Day 10 & 11 Colorado Trip: Monte Vista/Leadville/Breckenridge

We left Durango right after getting off the train and headed to our next stop which was going to be a two night stay in Monte Vista. We arrived fairly late and we were a bit bummed because during that 2 1/2 hour drive, it was dark and we know we missed some sights to see. It's also a bit nerve wracking driving on roads you're not familiar with, in the dark at high elevations. We stopped at a grocery store before heading out to buy some food to eat on the way.

Thankfully we arrived in time for someone to still be on site to check us in. We stayed at the Monte Villa Inn.  This hotel was built in the 1930's, and still had that vibe, dark wood furniture, heavily carpeted floors and stairways in an old floral pattern. It was pretty and I think has a lot of potential and I actually discovered as I was searching for some information, that it is up for sale as of November 2025. We were there in October. My hubby works in the disaster restoration business (think fires, water, smoke, flood damage), and he could immediately tell there was some mold issues. He also has a sensitive nose to these things and will get headaches. He knew we couldn't stay two nights. We didn't have a choice with the one night so we pushed through. The room was pretty small. In the morning he went down to talk to the owner, and he had also messaged the manager of our next stop to see if our room was available if we wanted to come a day early. The owner of the Monte Villa Inn was great and understanding. We did have breakfast before we headed out and the continental breakfast was good. It does get great reviews and maybe if we had a bigger room or one that was more newly renovated it might have been better, but I'm not sure. 

In Breckenridge, we stayed at the Breckenridge Boutique Hotel. This was a great spot with spacious rooms, a workout area, hot tub and a nice sitting area on the second floor along with a self serve kitchenette that had a microwave, tea, etc. Off the back of the hotel is a great walking path and I believe this is adjacent to a ski run. Definitely worth the stay. There are only 10 rooms so it is a very quaint and fairly quiet place. I highly recommend it. You can also walk to the old town area if you like.

One of the most exciting things in Breckenridge was spying a moose family. Seeing a moose has been on my wildlife bucket list. It was fun to watch them. Then, when we were on our walk later that afternoon, we spotted what we think was the same male moose (since we were in the same vicinity). He happened to jump a fence near where we were walking and went on down the trail. We spied him again a short time later. That was a real treat. My husband was hoping to see a bear at some point on our trip, but no luck.

What we ate/coffee: If you remember in other posts I mentioned that we stuck with eating one main meal a day, and eating fruit, lighter snack items that we picked up at stores throughout the day. Of course, there's always time for ice cream and coffee.

Drift Away Coffee (Monte Vista): I googled coffee shops while we were at the hotel in Monte Vista and this one popped up. Turns out it was right across the street. It's a new brick and mortar but the owner, who is awesome by the way, also has a mobile trailer that she takes around to events. I loved the simple vibe and the flavors were great.  

High Mountain Pies (Leadville): This was amazing. We shared a calzone and also got a small pizza to try. I can't remember if we tried anything else or if I got a coffee, I don't think I did. This was our main meal that day.

Higgles Ice Cream (Breckenridge): We visited here several times. It began as a woman owned mobile business in 2011. Now she's in a small shop making artisan ice cream on site. Very good and creamy. The flavors change regularly. We were pleased with everything we tried. The customer service was great. Check out their website to learn more and check out their flavors.

Mi Casa Mexican (Breckenridge): We had the Mi Casa Nachos which were really good. Service was a bit slow, but we did enjoy them. 

Starbucks. I didn't order a drink, I just got some vanilla scones, and the only reason I went was because it's not like other Starbucks locations. This one is located in a cute little house. 

Semplice Coffee (Breckenridge): This was a great little spot. The food all sounded so good. I just got a coffee though. 

The Crown (Breckenridge): This place was crowded. Thankfully I arrived just before a bigger line formed. A great spot with a fireplace and several comfy places to sit and visit. Hubby sat and waited while I ordered. 

We also hit the grocery store there for some fruit and other light snacks. 

What we did: 

 I loved the shops in Leadville. We walked around this cute town, went into the shops, stopped and grabbed something at the High Mountain Pies before we headed on our way to Breckenridge. We visited Two Dog Market, which was part bookstore, mixed with antiques and the owners are travel agents. It was so cool! We also stopped at Melanzana Outdoor clothing which sells locally made products. A lot of fun shops to visit. There is also a mining museum that I feel is a must see. It is so well done and very fascinating. 

In Breckenridge, we did a bit of the same, browsing the shops and just enjoying the area. We did do a small walk/hike near our airbnb called the Sawmill Resevoir Trail. The Rotary Snowplow Park is home to a giant Isak Heartstone Troll. It was very busy so we didn't get a picture in front of it, but it was pretty neat to see. We also visited the Edward Carter Museum which was very interesting and worth the visit. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin