Skip to content Book Your Experience →
← Back to Blog
City Guide · Telluride

Things to Do in Telluride: A Private Chef's Local Guide

By Steve Ingber · July 28, 2026 · 5 min read
CIA-trained chef · Featured in The New York Times, Food & Wine, BHG · About the chef

Telluride sits in a box canyon at the end of the road, which is exactly why the people who love it love it. We cook here for ski weeks, festival houses, and wedding weekends — here's the guide we give our guests.

Ride the free gondola

The gondola between Telluride and Mountain Village is free, runs till midnight, and is genuinely one of the best commutes in America — thirteen minutes over the ridge with the San Juans doing their thing on both sides. Ride it at dusk even if you have nowhere to be.

Bridal Veil Falls and the canyon

Colorado's tallest free-falling waterfall hangs at the head of the canyon, with the famous powerhouse perched on top. Hike or four-wheel the switchbacks, or just admire it from town — it's visible from Colorado Avenue. The Bear Creek trail is the accessible-but-real hike right out of downtown; Jud Wiebe is the morning loop with the town view.

Colorado Avenue and festival season

The main street is a National Historic Landmark District with the New Sheridan's bar as its anchor. Summer is festival season — Bluegrass in June, the Film Festival over Labor Day — and the town books out a year ahead for both. Winter belongs to the ski resort: steep, uncrowded, and blessedly free of attitude.

Dinner in a town with twelve tables

Telluride's restaurants are excellent and tiny — during festivals and peak ski weeks, reservations evaporate. This is the market where a private chef makes the most obvious sense: your group stays in, the menu is built for you, and nobody draws straws for a 9:45 table. See private chef services in Telluride for dinners and multi-day residencies at town or Mountain Village properties.

Staying in the canyon? See Telluride private chef services or request a proposal →

Share X / Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Telluride Trip FAQ

How much does a private chef cost in Telluride?

Telluride private chef dinners run $150–250 per person, all-inclusive — menu, groceries, cooking, service, and cleanup. See the pricing guide for scenarios by group size.

Do you serve Mountain Village?

Yes — the town of Telluride, Mountain Village, and the surrounding mesas. The gondola connects the two, but your chef drives, so the dinner happens wherever you're staying.

Is Telluride hard to get to?

That's part of the point. Fly into Montrose (90 minutes) or the tiny Telluride airport, and the drive in through the San Juans is the best arrival in Colorado. Once you're in the canyon, everything is walkable or a gondola ride away.

Steve Ingber — Executive Chef & Founder, MileHighCook

CIA-trained Executive Chef Steve Ingber founded MileHighCook to bring consistent, chef-driven luxury dining to private events across Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming. Featured in Food & Wine, Simply Recipes, BHG, and Eating Well. 4.9 stars across 65+ verified Google reviews. Learn more about Steve →

Planning a Telluride Trip?

All-inclusive proposals within 24 hours. Town and Mountain Village, no travel fees.

Get a Custom Quote →
← All posts
Custom Private Chef & Catering · All-inclusive · No travel fees · CO · AZ · UT · WY Book Your Experience