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Outside Magazine, June 2008

Get Lost: July 18-20
The Uncrowded Mountain Town

By Christopher Keyes


Surfing in Portsmouth Island, North Carolina | Fly-Fishing in Missoula, Montana | Star-Gazing in the Grand Canyon, Arizona | Canoeing in Grand Marias, Minnesota | Your Backyard | Sea Kayaking in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia | Mountain Biking in Telluride, Colorado | Portland's Oregon Brewers Festival | Long Island, New York | Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival, Wyoming | Sea Kayaking in Tomales Bay, California | The Lightning Field in Quemado, New Mexico | Sailing in Santa Catalina, California

Telluride main street
MOUNTAIN TOWN, USA: Telluride, Colorado (courtesy, Colorado Tourism)

TELLURIDE, COLORADO - Between the weekends of Memorial Day and Labor Day, the town of Telluride hosts no fewer than 15 festivals. Think about that. On any given Saturday, you might have to share this remote outpost's epic hiking trails, casual restaurants, and approximately 23 parking spaces with either hordes of slamgrass fans (the Bluegrass Festival), a gaggle of oeno­philes (the Wine Festival), or an army of downward-doggers (the Yoga Festival). But crowds are the last thing you want to see here. Placed at the dead end of a box canyon and surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks, Telluride offers as good a setting as any town in America for a quiet summer idyll. So there's only one celebration worth attending: The Nothing Festival. For three days, there are zero planned events—but something incredible does happen. Hotels open up (try the Telluride Mountainside Inn; doubles, $119; telluridemtnsideinn.com), Main Street empties out, and a few visitors breathe easy. How to spend those days? Just bring your hiking boots and follow the directions on telluridenothingfestival.com: "Thank you for not participating." Nearest airport: Montrose, Colorado, 70 miles away.



Next Page:

Surfing in Portsmouth Island, North Carolina | Fly-Fishing in Missoula, Montana | Star-Gazing in the Grand Canyon, Arizona | Canoeing in Grand Marias, Minnesota | Your Backyard | Sea Kayaking in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia | Mountain Biking in Telluride, Colorado | Portland's Oregon Brewers Festival | Long Island, New York | Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival, Wyoming | Sea Kayaking in Tomales Bay, California | The Lightning Field in Quemado, New Mexico | Sailing in Santa Catalina, California

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