Things to do & places to visit in Cortez, Colorado, United States

Cortez city in Colorado, United States. Timezone: America/Denver, current date and time: Monday, May 06, 2024, 5:04.

Top things to do (23)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Canyon Trails Ranch Guided Horse Tours (139 reviews)
- Cauble Family Review
Nature & Wildlife Tours

My husband, 13 year old son, and I went on a 3 hour tour with Shelly last week. It was AMAZING! Our guide was so knowledgeable about the area and the ruins. The horses were beautiful and very gentle. Biscuit, the dog, followed us the whole way. The views were breathtaking, and the experience was like no other! This was money well-spent, and I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area! See more..
5.0 Dolores River Canyon (75 reviews)
- Spectacular Fall Colors
Bodies of Water • Canyons

The 105-mile stretch of the Dolores River and its surrounding 26,000-acre wilderness area is popular for a variety of outdoor activities. See more..
5.0 Cortez Quilt Company (16 reviews)
- Wonderful Quilt Shop
Speciality & Gift Shops

Cortez Quilt Company is a must-see shop for any quilter visiting the Four Corners area. Our spacious, light filled store features a large selection of fabric with new merchandise arriving every week, quilt kits, books, patterns, notions, and finished quilts -- the perfect gift to take home from your vacation! See more..
5.0 San Juan Gems Rock Shop (11 reviews)
- Great Experience!
Monday: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Speciality & Gift Shops • Speciality Museums

Colorado Rock Shop - This is one of the largest and most well-stocked rock shops around. San Juan Gems has rocks of all kinds: rough rock, slabs, cabs, minerals, specimens, collector’s items. This rock shop has been called a museum by many who come here to browse, find that perfect gift, or pick up rock and cutting supplies. Known for our great service, we stock or have access to most everything that a person interested in lapidary work, silver or goldsmithing, panning, rock hunting, carving, or just collecting might need. You can trust us to locate parts and offer advice on rock cutting, polishing, and metalsmithing. We have an online rock shop as well that is being added to continually. Located in Cortez, Colorado, we have a retail store stocked with a huge inventory of just about anything one would want relating to rocks. See more..
5.0 The Sunflower Theatre (8 reviews)
- KSJD Home Town Radio
Theaters

The Sunflower Theatre is located on historic Main Street in downtown Cortez, CO. It is in the heart of the four corners region. The Sunflower is a must visit venue for concerts, films, lectures and events. See more..
5.0 Yellow Car Country Wines (6 reviews)
- What a variety of fruit based wines...
Monday: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Wineries & Vineyards

We offer a variety of fruit wines and meads (meads are made with honey) ready to sample and take home by the bottle or case. Try flavors like Strawberry, Pumpkin, Apple Cinnamon, Peach Pineapple, Tutti Fruitti, Plum, Berry, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cherry, Honey Wine, chocolate mint wine, and more! Tastings are offered so you can try our many varieties. And of course you are always welcome to enjoy a glass of one of our wines:) See more..
5.0 Home & Range (5 reviews)
- Another Hidden Gem in Cortez
Monday: Spent < 1 hour Speciality & Gift Shops • Art Galleries

Visit us in person! Local art and handmade goods for home and garden, plus lots more are available at the shop two days a week. We open the doors of our creative workspace on Fridays and Saturdays from 11am – 6pm. Look for the yellow signs at 2409 E. Empire, Cortez, CO 81321. See more..
5.0 The Doobie Sisters Recreational Dispensary (4 reviews)
- Best Dispensary experience ever!
Speciality & Gift Shops

The most fun experience with the friendliest people. I was so impressed with this little store. Great vibes, super clean, huge selection and all top shelf! See more..
5.0 BOOKS in Cortez (3 reviews)
- Stopped on a whim
Speciality & Gift Shops

I don't usually browse book stores. If there's a book I want, I go to a chain book store, buy it, and leave. So I was surprised at how much fun Books was! It appeared small from the outside, but that's deceptive.. they have a huge selection on a wide variety of topics. Fiction are well arranged by authors last name, but cookbooks were a bit more haphazard.... Which was a hoot. We found several old cookbooks that were just too special to pass on. The gal that works there also helped me find some older books by an author I recently discovered. I have to say that she elevated our visit to an event, a special occasion, not just another errand. We'll definitely be back. See more..
5.0 Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway (2 reviews)
- One of the best winter hikes!
Historic Sites • Scenic Walking Areas
Spent New year's day 2021 hiking here. Quiet and pristine Weird rock formations, frosting of light snow, accessible runs. I'll be back. See more..
5.0 Hawkins Preserve (1 review)
- Overlooked Gem
Spent 1-2 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas

