After driving by this place for 20+ years, never stopping longer than it took to pee or buy a coke, I decided to include the gondola ride on a trip with two adults and two kiddos. I'm so glad. The ride is short, but scenic views expand geometrically as you rise to the Continental Divide and disembark. It was windy and a bit chilly, but worth it to be up there. It was definitely expanding our boys' horizons. The gift shop has been remodeled and looks great. Check the sale rack for t-shirts if you want one. Among my favorite new tees was here. Great quality, nice design. Score. If you're in Salida or Gunnison and looking for a few hours to kill, this is worth the short drive, especially if you don't get up high much or want to wow anyone from lower elevations. Kids, most of all. read more

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Great place to stop for break and site seeing. Gondola ride was fun. Views were great! Price was right. read more

Monarch Crest - Monarch Pass - Gift Shops Near Me - Salida, Colorado

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This is a new gem in the Rockies! Great food and service!! Loved it! Make sure that you stop the next time you go over the pass! read more

Monarch Crest - Gift Shops Near Me - Salida, Colorado

This place was alright. I appreciated the free restrooms in the middle of nowhere. They had lots of trinkets, they were fine. They had some clothing, it was fine. People working here were really friendly. read more

Monarch Crest - storefront - Gift Shops Near Me - Salida, Colorado

This is a great stop to stretch your legs and take in the views, assuming the weather cooperates. We had some fog and rain roll in while we were here so we didn't get to take full advantage, but what we did see was quite nice. There is a large tourist store with souvenirs, snacks, and bathrooms. Walk outside a little and there is an old-timey gondola you can take to the top of Monarch Crest for better views. read more

I came up here to snap some pictures of the trees & foliage at sunset. Totally glad that I stopped into this quaint little gift shop they had fresh roasted flavored nuts, homemade fudge, and a variety of other goodies as well as rustic mountain gear and wear very friendly staff and beautiful scenery. Definitely worth the stop. read more

Spacious inside of the gift center. I was immediately greeted by various employees; all very friendly. I purchased a ticket for the scenic tramway which is $10 per adult. The sweet lady who helped me also made sure I knew I could get a free popcorn if I get my ticket punched at the top of the scenic tramway. There was everything you could think of in the store, even items you may need for camping. Bathrooms were clean. Also I want to add that I think the $10 scenic tramway ticket is a reasonable price and completely worth it! The lookout box is well maintained with a sign in book and peak view information. Operators were very friendly. Awesome perk-you can bring your doggies in the gondola with you as well! There's a trail right next to the tramway you can walk too. read more

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The Scenic Tram is alright. Beautiful views. A little pricey for the facilities up top. $10 bucks a pop. More like 5. The gift is HUGE. If you are passing though you should stop but if you have done something like this before, keep going. read more

What a nice surprise discovery! We were driving to Montrose and stumbled upon this. The retro 1960s gondolas and the "Swiss Chalet" building caught our attention. We stopped and took our kids for a ride on the gondolas up to the viewing deck. The man working at the top was really friendly and oriented us to what to look for. The views were beautiful. We spent some time hanging out at the top and walking between the Continental Divide. Then we rode down to get our free (with gondola ride) popcorn at the shop. If we had more time we would have had some local ice cream and fudge. A cool & kitschy place. There is a little 'museum' area with info about local trails and animals. Colorado Trail hikers can pick up and drop off mail here. The staff were all really friendly and clearly proud of what they do. Totally worth stopping if you are close by. read more

There's not much else around so I'll give them an extra star...plus I've used their bathroom twice. The stuff is touristy and overpriced but the nature exhibit is kind of interesting to look at. read more

I took a 6 month cross country road trip across the US. I have stopped in many places, and met a lot of people. I have never experienced such hate in my life as I experienced from the woman at Monarch crest gift shop. She was extremely rude to me from the beginning. I just stopped in to get a sandwich, and a cup of coffee and do some shopping while I waited. She was in her late 40s, and was working with many people in their 20s (like I am) I overheard her talking negatively about me to them. While I was just sitting waiting to get my food. Literally doing nothing. I could also see that they were not participating in the conversation. Every other employee was just looking at me apologetically. I was trying to ignore her, and just wanted to eat and leave. But then when I was half way through my meal, she approached me and told me I wasn't allowed to have my backpack in the dining room. She interrupted my meal to yell at me for having my backpack next to me. She was shaking violently. Like this was some rule I was just supposed to know, and I was breaking it just to spite her. I was the only person there, and had my belongings with me when I ordered and waited. She could have told me this rule before I gave them my money because I wouldn't have given them a dime. Needless to say I will never go back. And I have since heard many similar stories to people's encounters there as well. read more

I was recently traveling the country and took us hwy 50 through the Rockies. I loved the area. Beautiful place. I stopped at the monarch crest gift shop because I wanted something to eat. I was going to buy a gift too. From the time I walked in, there was a lady working the front desk with brown hair and wearing glasses, she was so rude and disrespectful to me. That's very unprofessional and she should be fired. Ive never meet such a rude employee in my life. She was judgmental, accusing me of things, and so hateful. I just wanted something to eat. Im sure I will be back in this area again, but you couldn't pay me enough to go back into the monarch crest continental divide store. She made it a bad place. read more