Oct 27, 2026 · @Douglas Brown

In late August we launched the Trinidad Colorado Guide, a free visitor app for our town. Since then, 1,948 people have used it. They have opened it more than 4,000 times, looked at 1,472 pages about local places and events, and tapped through to a business website 182 times.

Those numbers tell a story about who comes to Trinidad, what they want, and how they find it. Here is what we learned in the first two months, and what it means if you run a business here.

Visitors want things to do, history and the outdoors

The most-viewed page in the app was Doors Open Trinidad, with 171 views. Next came the Fancy Spider Music Festival, then the history of the Santa Fe Trail through town. After that, it was trails: Fishers Peak, the Goldenrod Loop, the South Shore Trail at Trinidad Lake, and the Purgatoire Riverwalk.

What people typed into search says the same thing. The top searches were the A.R. Mitchell Museum, kayaking, art galleries, Trinidad Lake and the Trinidad History Museum. People also searched for Italian food, horseback riding and, this month, haunted houses.

Visitors don't come to Trinidad for one thing. They come for a day of it: a museum in the morning, a hike after lunch, dinner downtown.

Paper still works, and so do people

Every QR code we hand out carries its own tag, so we can see which ones bring people in. The results surprised us.

The single biggest source was a business card, which brought in 97 new people. A sign for Doors Open brought 62. The front desk at La Quinta brought 56, and the hotel table tents another 35. The Welcome Center and printed flyers added about 25 each.

Social media mattered too. Facebook posts and events together brought in well over 100 people, and Instagram brought 30. But a printed code in the right hand, at a front desk or a welcome counter, held its own against any post.

Events and weekends bring the crowds

Our busiest days were October 9 and 10, the Fancy Spider Music Festival weekend, with 111 people each day. Doors Open Trinidad on October 3 brought 100.

Saturday is the busiest day of the week, with nearly twice the use of a typical Monday. Friday comes second. People plan their weekend on Friday and use the app on Saturday to find what's next.

What this means for your business

• Be ready for Friday and Saturday. Post your weekend hours, specials and events by Thursday. That's when people start looking.

• Ride the big events. When a festival is in town, visitors are already looking at their phones. Tell them you're a short walk away.

• Put your link where visitors look. Visitors tapped through to a business website 182 times. If you don't have a website, or yours doesn't work on a phone, that visitor moves on.

• Use paper with a code on it. A card or counter sign with a QR code on it did as well as a social post. It costs almost nothing.

• Think like a visitor. People searched for kayaking, Italian food and horseback riding. If you offer something they're looking for, say it plainly, in the words they'd use.

Get your business in front of them

Every business in Trinidad can have a free listing in the Trinidad Colorado Guide. Open any listing in the app and tap "Is this your business? Claim your free listing," or email doug@hutsondesignstudio.com.

We publish a visitor report for the town every month, with numbers like these. Sign up for our newsletter below to get it, along with our next article.

And if visitors can't find you online, we can help. Hutson Design Studio builds websites and apps for small businesses and towns in southern Colorado. We're right here in Trinidad. Call 512-577-8254 or visit hutsondesignstudio.com.

Numbers cover launch through October 27, 2026, from the Trinidad Colorado Guide app. Our own testing devices are not counted.