Dolores

Located a quick 20-minute drive from Mesa Verde National Park (and just 1.5 hours northeast to Telluride), Dolores is your northern gateway to Colorado's Southwest — and its culture is as alive today just as it was 1,400 years ago when the Ancestral Puebloans lived there.

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A rocky area with a red bike on its side. In the background rock formations sit and in the middle a sign reads "Canyons of the Ancients National Monument" and beneath that it says "U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management." — Sand Canyon Trail at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument near Dolores

Two fat bikers cross a snowy path. In the foreground a wooden t-shaped sign with multiple markings. — Boggy Draw Trail fat biking in Dolores

A museum display, behind glass with a red wall and red bottom with three rows of pottery artifacts. — Artifacts at Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center

From the riverbank, the Dolores River flows down past green-leafed trees and green bushes. In the distance a mountain is peeking out beneath a light-blue, cloud-covered sky. — Dolores River Canyon views

A museum room with a sign that says "Discover Room" hanging from the ceiling. The room is a museum gallery with images, glass displays and tables with computers. — Discover Room in Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center

A stone, man-made hole in the ground is surrounded by small stone walls, green scrubby vegetation and a blue sky with white clouds at a Canyons of the Ancients National Monument site. — Canyons of the Ancients National Monument site near Dolores

Two mountain bikers on Boggy Draw trail bike through the high green grasses underneath a blue sky surrounded by evergreen trees in Dolores — Boggy Draw biking in Dolores

A stone building sits in the background with a statue of an animal. In the foreground pink cone flowers thrive in green bushes. — Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center

Canyons of the Ancients red-rock formations with sign that reads "Canyons of the Ancients National Monument" in foreground — Canyons of the Ancients red-rock formations

A man fishing in the Dolores River surrounded by red rock canyon and green grasses. — Fishing on the Dolores River

The Dolores River is surrounded by red-rock canyon walls with green grasses and trees on both riverbanks. — Dolores River scenery

A group of five rafting in a red inflatable raft on Colorado's Dolores River — A group rafting on the Dolores River

Things to Do in Dolores, Colorado

Dolores is also located on the San Juan Skyway, one of the most stunning drives in Colorado, and it's known for its water sports, as it’s situated on the Dolores River and is mere minutes from the McPhee Reservoir — the second largest body of water in the entire state.

Outside Magazine named Dolores an “adventure base camp for the whole family” for good reason. In addition to its namesake river and the reservoir, Dolores is on the edge of the San Juan National Forest. Throughout the area, you'll find plenty of opportunities for mountain biking and hiking or stand-up paddleboarding and fishing, as well as winter sports like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Walk through town from Riverside Park to Rowell Park to fish the Gold Medal waters. Or take your bike to Boggy Draw, a mountain-biking and hiking trail network just a few minutes from town. If you prefer a motorized epic, head out on a guided OHV adventure or hit the highway on your motorcycle.

After all your adventuring, saddle up at Dolores River Brewery for a local beer and stroll town to enjoy some riverfront meals. Make a stop at the Galloping Goose Railroad Museum on your stroll. Dolores was established as the railhead for the no-longer-running Rio Grande Southern Railroad, and one of the cars — nicknamed the Galloping Goose — still lives in the town to this day.

Before the railroads, biking trails and microbreweries, Dolores was home to Ancestral Puebloans. You can learn all about the cultural heritage of Ancestral Puebloans and other Native American cultures in the Four Corners region at the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Visitor Center & Museum just outside of town and at nearby Mesa Verde National Park. The museum at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument displays the history and methods modern archaeologists use to reveal the past and preserve artifacts and records from excavations in the Four Corners area, one of the richest archaeological regions in the United States. From the museum, take a tour of Canyons of the Ancients with expert guides from Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance.

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