Check out some of the other great Colorado waterfalls this spring or summer. At the Broadmoor, you get what you pay for—and in this case, $17 grants visitors entrée to the private resort’s 181-foot stunner, which bounces down a 1,250-foot box canyon in seven distinct segments. Those who are unable to enjoy the attraction’s two moderate hikes and/or climb the 224 waterfall-adjacent steps can ride an elevator to the Eagle’s Nest observation platform. Sure-footed hikers will enjoy various unnamed cascades along the journey from the Cow Creek trailhead to Bridal Veil Falls, which generally flows late into the fall along low-angle rock.
You can hike, bike, or four-wheel drive up the road to the falls. From Pandora Mill to Bridal Veil Falls and the power plant, it is 1.8 miles and a 1,200-foot elevation gain on a rocky road. This makes for a particularly nice 3.6-mile round trip hike or bike ride. If you are driving, please be respectful and cautious of runners, hikers, and other 4×4 vehicles.
Table of Contents
Other Nearby Waterfall Hikes
Guides will ask guests to confirm wellness at the time of pickup for the guided trip. We honestly believe there is no finer group of tour guides than the professional staff of Telluride Outside. These guys are so knowledgeable and people-friendly that they could entertain you for a whole tour without ever leaving Telluride. Restaurant, lodging and tour recomendations are based on our opinion. We do not have any affiliates with any of these nor do we receive any commission for recomending a place.
The watershed which a waterfall occurs within, if it is specified, will be based on the ultimate distributary watercourse to the ocean. Streams which empty directly into the ocean, or into a minor basin which then empties to the ocean will often have this field left blank. This waterfall has been regulated by Hydroelectric development and may no longer flow consistently. The waterfall may have reduced flow, seasonal flow, or may no longer flow at all due to the diversion of its watercourse.
Tellurides New Trail To Bridal Veil Falls Is Stunning, But Dont Call It A Hidden Gem
Trees provide a consistent canopy from the sun, giving off major FernGully vibes. Bridal Veil Trail in Telluride is designed to take hikers up to its namesake waterfall, deemed the largest free-falling one in Colorado. From that time I drove a few hundred miles out of my way to head towards a potential snowstorm. It was amazing last January.Thinking a lot about Zion this time of year. From 2017.Check out the license plate sculptures I’m selling on Etsy! It has decent elevation gain and creeks flowing down the mountain as you hike up are also awesome!
However, the lower portion of the road isn’t quite as treacherous, and it’s wide enough to allow vehicles to pass, so two-way traffic is allowed. If you have a high-clearance vehicle, you can easily make the drive up to the power plant. Everyone who visits Telluride stares up at Bridal Veil Falls, and wonders at that delicately-balanced power plant that’s perched on the edge of the mountain, at the brink of the falls. With a high-clearance vehicle, you can drive up there, and enjoy a remarkable view of the valley and the town.
In addition to Tomboy, tour highlights include the “Social Tunnel,” the summit of Imogene and the Red Mountain Overlook, which offers astounding views of the towering Weminuche Mountains to the east. Full day trips cross Imogene Pass into Ouray and return via Ophir Pass or Black Bear Pass. Half day tours visit the summit and return to Telluride on Tomboy Road. You can not drive beyond the gate so will have to park along the road.
Ophir Pass is well-suited to less experienced offroad travelers and those who seek the beauty of the high country in combination with a shorter 4-WD driving experience. The pass road does include some classic “shelf road” sections with stunning views and the necessesity of 4-WD manuevering. They share in common professional offroad driving skills, a love of Telluride’s flora, fauna, mountains and mining history, and the born-with-it nature to be the consumate host. Our staff includes experts in geology, herbology, and even direct descendents of turn-of-the-century miners. They are fun-loving professionals, committed to your comfort and enjoyment of the tour. You can start hiking or biking from the bottom of the switchbacks (or continue in a 4×4 vehicle).
In addition to seeing the falls, we\ hiked to Silver Lake after our drive up, which I will post next week. Bridal Veil Falls is a 365 foot waterfall flowing off a cliff into the valley below just outside of Telluride, Colorado. Derek and Anna fell in love with Colorado on a previous trip and after a little researching, they came across Telluride. They loved that Telluride held the tallest free-falling waterfall in Colorado, Bridal Veil Falls, but that it also used to generate power in the town, a small town with such unique history. Guests will find two additional guest rooms and the Primary suite on the top level, all fully carpeted with queen beds, vaulted ceilings and exposed unfinished wood beams complimented by the flawless white walls.
Hikers who are thirsty for more after seeing the Lower Wild Basin waterfalls can keep following a steep, forested path until it pops out into a picturesque alpine valley with a chain of three lakes. Unique Trio Falls—so named for the three sections of delicate strands that stream over a rock band, from the second body of water into the first—awaits after a few creek crossings. A river and two alpine lakes make the 4.6 miles and nearly 2,600 feet of elevation gain required to get from the Lawn Lake trailhead to multitiered Ypsilon Falls even more rewarding. Evergreens line the path of this mountainside beauty, which is tucked away in the less-frequented Mummy Range. A significant portion of Black Bear Pass Road is one-way, downhill. It’s widely recognized as one of the most dangerous 4×4 roads on earth, due to steep drop-offs and tight hairpin curves.
Why you should consider dodging the crowds and exploring less-visited Colorado waterfalls—including those that aren’t even named on official maps. One of four waterfalls along southwestern Colorado’s Silver Thread Scenic Byway, this wide, 100-foot fountain looks like something out of Middle Earth. Pull off unpaved Forest Road 510 and snap pics from the ADA-accessible, guardrail-protected observation area.
Waterfalls with a longer Run will usually either be less steep, often cascading type waterfalls, or will feature multiple steps separated by shorter stretches of a more gradual gradient streambed. The Total Height listed for the waterfall represents the difference in elevation from the top of the uppermost drop, to the bottom of the lowermost drop of the waterfall, including all stretches of interstitial stream in between. Stream between two tiers of a waterfall is counted in its overall height regardless of whether or not that section of the stream would be legitimately considered a waterfall on its own right, were it to be isolated. Waterfalls with only one drop will of have the height of only the single drop listed here.
While this is the turnaround point for many people, the pretty basin encourages further exploration. For more information on walks in the basin see the Blue Lake and Lewis Lake and Mine trail descriptions. Some of the state’s most fabulous falls require little to no hiking.
Just under 2 miles from the center of town is the Pandora Mill, and immediately after is a sharp switchback in the road and a large parking area where the falls are prominently visible but still 3/4 of a mile distant. Vehicles without 4-wheel drive and high clearance will have to park here because the road gets considerably rougher. Either on foot or in a high clearance 4wd vehicle, continue another 1.5 miles to a switchback in the road right at the base of the falls. The tour begins by crossing Ophir Pass and driving north on Highway 550 to the beginning of one-way Black Bear Pass near the summit of Red Mountain Pass. After climbing the back side of Black Bear, we summit the pass and drop into Black Bear Basin, where wildflowers grow waist-high in the late summer.
English 
Romanian