Paonia, Colorado is a community of farmers, artists, coal miners, entrepreneurs and people from all walks of life living together in the North Fork Valley. It is a small town, cozy and quiet, with a mild climate. Despite the small size, you may be surprised by all the excellent restaurants, abundance of locally grown food, weekly classes, activities, productions and high quality events that the community enjoys. You will not be bored in Paonia!
Farms, Vineyards & Ranches
Paonia is home to a dynamic and growing agricultural scene. The North Fork Valley is famous for its produce, grass-fed meat, and out-of-this-world eggs. Foodies from all over come to experience the delights this valley creates. The area is known for its incredible orchards that yield peaches, apples, plums, pears, apricots and cherries. Local farms share their unparalleled organic and biodynamically grown produce during the spring, summer and fall months. There is an abundance of unique farms, ranches and vineyards—too many to list! You can see a comprehensive list of them HERE.
The Paonia area is known for yielding the most delicious, fresh, organic food around. Eating well in the North Fork Valley is easy.
National Parks & Nearby Activities
It’s no surprise that Colorado is one the premier places to get out into wilderness. Paonia’s advantage is its remoteness and small population. Within the town of Paonia and very close to the Silver Leaf community, the “Jumbo” trails are very popular for hikers, runners, and mountain bikers. You can also push your kayak off from the Paonia River Park, go fishing at Volunteer Park or see some live music at Paonia Town Park. Nearby attractions include the Black Canyon National Park, Lost Lake Wilderness, Paonia State Park, Avalanche Ranch Hot Springs, Ouray Hot Springs, Colorado National Monument, Telluride, Aspen, Grand Mesa and so much more.
Paonia River Park
“With nearby national parks and wilderness areas, there’s no limit to the ways you can enjoy the fresh mountain air in Paonia. This great place is small, but the quality of life experienced by its residents is huge.”
– Mother Earth News
Things to Do
The Paradise Theater is home to a lot of Paonia’s happenings. Local productions of original work, the annual fashion show, fabulous live music, a number of film festivals, and new movies keep the schedule full at the theater. Another hub of activity is the Blue Sage Center for the Arts – it operates as a gallery, a stage and a home to many of the art/dance/yoga classes offered in Paonia.
Paonia is a unique community that never ceases to surprise. Should the urge strike to be social or creative, Paonia will have an outlet for you.
Annual Events include the Paonia Film Festival, the Paonia Fashion Show, Dark Nights with Craig Childs, the Burlesque Show, Elsewhere’s Masquerade Ball, Cherry Days, the Mountain Harvest Festival, West Elk Wine Trail, Gears and Beers…the list goes on. For more information on Paonia, check out some of these resources; Paonia.com, the Paonia Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Paonia site, and Paonia’s wikipedia page.
