Telluride is full of charm and natural wonder. Once you’re here you immediately begin to unwind and enjoy the box canyon. One thing that makes any stay in Telluride or Mountain Village special is the ease of getting around. Park your vehicle and enjoy the Gondola, Galloping Goose, Dial-A-Ride and Bike Rentals. Operations like Telluride Express and other limo and car services in the area can make getting around easy.
The Gondola – a one of a kind experience
The Telluride/Mountain Village Gondola is the first and only free public transportation system of its kind in the United States. Opening in November 1996, the Gondola, or ‘G’ according to locals, is a one-of-a-kind transportation system. Quiet and visually spectacular, its environmental benefits include eliminating noise and air pollution, as well as parking demands for commuters and skiers in the Town of Telluride.
It starts at the Telluride Station in the historic Town of Telluride, reaches its summit of 10,540 feet at the top of the mountain at San Sophia Station and descends into the European style Town of Mountain Village at the Gondola Plaza. The epically scenic ride is 8 miles and 13 minutes and offers some of the best views of the Telluride Box Canyon and San Juan Mountains. The famous Coors Light Mountain (Wilson Peak) can be seen on the ride between San Sophia Station and Gondola Plaza. Hopping off at San Sophia Station gives guests the opportunity to head to the ski slopes, hiking and biking trails. An evening on the town can be made special by taking the Gondola to Allred’s Restaurant.
Once in the Gondola Plaza in Mountain Village, you can head down the steps to the Mountain Village Core or ride the second part of the Gondola to reach the Mountain Market, the Post Office and the Mountain Village Town Hall.
Featured in many iconic images of Telluride the Gondola represents the true spirit of the area in providing simple and clean commuting for skiers and snowboarders, mountain bikers, hikers, tourists and locals alike. The electricity used to operate the Gondola comes from wind and solar power. There are handicap-accessible cabins as well as pet cabins for leashed pets and Gondola attendants are on hand to assist with loading strollers and wheelchairs. The Gondola cabins are also equipped with ski and snowboard racks in winter and bike racks in summer. Known as the most innovative transportation system in North America the Gondola received the 1998 Mountain Sports and Living Design Award for Resort Access Innovation and was named the 1999 Outstanding Transit Project by the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies.
Running daily from 7:00 AM to 12:00 midnight, the Gondola operates year-round, closing 6 weeks in both the spring and fall off seasons for maintenance.
When Telluride was a booming mining town in the late 1800s, it along with the remote mining communities in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado were serviced by the Rio Grande Southern Railroad. Telluride, Durango, Ouray and stops in between on the 162 miles of narrow-gauge track, built to navigate the rugged mountainous landscape transporting people and provisions. After the silver market crashed, the Rio Grande Southern Railroad had to scale back operations to keep the railroad running prompting the invention of the Galloping Goose, a gasoline powered rail bus. The first Galloping Goose was made in 1931 from the body of a Buick. A fleet of seven were ultimately created, each time improving on the design. The efficiency of the Galloping Goose was much better than the seam locomotive, and the San Juan area began to rely on the Geese for mail, goods and transportation.
Today the Galloping Goose bus runs a town loop around the town of Telluride every 10 minutes. Transporting school children after school, locals on their daily commute and skiers enjoying the resort, the Winter 2019-2020 Town Loop Schedule: is November 22 2019 -April 5 2020.
Visitors can view Galloping Goose #4 at the San Miguel County Courthouse in Telluride. Galloping Goose #5 is located at the historical museum in Dolores and is fully restored and rail worthy. It still makes excursions on the remaining narrow-gauge railroad tracks in the Southwest. Other Geese are exhibited at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO.
Dial-A-Ride service provides point to point transportation within Mountain Village to all residents and guests of Mountain Village with a valid residential address and access code. The service is provided and paid for by the Mountain Village Owners Association, TMVOA, currently contracted with a division of Telluride Ski and Golf.
Guests can use their unique Access Code (given to all Mountain Village property addresses) as the identifier when requesting a ride. Hailing a ride is even easier now with the development of the Dial-A-Ride App:
In the Mountain Village DAR app, enter your pickup and drop-off location within the Mountain Village and number of passengers. Much like Uber, your estimated time will appear on the Request Ride button. Guests are then able to view wait time and track your driver once they’re on their way to your pickup location. Each residence has a limit of 200 complimentary rides for a combined winter and summer season. The percent ownership of the property applies to the complimentary ride limit. Normal hours of operation are 6:30 AM – 12:30 AM seven days a week during the summer and winter seasons. Extended hours of operation are 6:30 AM – 2:30 AM on Fridays and Saturdays and during busy season.
Bike Rentals
Check out Bootdoctors and Box Canyon Bicycles for your bike rental needs! Get geared up to hit the Mountain Village Bike Park or cruise around town exploring the sites. There’s no better way to get around in the warmer months, and even with a fat tire bike in the snow. Relax and cruise everywhere you need to go without worrying about parking.
From airport transfers to weddings and charters and tours, Telluride Express is your ticket. Having served the area for more than 30 years, Telluride Express has a fleet of shuttles, buses and SUV’s and is the only company authorized by the Colorado PUC to provide unrestricted call and demand limo service between Telluride and all the Western Slope Airports for shared ride airport shuttles and private rides. Telluride Express specializes in transportation to and from the Gunnison-Telluride Airport and the Montrose Airport to the Towns of Telluride/Mountain Village, Grand Junction, Crested Butte and outlying areas. Telluride Express also offers shared ride airport shuttles and private charters for individuals and groups for the Gunnison-Telluride Airports and Telluride area.
Telluride Car Service, Mountain Limo and Box Canyon Limos are also options.
Telluride Regional Airport (TEX)
With an asphalt-grooved runway 100′ wide, 7,111′ long and an elevation of 9,070′, the Telluride Regional Airport is just minutes from the Mountain and the Denver Air Connection has two flights daily.
DENVER AIR CONNECTION | 866.373.8513
| Flight Number | Origin | Destination | Departure Time (local) | Arrival Time (local) | Schedule | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KG3712 | DEN | TEX | 11:25 | 12:15 | Daily | ||||||
| KG3712 | TEX | DEN | 13:00 | 13:50 | Daily | ||||||
| KG3717 | DEN | TEX | 17:20 | 18:10 | Dec 21 – Jan 5, Feb 1 – Mar 29 | ||||||
| KG3708 | TEX | DEN | 08:00 | 08:50 | Dec 21 – Jan 5, Feb 1 – Mar 29 | ||||||
| FLIGHTS RESUME NOVEMBER 23, 2019 | |||||||||||
