Best Dog Friendly Towns In Colorado – Colorado is known for its mountains and forests. The mountain peaks are over 14,000 meters above sea level, and many of the small towns are over 7,000 meters above sea level. We are fortunate to live near many of these towns across the New Mexico state line. We toured Ouray and Silverton in a “van full of dogs” and discovered beautiful scenery and cool mountain air.
It has been an interesting journey for us. Our home is at 6,000 feet above sea level, so we are used to the altitude, but we are in a semi-arid climate, and the mountains of Colorado get a lot of rain and snow, so the our house is always dry. Further north in Colorado we see clouds and rain.
Best Dog Friendly Towns In Colorado
On this trip, we took a short afternoon hike from the high desert to the mountain pine forest.
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Our first stop was Silverton. Silverton is a colorful little town of less than 700 people located at an elevation of 9,318 feet and filled with historic buildings from the mining era. There are some bars and restaurants that cater to tourists, but there aren’t enough tourists to keep them open all the time (especially with COVID-19), so check the opening hours if you plan to eat here.
The main attraction in Silverton is probably the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. This historic steam locomotive has been in operation since 1881. For better or worse, our family motto is “If we can’t take the dog, we don’t go,” so I can’t say I’ve ever been through this situation. It’s a railroad, but I hear it’s good. If you don’t have a pet or want to enroll your pet in a dog daycare, this is definitely something to consider.
Besides the railroad, the local businesses are mostly hotels, guesthouses, gift shops, and a gas station. Check out Silverton City Park (also known as Harmony Park) in the middle of town (I didn’t get a photo, I think they were too busy playing!)
After driving around town, we found a designated campground by the river a few miles from Silverton.
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Mountain trails are not suitable for RVs, except in certain designated areas. If you have a pickup truck with a camper shell or a short four-wheel-drive van with plenty of ground clearance, you’ll find plenty of hidden spots on forest roads, but most other trucks have neighbors and occupy these places based on numbers. in the rings of fire. Incredibly busy time. Even if you have an SUV, make sure to know where you are going and travel in two cars. Some of these trails are some of the toughest Jeep-only roads in the United States and may not be very wide. Return your car safely.
Cell phone signal quality in these mountains seems to depend on the luck of finding cell phone towers at your campsite. You can actually find a good signal 1-2 miles from the highway. Often, we’re surprised at how good the signal is, working far from good camping spots, and often suffering from cell tower overload on weekend nights.
Head north from Silverton to Ouray and follow the Million Dollar Highway. Some of them are carved directly into the mountain walls, and due to the heavy snowfall there are almost no fences. This means near-vertical drops, drops of thousands of feet, and in some cases, outside the white lines of the road. In the spring, before you repair your driveway, you may notice that parts of it are peeling due to water erosion. There is no room for error here.
Trucks use this route to serve mountain communities, and we do not want to take Class A or large trailers on this route. It can be done, but it’s not fun. Be aware of the recommended 25mph corner speed and practice your engine braking skills elsewhere. You don’t need to keep your foot on the brake pedal all the time on long hills like this.
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Also, be aware that the weather in the mountains can change quickly, and be prepared for driving delays in rainy weather. Even in moderate rains, waterfalls literally fall over the road, and sometimes the water even falls over rocks. For a van that’s below the recommended speed when cornering in clear weather, it’s a beautiful car and worth it for the views alone. Just concentrate and let your passengers see the view. Camp in this trailer or large camper.
On the north side of the Million Dollar Highway is the slightly larger mining town of Ouray, nicknamed the “Switzerland of America.” Ouray is a charming town surrounded by hiking trails with easy access. -access to waterfalls and beautiful mountain views. It’s very touristy, but not “too many gift shops” and has good restaurants (we like Thai chili). Ouray is 7,792 meters above sea level, and it is hotter than expected.
It was hot and I wanted to find some water to cool off. Dogs love to walk in the “baby bath”.
We went in June and the baths were still full, but that can change depending on the time of year.
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Afterwards, we arrived at Cascade Falls, which is located very close to the city. It’s a short walk to the falls, and the coolest part is that you can climb up some switchbacks to stand behind the falls.
It was so refreshing! However, it is not for the faint of heart. The path is narrow, wet and slippery, and you have to bend down to walk under the trees.
I would love to return to the Silverton and Ouray area in the future and do a longer hike. At the time of this trip, our dog Lily was about a month old and her energy level was low due to a rattlesnake bite, so we slowed down our walk. If you and your dog are up for a longer hike, I hear the Ice Lake Basin Trail outside of Silverton is great. And it will be added to our list again. If you don’t have pets, our adventure includes hot springs and box canyon waterfalls.
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We didn’t have a chance to hike near Ouray, so after a day trip that included two hikes, we headed south and camped near Silverton.
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The dogs spent the night looking for “Chippy”. Mushi loved being on the ground, and Lily loved the view from up in the back of the van.
For us, more than 12,000 feet above the clouds is not important, even though we live at sea level. None of us are susceptible to altitude sickness. Also, even though we haven’t seen any dogs injured, these are red flags to be aware of. But don’t get me wrong. These mountains are difficult even in the “lower” areas of 6,000 feet. If you’re coming to this part of Colorado from near sea level, be sure to understand the signs of altitude sickness and prepare to descend to a comfortable level. If you have time, camp in the middle of the mountain for a week or two to acclimatize.
If you have more time, you can also go north around Mt. Sneffels and check out the third mountain town, Telluride. It is the largest and most touristic of the three because of its famous ski area. The next time we go down this road, we will do it ourselves. Stay tuned for more adventures in the region. Until then, it’s time for bed!
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