Hi, we are driving to Telluride from Sante Fe, going to hire a car and drop it at Montrose. I have a couple of questions ( never having really driven in US before).
Firstly - how long will this take?
Secondly, are there any car hire places in Telluride ( we are getting worried about how we will get car to airport then get back to Telluride
Third - is anyone else driving through that day and has room for two passengers? We would pay costs! ( slightly nervous driver here!)
Thanks everyone :wave
Make sure to drive on the right side of the road, not the wrong side like they do down under!
Ha ha ha
I know, I know. I’ve only driven once in US ( in New Orleans) for maybe five minutes when I crashed car, ended up in police station all night, possibly because I was wearing Culture a Club clothes …oh but that’s a long story…I’m kind of scared of driving again but WE MUST GET TO TELLURIDE
There is a car rental at Telluride Airport. Maybe use the same company based there? Not sure about costs.
Auntie Hope :festivarian2 :green
Thank you!
Thank you, I have changed my booking and we are now collecting from SF dropping at Telluride airport. X
Looking forward to hearing more about this while sipping on a walkabout cocktail. :cheers
I don’t want to speak for AF, but I’m pretty sure when she said SF, she meant Santa Fe.
Yes Sante Fe x
I will, it’s a very funny story xxx
Well, when you go from Santa Fe to Montrose, there is one route (through Durango) that takes you past Telluride. You might think about just keeping your car and parking it in Telluride during the festival. (I know, it’s four days that you’re paying for the car and not using it but it might be less of a hassle.) Depending on the route you take from Santa Fe to Montrose, it’s about 350 miles.
There are a couple of choices in routes, via Durango or via Alamosa, and, for my money, the Durango route is much more scenic. I live in Southern Colorado and have driven both routes many times. The drive north from Durango toward Telluride is one of my favorite Colorado trips.
Enjoy the drive!
Just as “32hour” says, if you take the route through Durango you’re pretty much in Telluride on the way to Montrose.
Not much sense going all the way to Montrose at that point.
It’s about an hour and a half from Telluride to Montrose, so that would be over a four hour delay while you wait for the shuttle.
Check out this Mapquest route and click on the alternate route to see where you’re going.
You can either park you car in Telluride for the duration, or see if you can drop it off at the Telluride airport and get another one after the festival. :thumbsup
Thank you very much. Is there any way to avoid narrow, harrowing mountain passes? ( nervous, I watched The Long, Long Trailer with Lucy Ball)…
Is there any way to avoid narrow, harrowing mountain passes? ( nervous, I watched The Long, Long Trailer with Lucy Ball)…
Yes. Head north out of Santa Fe all the way to Alamosa, Colorado. Turn west on Hwy. 50 to Montrose. It’s a scenic drive although not as jaw-dropping as the other route through Durango. Santa Fe to Montrose this route is about 350 miles and then another 65 miles or so to Telluride. Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado are such beautiful places that you can’t really go wrong.
Enjoy the road trip!
The route from Durango through Dolores and to Telluride over Lizzard Head pass isn’t all that harrowing. It’s jaw-droppingly beautiful up in the pass (stop for photos), and there are a few slow, tight curves on the north side of the pass, but it’s not dangerous on dry roads during day light hours. At night the biggest risk is seeing deer and elk on the roads, but it sounds like you’ll be leaving Santa Fe fairly early in the day so even seeing elk on the roads in broad daylight would be unlikely.
The other way from Durango to Telluride goes straight north over Red Mountain Pass and north towards Ridgway. That’s a classic harrowing drive, and it’s also the long way to Telluride from Durango.
I agree, the route over Lizard Head on dry roads is relatively tame … and not much in the way of sheer drop-offs. It’s a somewhat windy two lane road most of the way, so you definitely want to pay attention (especially at night re: wildlife); however, not nearly as windy as some parts of Red Mountain Pass.
Thank you, we are going to follow your suggestion Bevin x
Thank you! X
We are going to do just that, thank you