An eclectic and rustic array of dining options await those who make the trek. Our saloon, The Brown Recluse, is one of Colorado’s oldest standing saloons. The owners of our dining establishments make use of the natural surroundings, offering mountain ranch-style cuisine as well as more traditional dishes.
It’s not just a clever name: Dave Yeti’s parents were some of the earliest residents of Tripping Falls; they came here shortly after the Rulison Project sent mutant refugees to rural parts of Colorado.
A Tripping Falls favorite since the late ’70s, The Yeti’s Spaghettis faces a unique challenge today that many Old West dining establishments faced: Diverse types of food. Instead of relying on deliveries (it’s a rough road), the eateries of Tripping Falls have to rely on as much locally sourced food as possible. There always seems to be plenty of game, and plenty of high-altitude crops that are nurtured with irrigation from the nearby West Fork Encampment River.
Dave Yeti’s made a name with his handmade, game-inspired rustic Italian menu.
The Brown Recluse was one of the original businesses established in Victorian-era Tripping Falls — originally called “The Brown Russell” after the town’s apparitional founder. A series of strange events prompted a name change in 1945 — shortly after the discovery of the brown recluse spider.
After 1919, there were several reports that the spirit of the “unofficial” town founder James Corwin Price would appear after sundown in the saloon. Years later, it was hypothesized that the near-poisonous quality of whiskey being used at the time was responsible for these hallucinations.
Enjoy a “Coffin Varnish” cocktail when you visit — an experience as close to tasting whiskey of the Old West as is safely possible.
Ah, the Lodge. The heart of the town. One of the oldest standing buildings in Colorado and probably the longest waitlist of any lodging in the country. In The Lodge is a quaint and modest bar that’s exactly as you’re imagining it in your head right now — Bullet holes in the ceiling from poker games gone wrong, a magnificent restored oak bartop, and two kinds of beer: Light and dark (brewed locally).
Since Tripping Falls really came to prominence after the gold rush, The Lodge was used originally as a place for eastbound travelers to stay after they pulled up stakes.
The Lodge maintained a steady, but quiet business until 2014, when an influx of tourists resulted in a huge increase in interest in Tripping Falls and the surrounding area. The Lodge is booked nearly three years out right now, although cancellations do happen.
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