a designated International Dark Sky Community since 2018, is part of the nation's first International Dark Sky Reserve. The 906,000-acre Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve offers easy access to public lands like Sawtooth National Forest for camping under the celestial heavens. Encapsulating the rugged beauty of the PNW, visitors can enjoy the views year-round in the rugged beauty of neighboring Sun Valley or the open fields and stables of Sun Valley Resort. A warm-weather trek along Adams Gulch Trailhead overlooks the dramatic valley, saturated in summertime colors.
Ouray, Colorado
Established in the late 19th century as a mining boom town, Ouray, named after Chief Ouray of the Ute tribe, is known as the "Switzerland of America." Come discover why, in the alpine valley embraced by the San Juan Mountains. Visitors can follow the two creeks through the antiquated downtown area along a rich legacy of gold and silver deposits sprinkled like treasures throughout. From Victorian-era architecture to thriving small businesses, Ouray County Museum and the Bachelor Syracuse Mine Tour attract history lovers. Whether you're more of an Ouray Hot Springs Pool and Fitness Center type or a stargazer at the Amphitheater Campground, Cascade Falls Park is right midway.
Visitors can follow the park's hiking trails to a whole network of waterfalls, most voluminous after snowmelt from the mountains, springtime rain, and in the fall. From the Baby Bathtubs Trail to the Alpine Loop, the rocky landscape of Box Cañon Falls Park flaunts the crown 85-foot cascade of water, trails, picnic spots, and a visitor center, while Imogene Pass is a one-of-a-kind off-road drive. Ouray appeases any type of traveler on a relaxing or active Rockies getaway year-round, set against red stone cliffs and incredible canyons. In the winter, Ouray Ice Park is a refuge for ice climbers and other winter sports, while Ouray Brewery and the hot springs offer every chance to unwind.
Teton Village, Wyoming
Teton Village grew upon a once-dry, rocky area, the last of the valley to be developed. Settled by ranchers with dude ranches like Crystal Spring Ranch in the 1940s and ’50s, Paul McCollister and Alex Morley brought their vision to life in the 1960s with the renowned ski resort covering the peaks above Teton Village, Apres Vous, and Rendezvous Mountains. This bustling yet intimate community today is a renowned wintertime destination at the base of the legendary Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Offering a chill-worthy escape in every season, visitors can enjoy the gondola, a bike park, and even thrilling tandem paragliding with a crowd-free feel but all the same active "apres ski" scene, including spas and concerts. Think resort dining, shopping, and fun family activities like some R&R at the "R Lazy S Ranch" or a horseback ride at sunset, Old West style.
Ever wondered what it is like to live full-time at what is rated among the best ski resorts in North America, home to the nation's longest continuous vertical drop at 4,167 feet? Visitors can enjoy runs for every skier and boarder level in the winter, along with activities like dog sledding and ice skating. In the spring, the Albright View Overlook features wildflowers and snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, while the summertime trails include mountain biking, a via ferrata, and hiking, like Granite Canyon, Phelps Lake, and Snake River. Home to a few hundred friendly residents, the area is teeming with wildlife like moose and bears. Chill out during the Grand Teton Music Festival with an all-star orchestra in full swing. Return for Winterfest and holiday shopping, or find peace and serenity at a local spa like Teton Mountain Lodge and Spa.
The Rocky Mountains cover much more than just Colorado. North America's longest range crosses the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. Visitors can easily access the overwhelming views of the white-capped peaks under cerulean skies, forested foothills, and towering ponderosa pines reflecting in countless alpine lakes.
There are still enough summer days to chill out lakeside in Blairmore or Huntsville. Experience a winter wonderland in the "Switzerland of America," or how about at one of America's top ski resorts, Teton Village? Stretching for 3,000 miles from northwestern Canada down to north-central New Mexico, this magnificent force of nature offers breathtaking scenery to explore and relax the mind, body, and soul.
