Welcome Guide: Telluride Winter Guide

Winter Guide:

Snowmobiling

Guided Snowmobile Tours

970.728.3895

Telluride Outside provides guided snowmobile tours for everyone – Family-friendly half-day tour, Advanced half-day tour and Full day tours.  Double snowmobiles accommodate guests who wish to ride as passengers on all tours.  4-Stroke Ski-Doo Grand Touring Snowmobiles are quieter and safer.  Machines feature grip heaters for both the driver and passenger, a real benefit on cold days.

Tell them you are guests of Welcome To Telluride and they will take extra good care of you.

 

Ice Skating

Ice Skating

Town of Telluride:  Hanely Rink – The Hanley Rink in Town Park is a fully enclosed, refrigerated NHL size hockey rink. Click here for Rink Schedule.

Mountain Village Ice Skating

The Mountain Village Ice Skating Rink will re-open, weather dependent Thanksgiving Day.

Take to the ice over the winter for the perfect place to spend evenings with family and friends. This full-service ice rink located in the heart of Mountain Village Center, operated by Madeline Hotel and Residences, offers open skating daily and special events on our European-style plaza. 

For those in need of equipment, the Madeline rents hockey and figure skates of all sizes and offers punch cards and season passes. The Mountain Village Ice Rink is typically open from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with a free skate hour between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Thanksgiving Day through February.

For more information about daily rates or to book a special event, contact Madeline at  (970) 369-0880.

Sledding

Sledding

Sledding on Firecracker Hill in Town Park, just past the ballpark and up the hill is the place to go.  Buy a sled/tube/disc at Ace Hardware and head for the hills.  Try asking your kids to hike up a hill and you may get a lot of pushback. But, ask them to climb up a hill with a sled to ride down and you will be watching for hours.

Winter Fly Fishing

Winter Fly Fishing – Uncompahgre River, Pa Cu Ch Pak

Yes! Winter fly fishing for trout can be excellent. Most streams and rivers are frozen over during the winter. However, tailwater fisheries don’t freeze over because the water comes out of the bottom of a reservoir. A fantastic tailwater fishery is at the base of Ridgway Reservoir which is located just 45 minutes from Telluride. The temperature generally will be between 10 and 15 degrees warmer than Telluride. The name of the entrance along US 550 is called Pa Cu Chu Pak. This is a part of Ridgeway Reservoir State Park and the Uncompahgre River flows out of Ridgway reservoir through Pa Cu Chu Pak. Drive through the Pa Cu entrance (they charge $7 to go through the park entrance). Take a left down to the river and park in the parking area.

The best fishing is both upstream of the walking bridge and also downstream about a half-mile. The water has some nice deep runs and pools. Most trout are 14 to 20 inches. There are huge brown trout (up to 30 inches), cutthroat trout (15-22 inches) and rainbows (10-17 inches). There’s little or no fishing pressure in the winter. A very good strategy is to sight fish and spend more time looking for big trout and then do your best to fool them. Concentrate on fishing the deepest areas. If you look carefully you will sometimes see 20-25 inch trout in 2-3 feet of water. I’ve caught 5-9 pound brown trout and rainbows within 250 yards both upstream and downstream of the bridge.

I would suggest hiring a guide through Telluride Outside – 970-728-3895. They have the best guides in the area. Also, mention that you would like to fish Pa Cu Chu Pak and request an experienced guide who knows how to fish Pa Cu.

If you are going at it without a guide, the best flies to use for large trout are large streamers in this river. My favorite streamer is a black bead head marabou streamer. I suggest using a stronger leader such as 3X or 4X about 7-9 feet long. Fish the streamer by casting across the flow of the stream, letting it sink and stripping toward yourself with 6-inch strips. Using a split shot at the head of the streamer will get it to sink down to where the fish are. Cast 5-10 times and move along concentrating on all the deep holes and ignore the riffles.

Peter Loomis, also your Host during your stay is a Fly Fishing Enthusiast, feel free to call him if you have any questions @ 970-708-9562.

Snowshoeing and Snow Biking @ the Telluride Ski Resort

Guided Snowshoeing

Imagine being led through Telluride’s winter wonderland by an expert Naturalist.  Our legendary guide staff will detail the local environments’ flora, fauna and exclusive knowledge about the capitvating natural world.  Tours are designed to accommdodate all ability levels.

Smiling Snowbiker at Telluride Ski Resort

Snow Bike Course & Rentals

No tires needed on this biking adventure!  Skiing and snowboarding experience is not required, but is highly encouraged in order to immensely increase your chances of passing the certification course.

Whether you are a veteran skier who wants to switch things up a bit or you’re new to the slopes and want to start off slow, our snowbiking instructors will provide you an exciting experience that fits your needs.  It’s a blast!

Dog Sledding

 

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Dog Sledding

Idarado Sled Dog Adventures

970.729.2083

For a unique and wonderful way to enjoy the scenic backcountry of Telluride area, take a Dog Sled Tour.  Half day tours available, contact us by email @ Telluridedogsledding@gmail.com

Heli-skiing

 

Helicopter Skiing – San Juan Mountains

Telluride Helitrax

970.728.8377

 

Words cannot describe the Helicopter Skiing experience in Telluride….pictures can.  Give them a call!

Pictures compliments of Telluride Helitrax.