Don’t miss:

The Baked Colorado trout at the Tennessee Pass Cafe is so fresh, it’s as though you just caught it yourself at one of the area’s popular fishing areas (222 Harrison Ave., 719-486-8101, tennesseepasscafe.com). Nearby Turquoise Lake has some of the state’s most stunning scenery— and seven U.S. Forest Service campgrounds (reservations available at recreation.gov).

MINTURN

Why: Itwas established decades before its more famous neighbors of Vail and Beaver Creek (incorporated in 1904), butminturn lies in their shadow. That’s just fine to the town’s estimated 1,000 full-time residentswho see no need to exploit this former railroad town turned outdoor mecca. Bordered on three sides by thewhite River National Forest, with the Holy Crosswilderness bordering the town’s southwest side, Minturn puts a refreshing spin on “backyard trails.” Five of the 34 10th Mountain Division Huts are nearby, and the confluence of the Gore and Eagle rivers makes for sublime fishing andwatersports.

Don’t miss: The boutique Hotel Minturn offers spacious rooms and fine linens with rates starting around $119 per night (167Williams St., 970-331-5461, hotelminturn.com). For tranquil valley views, hike Meadow Mountain, a 9½-mile out and back that leaves from the Holy Cross Ranger Station and gradually climbs up the south-facing slopes of a nowdefunct ski area.

SILVERTON

Why: A former mining enclave nestled in a high alpine valley, Silverton is 50 miles north of Durango. Ride the Durango & Silvertonnarrowgauge Railroad Train or just drive the winding mountain road and park it in town while you explore the nearby Weminuchewilderness. Until Jen and Aaron Brill launched Silvertonmountain in 2002, a no-frills ski and snowboard area with one chairlift, a helicopter and endless hike-to runs, Silvertonwas an outpost that had seen its share of boom and bust. Nowadays, word’s out that Silverton has a lifetime’sworth of adventure in every season.

Don’t miss: Handcrafted cocktails taste better at elevation, which is why the Rum Bar is packed nearly every night (closed Mondays in summer; 1309 Greene St., 970-387-9904, silvertonrumbar.com). The lung-busting hike to Ice Lakes Basin, where the lake’s azure waters promise to stun even hikers who think they’ve seen it all (approximately 4 miles one-way to the last lake; the trailhead is 7 miles west of Silverton on Forest Road 585).