A Guide to Silverton, Colorado

Aug 02, 2023

Locals share where to stay, shop, and play in Silverton, Colorado.

Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel.

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Silverton, Colorado is one of those rare places where mountain views greet you in every direction, and where everyone seems to be off climbing, skiing, hiking, or river rafting. Though its history is rooted in mining — gold and silver were discovered in this area in the late 19th century — Silverton is a true mountain town today, and as such, it draws people who truly love the mountains.

Jen Brill, one of the founders of local ski area Silverton Mountain, told Travel + Leisure by email that “over 80% of the county that Silverton is in is public land,” and all that wild, open space lends itself to outdoor adventures. In the summer, people come to climb peaks, run mountain trails, float the river, or just bask in the town’s Wild West vibe and cool, high-elevation temperatures.

It’s quieter in the winter, but no less exciting. You won’t find a mega Vail Resorts-owned ski area, ski valet, or Starbucks, but you will find skiing, and plenty of it. The family-friendly Kendall Mountain Ski Area is a few blocks from downtown, while Brill’s Silverton Mountain entices extreme skiers from all over the country who come to experience untracked heliskiing runs and controlled backcountry skiing. Josh Jespersen, a Silverton local and IFMGA-certified guide with Mountain Trip, told T+L that, “On top of the skiing, the ice climbing is absolutely world-class here. There are many backcountry, multi-pitch ice routes.”No matter when you visit Silverton, expect to find everyday people doing extreme things in the mountains. “You have to be an advanced hiker, biker, boater, skier, snowboarder, snowshoer, etc. to get around Silverton,” said Brill. Moderate or inexperienced athletes can have some fun here too, she added. “Silverton also has guides for hire for most activities, from ice climbing and winter camping to chairlift skiing."If you’re up for the adventure — or even just want to revel in Silverton’s mountain-town energy — read on for our guide to this incredible mountain hub.

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If you want to stay in the hippest spot in town, look no further than The Wyman Hotel. This property has it all, including mid-century modern design, a great lobby bar, and 15 beautiful rooms with windows overlooking the mountains. But the best part of the hotel is something a modern developer couldn’t curate: a setting in a 1902 landmark building that once housed a gas station and a mercantile, among other businesses. The Wyman leans into that history, while adding enough modern touches — from velvet headboards to mid-century lighting — to create a feeling of opulence.

The Grand Imperial Hotel, a Silverton staple since the 1880s, is better known around town as “The Grand.” The walls are covered in old black-and-white photographs and the decor is distinctly Victorian, with carved wooden furniture, rich textiles, and wainscotting. The hotel sits in the center of town on Main Street and practically every room boasts a mountain view — and if you’re lucky, a deep, claw-foot tub.

It’s easy to overlook the Villa Dallavalle, which sits off the main thoroughfare behind an unassuming facade. But the inn, which recently added the Wildcrafter Spa with a sauna, steam room, and jetted tubs, is actually the longest family-run business in Silverton. The inn has a quaint, European feel, and each room is cozy and unique, telling the story of the Dallavalle family who immigrated to Silverton from Tyrol, Italy.

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In the summer, everything revolves around the train, which pulls into Silverton from Durango around noon, daily. The historic train carried passengers, gold, silver, and more as far back as 1882, winding through the canyon, alongside the Animas River, and up and over the rugged Molas Pass. It is nicknamed “America’s Railroad” for good reason, and should be experienced by anyone interested in historic trains and mountain views. The journey between the two mountain towns takes 3.5 hours.In true Silverton fashion, Jespersen notes that you can have the train drop you off between the two towns in order to go an adventure in the wild. “Nowhere else in the state or in the country do you get to take a narrow-gauge railroad and get dropped off in the wilderness to go hiking, climbing, and skiing.”

When it comes to physical feats — climbing mountains, rafting rivers, and skinning up ridges — Silverton can be intimidating. But there’s nothing scary about spending a day at Kendall Mountain Ski Area, which has just one chairlift and an adjacent sledding hill and ice rink. The snow-driven fun revolves around the lodge, which is the go-to hangout spot for those looking to get warm and fuel up.

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Just a few miles west of downtown Silverton is Ice Lake Trail, which traverses up into the San Juan Mountains and through fields of wildflowers. The 3.4-mile, one-way journey ends at the trail’s namesake, Ice Lake, a blue-green, high-alpine lake. Take a dip here before beginning your descent. Keep in mind that like most hikes departing from the Silverton area, Ice Lake Trail is steep and rated as difficult.

