Where to Stay in Leadville, CO: Hotels, Motels, Cabins and Houses

Leadville lodging breaks into five types: historic hotels and inns downtown, motels on Harrison Avenue and the highway, cabins in and just outside town, whole-house rentals in town, and rental houses near Twin Lakes, a short drive south. Couples and small families can book a downtown room or suite for a weekend. A group of 8 to 12 has two honest options: rent a whole house, in town or near Twin Lakes, or split across several hotel or motel rooms, since the largest hotel and motel suites in Leadville top out at 8 guests.

Quick answer

• Historic hotel downtown: the Delaware Hotel, 700 Harrison Ave, built in 1886, 36 rooms including two-bedroom suites that sleep 4 to 8.
• Boutique inn downtown: The Majestic, 120 W 4th St, an 1880s Victorian with 5 private rooms and an outdoor hot tub.
• Motels: The Timberline (216 Harrison Ave) and the Leadville Motor Lodge (1 Harrison Ave) on Harrison; the Rodeway Inn (1128 US-24) and the Columbine Inn and Suites on the highway.
• Cabins: Buckeye Cabins, four log cabins about 5 minutes outside downtown, plus The Slumberyard at FREIGHT, 13 studio-style cabins in town.
• Whole-house rentals in town: The Mountain Hideaway (10 guest rooms, up to 20 people) and the Governor's Mansion (7 bedrooms, whole house or 3 units), both a block or less off Harrison.
• Rental houses near Twin Lakes: individually booked vacation homes, including The Big Mack, sleeping 12 across 4 bedrooms.
• Best fit for 8 to 12: a whole-house rental, in town or near Twin Lakes, so everyone books one reservation under one roof.

Historic hotels and inns downtown

The Historic Delaware Hotel at 700 Harrison Ave has been putting up travelers since 1886 and has 36 rooms: standard kings and queens, plus two-bedroom suites that sleep 4 to 8. The lobby is marble, brass and leather with a bar and coffee downstairs, while the rooms upstairs look out on the Sawatch Range. It has a 24-hour front desk and sits an easy walk from Harrison Avenue. For a smaller, more intimate stay, The Majestic at 120 W 4th St is an 1880s Victorian boutique hotel with five private rooms, each with its own bathroom, fireplaces, and an outdoor hot tub. Both suit a couple or two who want a historic downtown room, not a group that needs to stay together.

Motels on Harrison Avenue and the highway

Harrison Avenue has two motels: The Timberline at 216 Harrison Ave, and the Leadville Motor Lodge at 1 Harrison Ave, which also has two cabins with hot tub access and a communal kitchen. The Timberline's standard and kitchenette rooms sleep 2 to 4, and its single Loft rental is a 3-bedroom, 3-bath apartment with a full kitchen that sleeps 8; the motel markets the Loft plus add-on rooms for reunions and retreats. Other motels sit along the highway outside the historic core: the Rodeway Inn, a Choice Hotels property at 1128 US-24, and the Columbine Inn and Suites, near the Highway 91 and Highway 24 routes. The largest hotel or motel unit we found in Leadville holds about 8 guests.

Cabins in and around town

Buckeye Cabins runs four individual log cabins about 5 minutes outside downtown, at roughly 10,300 feet: Buckeye's and Tashi's (two-bedroom, one-bath) and Luna's and Zuni's (one-bedroom, one-bath), each furnished with antiques and a woodstove. In town, The Slumberyard at FREIGHT at 320 E 9th Street is a different kind of cabin stay: 13 studio-style cabins built around FREIGHT, Leadville's community gathering space, sleeping 2 to 4 each per FREIGHT's room chart. A reunion could book several Slumberyard cabins near one another, though each cabin is sized for a couple or small family, not one roof for 8 to 12. Leadville also has a budget hostel, Inn the Clouds, with dorm and private rooms, and a small seasonal bed and breakfast, The Abbey, a converted 1950s convent one block from downtown.

