Colorado’s prettiest tiny mountain town
Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we will offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems.) See other entries at theknow.denverpost.com.
After just one long weekend this What a special place, just two summer in Twin Lakes, my boyfriend hours and change from Denver but and I started to dream of owning secluded enough among sloping, a home there. towering peaks, protective aspen
We spent four days together with a trees and mirror-surfaced lakes to small group of friends driving a scenic feel far away from everything. The stretch of Colorado 82, which town was quaint, the Airbnb we juts west toward the Continental found beautiful and the setting, simply Divide just south of Leadville, and transfixing. Here’s what we twists and turns up over Independence loved about Twin Lakes. Pass, on to Aspen. The town and its surroundings make for a natural home base for visiting Leadville and Buena Vista (30 minutes away to the north and south, respectively), as well as Aspen, an hour’s drive west in summer over the pass. But we found plenty to do even without those day trips, starting with a 4-mile round-trip hike along the lake to the National Historic Site of the 142-year-old Interlaken resort. There you can wander the well-preserved grounds and even tour the inside of the former hotel owner’s private home, complete with a glassed-in cupola at the top.
On a clear morning, before any
afternoon storms rolled in, the lakes are calling for a float, either on stand-up paddleboards, kayaks or canoes. If you’re not bringing your own equipment, check out Twin Lakes SUP & Cycle in town. The business rents out local SOL paddleboards from Telluride and Badfish Boards out of Salida. Once on the lake, views to the west of the Sawatch Range are unmatched.
Perhaps the most special of our Twin Lakes discoveries was the Alpenglow Airbnb, which has been featured on the design and architecture pages of publications like Dwell and Apartment Therapy. Two local Colorado couples worked together to renovate the three-bedroom A-frame with uninterrupted views of La Plata Peak. The finished house is stunning for a group getaway.
If you’re able to snag a weekend here (and it does book up months in advance), your stay will include lovely amenities like local coffee in the mornings, a wraparound deck for dining and hot-tubbing under the stars, even a telescope for nights with clear, dark skies. Who am I kid
ding? It was mostly what started us on a Twin Lakes house hunt within a day of arriving for our trip. It’s the type of place and setting that leads you again and
again outside.