Carbondale – More than just a Potato Capital
Carbondale may have been founded as a farming community in the late 1800s, but the town is known for something else these days: access to outdoor adventure. Situated at the confluence of the Crystal and Roaring Fork rivers, Carbondale offers thrills—mountain biking, rock climbing, fly-fishing, kayaking, and hiking—to satisfy a weekend warrior’s every whim. Visitors will also discover a quaint main street with thriving eateries, a lively arts community, and a friendly population that’s attracting national attention. In fact, Men’s Journal included the mountain hamlet in its 2015 list “The 10 Best Places to Live Now.”
A day and a half in Carbondale means striking a careful balance between calorie ingestion and energy exertion. Get out ahead of the former with a hike to Mushroom Rock, the trailhead for which sits conveniently at the turnoff to Carbondale from Highway 82. There are multiple ways to reach the fungus-shaped rocky overlook, but the 0.6-mile Outer Loop Trail’s steep path through red clay gets you to the panoramic view quickest. From Mushroom Rock, you probably can’t see the five-month-old Distillery Inn, Carbondale’s first boutique hotel—but it’s there, and it’s easily the most sought-after reservation in town. Each of the inn’s five rooms (starting at $250 per night) features a king-size bed, Italian linens, and bath products from Steamboat’s Ranch Organics.
It’ll be difficult to pull yourself away from your private balcony with views of Mt. Sopris, but bellying up to the marble bar at the in-house Marble Distilling Co. tasting room downstairs is a worthy excuse. Marble Distilling currently offers three spirits—vodka, Gingercello, and Moonlight Expresso, a coffee liqueur—with gin and whiskey in the works. Soak up the alcohol with a meat and cheese plate served on marble slab. You’ll be glad you didn’t overindulge at the distillery because just two blocks away awaits Allegria, chef Andreas Fischbacher’s ode to Italian-European cuisine. Local ingredients—harvested in the same hills you’ve been staring at—pepper the ever-changing menu. Order the linguine and clams with a glass of super Tuscan. The elegant food and low lighting are the perfect prelude to relaxing in front of the gas fireplace back in your room. An 8 a.m. alarm calls for a trip to Bonfire Coffee, where you’ll do well to order a pour-over and the bacon-hummusarugula-tomato-avocado breakfast bagel. It’s a 25-minute drive to Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs to meet Shaine Ebrahimi and Mary Sundblom of Carbondale-based Shaboomee Stand Up Paddleboarding for a private two-and-a-half-hour white-water lesson on the Colorado River (starting at $200).
After a short skills overview, you’ll make your way downriver on Ebrahimi’s custom-designed boards. Get ready to feel new muscles as your core strains to keep you balanced on the rushing water. If your legs are feeling stable, try standing through small sets of rapids. Worst-case scenario: You fall in and pull yourself back on the board. More likely: You’ll reach the Whitewater Park pullout and ask if you can do it again.
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