From Denver International Airport add another 30 to 45 minutes, because the airport is on the far northeast edge of the metro area and you cross the entire city before the drive properly starts.
Route 1: US-285 and Monarch Pass
About 335 miles, six and a half hours. The shortest and the best.
- US-285 southwest out of Denver, climbing over Kenosha Pass at 10,001 feet into South Park, which is a genuine high grassland basin ringed by fourteeners.
- Buena Vista and the Collegiate Peaks. Eight peaks over 14,000 feet lined up to the west of the road. Salida is a good coffee and lunch stop.
- Poncha Springs, where you pick up US-50 west.
- Monarch Pass, 11,312 feet, on the Continental Divide. A wide, well graded highway with a gift shop and a tram at the top. Not a scary road.
- Gunnison and Blue Mesa Reservoir, then the Black Canyon country down to Montrose.
- Ridgway, then CO-62 over Dallas Divide at 8,970 feet, which is the view everybody photographs: the Sneffels range across an aspen foreground.
- CO-145 south to Placerville, then east up the San Miguel River canyon into Telluride.
Route 2: Interstate 70 and Grand Junction
About 365 miles, six and a half to seven hours. Longer in distance, similar in time, and much easier in winter.
Interstate 70 west through the mountain corridor, Eisenhower Tunnel, Vail, Glenwood Canyon, then Grand Junction at mile 250. From there US-50 south to Montrose and the same Ridgway, Dallas Divide and CO-145 finish.
Take this route when Monarch Pass is closed or ugly, when you are driving at night, or when you want the option of stopping at Glenwood Springs for the hot springs or Colorado National Monument above Grand Junction.
One warning: eastbound Interstate 70 on a Sunday afternoon in ski season backs up for hours between Silverthorne and the Eisenhower Tunnel. That affects your return leg, not the drive out.
Route 3: Adding the Million Dollar Highway
If you have the time and it is not winter, take Route 1 as far as Montrose, then continue south on US-550 through Ouray, over Red Mountain Pass at 11,018 feet to Silverton, and around to Telluride via Dolores and CO-145.
This adds roughly two hours. It is the most dramatic paved road in Colorado: cliff-edge switchbacks above the Uncompahgre Gorge with no guardrail, old mine workings on the slopes, and a summit that holds snow into June.
Do not attempt it in a storm, and do not attempt it if edge exposure bothers the driver. There is no shame in the direct route.
The Last Thirty Miles
From Placerville, CO-145 follows the San Miguel River east and climbs steadily. The valley narrows, the walls close in, and then Telluride appears at the end of it with Bridal Veil Falls, at 365 feet the tallest in Colorado, hanging off the back wall.
The town is a dead end. The road stops. That geography is the whole character of the place.
Parking and the Gondola
Telluride's street parking is limited and metered, and the free lot at Carhenge on the east end fills on festival weekends. The free gondola runs from town over the ridge to Mountain Village in about 13 minutes and operates most of the year, so staying in Mountain Village and leaving the car parked is a perfectly good plan.
Flying Instead
Telluride Regional (TEX) is 6 miles from town and at 9,070 feet is the highest commercial airport in the United States. Service is limited and weather diversions are common enough that people build a backup into their plans.
Montrose Regional (MTJ) is 65 miles and about 90 minutes out, with far more flights and much better reliability in winter. Most visitors land here and drive or take a shuttle.
Driving from Denver rather than flying makes sense if you want the passes, the aspen, or a car once you arrive. For a long weekend in January, fly to Montrose.
Season by Season
Late September into the first week of October is the aspen window, and Dallas Divide and the Last Dollar Road are among the best places in the state to be during it. Expect traffic and book lodging months out.
Summer means wildflowers, the festival calendar, and afternoon thunderstorms that build by 1pm. Start hikes early.
Winter means traction law on the passes. Snow tyres or chains, a full tank before you climb, and a check of the Colorado road conditions site before you leave Denver. The road stays open, but sections close temporarily during storms.
Mud season, roughly April to mid-May and again in November, is when half the town shuts. Cheap lodging, very little open.
Worth Stopping For
- Kenosha Pass, mile 60. Aspen groves either side of the highway and a short walk on the Colorado Trail.
- Salida, mile 145. Riverfront town, good food, hot springs nearby at Mount Princeton.
- Blue Mesa Reservoir, mile 220. The largest body of water in Colorado, and the gateway to Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison, a 40-minute detour from Montrose. A 2,000-foot gorge so narrow that parts of the floor get 33 minutes of sunlight a day.
- Ridgway, mile 300. Small, unpretentious, with the Sneffels range filling the windscreen.
Denver to Telluride: The Drive, the Two Routes and the Passes FAQs
Between 330 and 365 miles depending on the route, and six and a half to seven hours of driving. There is no fast way. Every option crosses the Rockies.
About 365 miles and roughly seven hours by road, because the airport sits on the far east side of the city and you have to cross the whole metro area before you start. Add 30 to 45 minutes to any city-centre estimate.
In summer, US-285 south to Poncha Springs and US-50 over Monarch Pass. It is the shortest and by far the best scenery. In winter or bad weather, Interstate 70 west to Grand Junction and south through Montrose keeps you on the widest and most heavily plowed roads.
The two main routes are not. Monarch Pass is a wide, graded highway. The Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton is the one people mean, and it has sharp drops with no guardrails. It is optional and it is not on the direct route.
Telluride Regional Airport sits at 9,070 feet and diverts in weather often enough that locals plan around it. Montrose Regional is 65 miles and about 90 minutes away with far more reliable service, and it is where most visitors actually land.
Yes, the town operates all winter and the road in is maintained. Colorado's traction law applies on the mountain corridors, so carry snow tyres or chains, and check the state road conditions site the morning you leave.
