Colorado Mountain Towns by Van with a Dog: Aspen, Telluride, Crested Butte and Breckenridge

Colorado is the closest thing the van has to a second home. We’ve driven through it on almost every big western trip, and it never gets old: alpine lakes, wildflowers in August, gold aspens in September, and small mountain towns where a big German Shepherd is just one of the locals.

This guide pulls together our best Colorado mountain-town stops with Jack from August 2023 and September–October 2024.

Route (2023): Georgetown → Aspen and Maroon Lake → Carbondale → Telluride and Ophir
Route (2024): Woodland Park → Breckenridge → Buena Vista and Nathrop → Crested Butte → Ward and the Indian Peaks
Who came: Colin, me and Jack, our German Shepherd
Where we slept: The van, mostly at national forest campsites, plus a farm stay near Ward
Best for: Summer hikes with a dog, or peak fall color in late September

Aspen and Maroon Lake

Maroon Lake, under the Maroon Bells, is the most photographed spot in Colorado for a reason. We walked the trail around the lake with Jack, and he did his favorite thing in the world: fetch sticks out of an ice-cold mountain lake. Access to the Maroon Bells is limited in summer, so book your reservation well ahead.

Colin and Angela with Jack, our German Shepherd, at a mountain lake below the Maroon Bells — Maroon Bells with Jack

Jack's idea of a perfect day.

Angela smiling on a trail with the Maroon Bells behind her

Hiking with Jack, our German Shepherd, through a green mountain meadow

Jack, our German Shepherd, sleeping inside a tent with a red canopy

Telluride and Ophir

The San Juans around Telluride and the tiny town of Ophir were our favorite hiking of the 2023 trip: alpine trails, a turquoise lake with snow still around it in August, a huge waterfall, and the Milky Way at night. Jack hiked with us.

Colin and Jack, our German Shepherd, on a grassy alpine trail under blue sky — Trail buddies

Blue alpine lake ringed with snowfields and peaks

Tall waterfall pouring down a cliff with a hiker on the rocks below

Green valley and red cliffs of Telluride under puffy clouds

Angela and Colin smiling in a selfie with mountains behind

Breckenridge and Buena Vista in the fall

In September 2024 we came back for the aspens. Around Breckenridge, the aspen trails were glowing, and Jack rode shotgun between trailheads like he owned the van.

Hiker on a dirt trail through golden aspens in Breckenridge

Jack, our German Shepherd, sitting on a forest trail

Jack, our German Shepherd, sitting in the front seat of the van

Empty highway curving toward distant mountains under blue sky

Crested Butte

Crested Butte in late September might be my favorite place in the whole state. Every dirt road out of town is lined with gold, and we camped at a mountain pullout and spent three days driving, hiking and staring. Jack cooled off in a creek near Nathrop on the way in.

Dirt road through brilliant orange and yellow aspens with a figure walking — Crested Butte in fall

Every road near Crested Butte in late September.

Our camper van parked at a mountain pullout with snowy peaks and fall color

Angela with Jack, our German Shepherd, standing in a rocky creek

Mountains and fall color reflected in a still lake

Ward and the Indian Peaks

We ended the 2024 trip near Ward in the Indian Peaks with an alpine lake hike with Jack, a farm campsite, campfire burgers, and a slow fall coffee by a pond. Jack also made friends with a cat, which I did not have on my bingo card.

Colin and Angela with Jack, our German Shepherd, on rocks by an alpine lake below jagged peaks — Indian Peaks with Jack

Plate with a burger and roasted potatoes in front of a fire pit

Jack, our German Shepherd, curled up on a blanket with a cat

Pond reflecting golden fall trees, with a coffee cup in the foreground

Colorado with a dog: what worked

National forest land is your friend. Most national forest trails allow dogs, and dispersed camping is easy to find.
Start early. Afternoon thunderstorms are a real thing in summer, so get above treeline and back before lunch.
Water and paw care. Rocky trails and long days are hard on paws.
Fall color timing: late September is usually peak in the central mountains. Check a fall color report before you go.
Book Maroon Bells ahead. Summer access is by reservation.

More Colorado

We came back in September 2026 with Andi to see the aspens again: Colorado in the fall with a baby.