Whole-house vacation rentals in town

Leadville also has a category easy to miss if you only compare hotels: whole historic houses rented as a single reservation, right in town. The Mountain Hideaway, a block off Harrison Avenue at 201 W 8th St, is a former Victorian boarding house with 10 guest rooms, each with its own bathroom, a hot tub, a sauna, and a common room with pool and ping pong; booked whole in advance, it sleeps up to 20. The Governor's Mansion Guest Suites, half a block off Leadville's main street, was once the home of former Colorado Governor Jesse McDonald and rents as the entire 7-bedroom house or as three private units. Independence Realty and Property Management also lists Victorian homes, cabins, and modern houses around town as vacation rentals. For a group that wants to walk to Harrison Avenue, these in-town houses are a real option alongside hotels and Twin Lakes rentals.

Rental houses near Twin Lakes

The other whole-house option is a short drive south, in and around Twin Lakes. Black Wolf Lodging manages a few individually booked cabins there, each with a 3-night minimum stretching to 5 nights on August weekends. The Big Mack is another Twin Lakes house, across the road from the lake in Lake County, with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms that sleep 12 across 3 king rooms and a downstairs bunk room with 4 doubles and 2 twins. It has a hot tub, a fireplace, a grill, a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, Wi-Fi, and parking, roughly 20 to 30 minutes from downtown Leadville. For the full range of lodging in Twin Lakes village, see our guide to where to stay in Twin Lakes, Colorado.

Why a group of 8 to 12 usually books a house

The largest hotel and motel units we found, the Delaware's two-bedroom suites and The Timberline's Loft, top out at 8 guests, and even that means squeezing into one unit rather than spreading out. A group of 8 to 12 either books several rooms across separate reservations, or books one whole house and cooks and eats together instead of splitting into cars to find restaurant seating in a town of under 3,000 people. From there it's a question of setting: a house in town, like the Mountain Hideaway or the Governor's Mansion, puts the group a short walk from Harrison Avenue; a house near Twin Lakes, like The Big Mack, trades that walkability for a quieter setting at about 9,200 feet instead of roughly 10,150 feet, closer to the Mount Elbert trailheads and the Independence Pass road (Highway 82). For reunion groups planning weeks out, either whole-house option beats reserving a block of rooms across separate properties.

How the options compare

• Historic hotel, the Delaware Hotel: rooms and suites for 2 to 8 guests, walking distance to downtown restaurants and shops.
• Boutique inn, The Majestic: five private rooms in an 1880s Victorian, best for a couple or two.
• Motel, The Timberline and Leadville Motor Lodge on Harrison, or the Rodeway Inn and Columbine Inn on the highway: individual rooms, with The Timberline's Loft sleeping up to 8.
• Cabins, Buckeye Cabins outside town or The Slumberyard at FREIGHT in town: one- and two-bedroom log cabins, or studio-style cabins for 2 to 4, bookable in multiples for a reunion.
• Whole-house rental in town, the Mountain Hideaway or the Governor's Mansion: one booking for the whole group, near Harrison Avenue, large enough for a group of 8 or more (the Mountain Hideaway sleeps up to 20).
• Whole-house rental near Twin Lakes, including The Big Mack: one booking, full kitchen, hot tub, and shared living space, a quieter setting built for 8 to 12 guests.

A note on altitude

Leadville sits just over 10,150 feet, among the highest towns in the country, and Twin Lakes isn't far behind at about 9,200 feet. Visitors from lower elevations, especially kids and older relatives, can feel the altitude on day one regardless of lodging type. Plan a lighter first day, drink more water than usual, and see our guide to altitude sickness at Twin Lakes and Leadville for specifics before the trip.

Where to stay for your group

If you're coming with 2 to 4 people for a weekend downtown, the Delaware Hotel, The Majestic, or a motel like The Timberline puts you steps from Harrison Avenue. One or two couples wanting something quieter will do well at a cabin at Buckeye Cabins or The Slumberyard. Bringing 8 to 12 and want to stay in town? The Mountain Hideaway or the Governor's Mansion keeps the group together near Harrison Avenue. Trading that walkability for a quieter lake setting and a trip built around things to do around Twin Lakes and Leadville, The Big Mack sleeps 12 across 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, with a hot tub, fireplace, full kitchen, and parking, about 20 to 30 minutes from downtown Leadville. Check your dates and book direct.