Planning Meetings and Events in Southwest Colorado

By Beth Buehler

Colorado has multiple regions for groups to choose from, all with venues, lodging properties, attractions, activities and landscapes unique to their part of the state. In this blog, we’ll look at planning meeting and events in southwest Colorado, made up of several mountain towns that have rich histories and exude a laidback western vibe.

This region is a little off the beaten path from the state’s larger population areas, but that is what keeps it special and with plentiful open space, which translates into gorgeous vistas and massive outdoor playgrounds. Here’s a peek at what your group can expect in Buena Vista, Salida, Crested Butte, Telluride and Durango.

From Denver, Chaffee County with Buena Vista and Salida is closest and delivers impressive options for groups like vibrant downtowns with venues, restaurants, shops, art galleries and more. Buena Vista is about 120 miles from The Mile High City while Salida is approximately 140 miles. Chaffee County offers huge mountain views with the most hikeable 14,000-foot mountains in the state, water fun on the Arkansas River, and several geothermal hot springs for relaxing before or after meetings.

Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort between Buena Vista and Salida not only provides soaking in a variety of geothermal hot springs pools, but there are also lodges and cabins for accommodations, a restaurant, a spa, and a nice range of function spaces. Salida is Chaffee County’s largest city with a population of approximately 5,300 full-time residents. The town has the largest National Historic District in the state with an energetic downtown and historic SteamPlant Event Center that borders the river.

There is a selection of memorable places to stay and gather in Buena Vista and Salida, which are only 23 miles apart and have easy access to skiing and snowboarding at nearby Monarch Mountain. The towns can be accessed by a variety of airports, with the closest being Gunnison, Colorado Springs and Denver.

Another option that is more in southcentral Colorado like Buena Vista and Salida is the 900-acre Hartsel Ranch, about 30 miles northeast of Buena Vista and part of Park County. The ranch is located along the South Platte River has added four modern cabins and features a historic lodge that has undergone a major upgrade and features six guest rooms and meeting space. The property is a perfect place to escape from it all and host small meetings and retreats.

Heading southwest, Crested Butte also has one of Colorado’s largest National Historic Districts and oozes small-town charm. Crested Butte Mountain Resort is part of the Vail Resorts portfolio of ski resorts in the state that also includes Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek.

There are nice meeting facilities in both Mt. Crested Butte (the ski village) and Crested Butte. The combination of Mountaineer Square Conference Center, operated by Vail Resorts, and the slope-side Elevation Hotel & Spa makes it easy to plan meeting and events in southwest Colorado for groups of just over 400.

The three miles between Mt. Crested Butte and Crested Butte are easily traversed by the colorfully painted Mountain Express buses that are free to ride and a paved rec path for walking, biking and Nordic skiing. A visit to downtown Crested Butte is a must, with colorful storefronts, outdoor patios, and cultural attractions like Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum and Center for the Arts that have function space available for group bookings. Crested Butte is easily accessible by the recently renovated Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport in Gunnison.

From Crested Butte, it’s about a three-hour drive to Telluride. Like Crested Butte, there is the historic town, Telluride, and a ski village, Mountain Village. These towns are connected by a free gondola that is a treat to ride both night and day. A bonus is that Allred’s, a great place for groups to dine, is located midway on the gondola route and offers panoramic views. As the name indicates, Telluride Ski & Golf offers both sports as well as many other activities during the four seasons such as a bike park, Telluride Racquet Club, and a canopy adventure with ziplines, aerial bridges and rappels.

When planning meeting and events in southwest Colorado, an ideal pairing of function space and lodging is the Telluride Conference Center and The Peaks Resort & Spa, both in Mountain Village, where there are plentiful options for dining and shopping. The Peaks also offers a selection of meeting and event space. Telluride’s historic downtown has lodging, venues, dining and shopping and reflects the fact that the community got its start as a mining town and transitioned to a ski and tourist economy in the 1970s. Groups can fly into Telluride Regional Airport or Montrose Regional Airport.

With a population of approximately 15,000, Durango is one of southwest Colorado’s largest towns. Located near the Four Corners junction where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah intersect, Durango is a two- or three-hour drive from Telluride depending on route. There are three historic hotels downtown and a property that borders the Animas River that work well for groups.

Staying downtown provides access to an abundance of locally owned shops and restaurants and attractions like the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train depot and museum. Groups can take a day trip on the train to the historic mining town of Silverton. There also are other excursions available and themed train rides that evolve around beer, wine, cowboy poetry, photography and more. Durango also is home to hot springs and Ft. Lewis College and two nearby attractions: Purgatory Resort for skiing and snowboarding and Sky Ute Casino Resort for gaming fun. The Durango-La Plata County Airport supports flights from locations around the country.

Planning meeting and events in southwest Colorado pays big dividends by delivering mountain communities that have loads of personality, extreme beauty, and memorable venues and activities. You may have to be a little more strategic in getting there, but the result will be attendees asking when they can return.

Top photo: Telluride Tourism Board/Ryan Bonneau

Colorado native Beth Buehler has been editor of Colorado Meetings + Events magazine for 20 years and helped launch Mountain Meetings and Southwest Meetings + Events magazines. She has planned numerous meetings and events and enjoys exploring Colorado.