Courtesy of Mountain Trip

The opposite of Kendall Mountain is Silverton Mountain, an extreme-skiier’s paradise with both guided and unguided skiing and snowboarding. A chairlift transports riders to the ridge, and from there, it’s either a visit to the helicopter pad for heliskiing and boarding, or a hike to a secret stash of powder — of which there is no shortage. The mountain has become so popular that they're in the process of adding a second chairlift, which they hope will start running sometime this coming winter.

If you like to ice climb, book a guide and make plans to play on the Stairway to Heaven, a multi-pitch route set in the Silverton backcountry. Jespersen calls the route “world-class” and says the climb is in a particularly amazing setting.

Don’t leave Silverton without driving the Million Dollar Highway, a 23-mile route that connects the towns of Silverton and Ouray via the 11,018-foot Red Mountain Pass. The road, which reportedly cost a million dollars a mile to build, is carved into the side of the cliffs, creating a dramatic dropoff in several spots, plus constant views. Expect the drive to take an hour, and make sure to budget time to explore Ouray, Silverton’s sister city.

If your time in the Wild West has you craving a piece of authentic Indigenous art, swing by White Eyes Gallery. The gallery boasts a great selection of Native-made art, including pottery, paintings, and jewelry.

As its name implies, the Silverton Train Store is all about trains. The shop showcases railroad art by artist Herschel Lee Scott, III “Scotty,” including plenty of prints of the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

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If you need a souvenir from your trip to Silverton or just want to hangout in “Silverton’s friendliest gift shop,” head to Fetch’s, where you’ll find mugs, magnets, T-shirts, local books, and great conversation. One repeat customer noted in a Facebook review that “We have been coming in to Fetch's for over 25 years. He is a part of our family vacation every year; he has watched our children grow up and is now watching our grandchildren grow up.”

Silverton is a quiet town, but after a long day of hiking, people like to let loose. If you want to get down — and enjoy a great selection of drinks — head to Columbine Roadhouse, which has regular live music in the summer and a mountain-surrounded outdoor bar.

The Coffee Bear is the place to be in the morning. Adventurers out at dawn swing by for coffee and breakfast burritos or drop by for a second breakfast once their hike, ski, or ride has been completed. Both Brill and Jespersen confirm that Coffee Bear is the go-to spot, with Jesperson noting that “I love that for a very remote, tiny mountain town, they are super consistent with their hours and quality.”

For what is arguably the best pizza in town, head to Avalanche Brewing Company, which also brews their own Silverton- and San Juan-inspired beer. If you’re not feeling those menu items, there's also wraps, tacos, salads, and both savory and sweet “Mountain Dots,” which are pizza dough balls covered in garlic butter and parmesan, or cinnamon sugar and butter.

Kendall Mountain Café is one of Jespersen’s favorite spots for a diner-style breakfast and lunch. The dishes are simple and straightforward, the portions hearty, and the prices low. And the setting couldn’t be cuter: it's a little red house hidden under the trees with summer outdoor seating.

For most travelers, the best time to visit Silverton is between June and October, when there’s plenty to do — hiking, biking, fishing, Jeeping, train riding — and all the local businesses are open. Winter is considered to be the town’s off-season, but if you like to ski and ice climb, winter is the time to visit.Both Brill and Jespersen say winter is their favorite season in Silverton. “A lot of people that live here during the winter have ended up here through years of migration; [they] found this place that is the skiing Mecca, and have tried to put roots down just because of the skiing,” said Jespersen. Brill notes that “you can count on snow” in Silverton, thanks to the town’s high elevation, and that you can “find discounts on lodging in the winter months.”

The best way to get to Silverton is to drive in your own vehicle or fly into one of the two closest airports — Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ) or Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO) — then rent a car. Both airports are a 1.5-hour drive from town, and no matter which route you take, you’ll have to go over a mountain pass. The drive can be harrowing, especially in the winter. Typically the route between Durango and Silverton is better than the route between Montrose and Silverton, which requires a drive over Red Mountain Pass on the Million Dollar Highway. In the summer months, there's also the option to fly into Durango, then board the train to Silverton.

There are no public transportation or ride share services in Silverton. You’ll need to rent a car to get to Silverton and explore around it, but you can walk, bike, or even ski around town.