Telluride isn’t the easiest place to get to, but it sure is scenic. After arriving in Montrose on our United flight from Denver, we grabbed our rental car from Avis and made the 1.5 hour drive through the San Juan Mountains over to Telluride and our accommodations for the weekend.
Booking
There are many different lodging options in Telluride, though they don’t really have any of the major hotel chains. While I’m typically a Marriott guy, Mrs. ATX Jetsetter loves staying at boutique properties so she was beyond excited to do some hunting outside of the Bonvoy network.
She didn’t have to look far as the couple getting married had Bear Creek Lodge listed on their wedding website and most of our DFW based friends were staying there as well. She booked our room through the Bear Creek Lodge website for roughly $275 per night. Since each room/suite/condo at Bear Creek is individually owned, it’s nice having one central location for booking instead of having to navigate a maze of AirBNB and VRBO listings.
Location
Bear Creek Lodge is located in the town of Mountain Village, up the mountain from the town of Telluride and home base of the Telluride Ski Area. The towns of Mountain Village and Telluride are connected by a free gondola that traverses the 10,500′ Coonskin Ridge which separates the ski area from the town.
If arriving by car, Bear Creek Lodge is located on San Joaquin Road, off of Mountain Village Boulevard, just uphill from the gondola stop. It’s easy to find with a large sign located at the entrance.
Check-In
We arrived mid-afternoon and pulled into one of the dedicated unloading spots in front of the lobby area. Bear Creek Lodge is a massive stone and wood structure with a prime location near town. A large A-frame entryway greeted us and led into the lobby.
Stepping inside, we were greeted by a towering atrium with views out over the San Juan Mountains. The lobby area also featured some comfortable seating areas as well as a large fireplace that would be great for relaxing after a long day on the mountain during the winter.
To the right of the entry doors was the check-in desk. There was a couple checking in in front of us upon arrival but we were helped within a couple of minutes. We received our room keys, directions to the room, a rundown of amenities and our parking pass for the weekend here.
The room we booked was on the first floor and the lobby was on the 3rd, since it was built into the side of a mountain. We took the elevator downstairs and made our way to our room.
Room
We were assigned to a 1 bed/1 bath king room on the first floor which was located facing the rear of the building and overlooked the pool. Our unit could be combined with the neighboring, larger unit in order to have an extra large space for a group to gather if traveling together.
Immediately upon entering the condo, there was a large king sized bed flanked by two nightstands. The overall theme of the room had a rustic, log cabin feel bit still felt like a hotel room/condo. It was like it was pretending to be rustic.
To your left upon entering the room, there was a small desk located against the window in the bedroom and next to it was a mini-fridge, microwave, and coffeemaker.
Just past the desk, across from the bed, there was a dresser with an old, small flat screen TV mounted over it. While we didn’t use the TV much during our stay, it was still disappointing to see something so outdated in the room.
Further back in the room, down a short hallway, was a large closet as well as a secondary hallway that led to the larger, adjoining unit. The closet was large and hand more than enough space for our clothes.
Finally, in the rear of the unit, was the bathroom. The space was massive and arguably much larger than needed. It featured a full size tub, shower, dual vanities, and a toilet. Part of me wished that the extra space was used in the bedroom.
The tub was a large soaking tub and featured pressurized jets, though we didn’t utilize it during our stay.
During our stay, we utilized the large walk-in shower that was located in the back corner of the bathroom. There was a built in bench that you could sit on. This would be great after a long day on the slopes.
Opposite of the tub and shower was a dual-sink vanity and a large mirror. There were makeup removal towels along with single-use toiletries from bodyography available at each sink along with hand towels and tissues.
Next to the sink was the toilet. While not in a separate room, it was somewhat secluded from the rest of the bathroom by a half wall.
The only downside to our room was the lack of air conditioning. While Telluride and Mountain Village rarely get that hot, the temperature was approaching 80 degrees during our stay. With no AC, this made the room quite stuffy. Thankfully, the hotel had fans available to help circulate the air and keep the temperatures down.
Property
The primary purpose of Bear Creek Lodge is as a ski-lodge and the property and amenities reflect that. The hotel overlooks a swath of trees and, while it doesn’t have a great view of the mountains, it is one of the closest lodging options to the gondola. There is a small trail leading from the hotel down to the gondola through the forest.
The first floor is where most of the amenities are located. The main feature is the pool and hot tub area which is heated year round.
Next to the pool is a fire pit and outdoor grilling area. While we didn’t use the grills, the fire pit was a favorite with our group for scotch and cigars.
Just inside, on the first floor, was a large gym with a variety of equipment. I didn’t see many people use this space during our trip, but the space was fairly nice. There was also a ping pong table here in addition to the workout equipment.
Up on the third floor, in the lobby, was a coffee bar that was set up each morning for those staying at the lodge. The coffee bar was great but it opened later than I would have liked during the weekend and I found myself upstairs waiting for coffee each morning.
Also in the lobby, there were some board games available that could be used by anyone in the lodge.
Summary
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Bear Creek Lodge. The hotel got high marks in the location and the amenities though the layout of the room and lack of air conditioning leaves something to be desired. We would definitely stay here again, especially if we’re skiing in the winter as the lodge is in a great position to reach the rest of the mountain.
In This Trip Report