Hawkins Preserve is a 122 acre nature preserve and archaeological site, owned and operated by the Cortez Cultural Center, and open for public benefit. See more..
4.5 Hovenweep National Monument (700 reviews)
- Smaller than Chaco Canyon, but no less impressive
Spent 2-3 hours Ancient Ruins • National Parks • Monuments & Statues

Located in Utah but near Cortez, this site has six ruin sites all built around 1200 AD. Hovenweep is 42 miles from Cortez, CO and approximately 48 from Blanding, UT See more..
4.5 Colorado Welcome Center-Cortez (257 reviews)
- lost in cortez
Monday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Visitor Centers

The Cortez Welcome Center is open! Come see us! Need some fresh air? This is the place to do it! Pick up brochures on hiking the Canyon of the Ancients, visiting Mesa Verde National Park or Hovenweep! We have great information for you to bike through Phil's World, and fish McPhee Reservoir or the Dolores River! Cortez is centrally located near the Four Corners, so it's a great place to stay while you venture out to other sights in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona! Our restaurants are open and the weather is great! The health and safety of our visitors is important to us, and we strive to ensure our Welcome Center is clean and that you feel comfortable visiting our facility. See more..
4.5 Cortez Cultural Center (104 reviews)
- Make sure to visit
Monday: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Visitor Centers

Nonprofit arts and cultural center that includes interpretive exhibits on Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi), local artists, and a gift shop featuring items made by local and Native artisans. Free Native American dance performances Monday through Saturday evenings at 7 pm in the summer months. The mission of the Cortez Cultural Center is to promote cultural awareness, the arts, and provide programs that educate about history, diversity and the natural environment. See more..
4.5 Sutcliffe Vineyards (71 reviews)
- Great activity in between hikes
Monday: 12:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wineries & Vineyards

Specialties - A hidden gem, offering daily wine tastings, special wine dinners, and western hospitality. This charming canyon vineyard boasts brilliant wines that express so perfectly the commitment and authenticity of the vineyards. History - Established in 1995. In 1990, John Sutcliffe bought Battlerock Ranch, initially to farm hay, raise livestock, and tend a small orchard. "We grow wine" sounds too simple a way to describe ourselves, yet it illustrates the importance Sutcliffe places on the farming of the vineyard. We plant, nurture, train and prune our vines: we harvest, sort, press and ferment our grapes, then finish and bottle our wine. Every element of the process is conducted here in our beautiful, isolated vineyard. Our first vines were planted in 1995, and by 1999 we had attained a producer's license. In 2001 we released our first vintage, the 1999 Merlot and 1999 Cabernet Franc. Both wines received a great reception; further vines were planted and flourished. See more..
4.5 Notah Dineh Trading Company and Museum (45 reviews)
- Interesting Museum & Shop
Monday: 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Spent < 1 hour Art Museums

We stopped here to look in the small museum they have with Native American art items. They have a reproduction of an Indian Trading Post and one of the largest, beautiful native woven rugs ever made. They also have an extensive collection of Native American jewelry for sale and we found a piece that we bought. Their prices seemed reasonable with what we have seen elsewhere in the Southwest. See more..
4.5 Guy Drew Winery (38 reviews)
- Cozy wine tasting
Monday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wineries & Vineyards

We stopped at Guy Drew after visiting Sutcliffe vinyards. The tasting is held in the family home at their kitchen counter. Beautiful home with beautiful scenery. Guy wasn't home but his very hospitable wife gave us some wines to taste and very nice conversation. Dont be put off about doing a wine tasting at the owners house. It is an experience that we thoroughly enjoyed. Their wine is also very good, they have a few different types to cater to different people's tastes. See more..
4.5 Ute Mountain Trading Company and Museum (13 reviews)
- Nice Selection
Spent < 1 hour Speciality & Gift Shops

Nice selection of pottery and other handcrafted items. Friendly staff. Some things are rather pricey but you can find a deal on a nice pot. See more..
4.5 McElmo Flume No. 6 (5 reviews)
- Quick pit stop of history.
Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent < 1 hour Points of Interest & Landmarks

The McElmo Creek Flume is on county land east of Cortez on U.S. Highway 160. A point-of-interest highway pullout directs visitors to the site. A walkway and overlook with information panels explains the history of the water structure. Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company Flume No. 6, aka McElmo Creek Flume, was built in 1921. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. See more..
4.5 Cortez Dog Park (5 reviews)
- Good dog park and patrons
Parks

