Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ) serves Montrose, Colorado, and is the main air gateway to the San Juan Mountains region, including the resort town of Telluride and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, making a rental car essential for most visitors who arrive here rather than driving in from Denver. The airport is a mid-size regional facility with counters from international and local rental operators, and its manageable size generally keeps pickup faster than the larger mountain-adjacent airports further north.
From MTJ, Black Canyon of the Gunnison is roughly fifteen to twenty minutes east via US-50, a quick and easy trip to see one of the steepest, narrowest canyons in North America. Telluride, the well-known ski and festival town, sits about an hour south along Highway 550 and connecting roads, climbing steadily into the San Juan Mountains with increasingly dramatic scenery the closer you get. The town of Ridgway, roughly thirty to forty minutes south of Montrose, makes a good midpoint stop and gateway to the Ridgway-to-Ouray stretch known for its mountain views, a route many visitors add on as a scenic extension once the main Telluride leg is done.
Driving is on the right throughout the United States, and while US-50 and the main routes near Montrose are well maintained and relatively gentle, the roads climbing toward Telluride and further into the San Juans involve real mountain driving: steep grades, switchbacks and rapidly changing weather at elevation. Winter here is serious, with heavy snowfall common from roughly November through April, and many rental agreements recommend or require a vehicle with all-wheel drive and snow tires for mountain routes during that window. There are no tolls on these roads. Fuel stations are frequent in Montrose itself but thin out considerably once you climb toward Telluride, so filling up before the mountain leg is a sensible habit here.