This is definitely a clique type of place, lol. As it should be. The regulars are friendly and will even give good advice on best times when it's busy or slow, bigger dogs and smaller pups. It is fun for the dogs and every owner seems to care about the attitude of their pets. If one get grumpy the owner clicks it and takes it away. Kinda like toddlers when they get a time out or a nap..this place is great because of the patrons, and of course the city keeps it clean and well maintained. If I had to offer any suggestions it would be make it even bigger with more grass. But it is desert southwest so most likely on wet years there is more grass. See more..
4.5 Conquistador Golf Course (3 reviews)
- Very Good Experience
Spent More than 3 hours Golf Courses
Great course for the average to above average golfer. The course was well maintained. Pretty good value considering there are not many options in the area. Pro shop experience was very good too. We were traveling and only played nine holes. See more..
4.5 Cajon Group (3 reviews)
- Outlier from Hovenweep WAY worth finding
Spent 2-3 hours Ancient Ruins

One of the coolest ruins in the area, the Cajon Group is west of Hovenweep. Shows what I believe to be the mass population that existed 1200 years ago. If you make it to Hovenweep, you should go here too!! If you are very lucky, on a clear day you can see Monument Valley itself out to the west. Any info needed, you can get from the Rangers at Hovenweep. Be adventurous, see ALL the outliers and Canyons of the Ancients. See more..
4.0 Kodak House (1 review)
- Named after a camera stored here by Gustaf Nordenskiöld
Ancient Ruins
As the southernmost (furthest) site on the Long House Loop of the Wetherill Mesa, it is not often visited. The Kodak house can be seen from an overlook about 2.5 miles from the parking lot. The two-story building site is in a south-facing double alcove at the end of a ravine. The main (lower) section contains a large tower to one side and an array of lesser rooms and kivas to the other. The dwellings are named for a camera that was often left here by Gustaf Nordenskiöld (1880’s), when he was away working on other ruins in the vicinity. Looking at this cliff dwelling from a viewpoint, one has to wonder how the habitants got to it. It looks difficult to access – which was their idea of safety. This area borders Indian reservation so don’t go on any of the nearby unmarked trails. If you are biking the loop, this is worth a stop. Not sure I would walk the whole loop just to see this, especially if short on time. See more..
4.0 Badger House Community (1 review)
- Walk through 600 years of pre-history in 7 acres
Ancient Ruins
See more..
4.0 Long House Loop - Previously Tram Route (1 review)
- Easy 5.5 mile bikeable or walkable loop at the end of Wetherill Mesa Road
Biking Trails
Walkable or bikeable loop, 5.5 miles, the whole way around, with an overall elevation gain of 357 feet. A free tram used to run this loop until 2015. There are bike racks at each stop. This loop gets you to the Nordenskiöld #16 Cliff Dwelling trailhead (1st stop if you go counterclockwise), the Long House trailhead (2nd stop), the Kodak House overlook (3rd stop), as well as the Badger Community (4th stop), and the Step House (last stop – back at the parking lot). Much faster to visit all of these sites with a bicycle, affording you more time to actually visit each one. Each separate stop is further described in TripAdvisor or the NPS park website. Saw a family of four, biking this loop, when I was there. No one was walking it. Most people seem to only walk to the Long House for the tour and then turn around or they walk to the Badger House Community (other end of the loop), then turn around. I loved biking it, a different way to stretch your legs and visit, especially if you don’t have much time to visit Mesa Verde. There are also several picnic tables around this loop. Bring a picnic or a snack and enjoy the views. See more..
3.5 Antique Corral (15 reviews)
- Great selection of items for men and women
Spent 1-2 hours Speciality & Gift Shops • Antique Shops

My husband and I went shopping at Antique Corral. The business is large and has a huge amount of items. The store was very organized and clean. We both loved the store but most of the prices were a little high. I did find and buy a reasonability priced piece of hobnail Fenton. It is certain worth a stop. See more..
2.0 Mesa Park and Environmental Lab (1 review)
- Small park with picnic tables
Spent < 1 hour Parks

Mesa Park and Environmental Lab is a small park with picnic tables. The park is next to the Mesa Elementary school. The grass was about three feet tall. Parking is located on the southside of the school parking lot. See more..
Turquoise Raven Art Gallery (0 review)
Art Galleries
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Cortez City Hall (0 review)
Points of Interest & Landmarks • Civic Centres
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Main Street Emporium (0 review)
Monday: 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM Spent 1-2 hours Shopping Malls

A local downtown mall. The building is called Main Street Emporium with multiple businesses inside. We carry local organic gifts, jewelry and home decor from The Corner Store. New and gently used clothing from Crossroads Clothing. There is also Main Street Salon and Bliss Esthetics Spa located inside that offer everything you need to feel great on your travels! See more..