Things You Must Do In Crested Butte

Crested Butte is the Wildflower Capital of Colorado, and it earns the title. From early June our high meadows light up, and the trails right out of town deliver. Head out for sunrise or early mornings; you'll skip the crowds be treated to a peaceful experience few encounter, but all souls crave.

The mountain bike was born here and the trail network backs up our bragging. Hundreds of miles, from mellow valley spins to lung-burning singletrack. One rule: if you're early in the season and it's muddy, riding soft trails tears them up and earns you the local stink-eye, so wait for them to dry out.

Ride the lift to the top of Mt. Crested Butte. In summer and fall it is a scenic chairlift to the best view in the valley. In winter it is your way onto terrain that runs from gentle greens to the legendary extremes. First time up in winter, lap Paradise until you know the mountain before you go chasing the steeps.

The Gunnison Valley is Gold Medal water, the Taylor, the East, and the Slate all a short drive off, and the trout are wild and willing for anyone who reads the seam. Willowfly guides out of Three Rivers in Almont and knows where they are holding. Late summer evenings on the tailwater are the sweet spot, once the day crowd clears.

When the snow comes, miles of groomed track open up along the river, the quiet, lung-filling counterpoint to a day at the resort. Classic skiers, skaters, and snowshoers all have their lane, and it suits every level. Go midmorning once the groomers have finished, and rent skis, snowshoes, and a trail pass at the Crested Butte Nordic Center in town. Lessons and backcountry tours are available too.

When the valley is buried in snow, getting pulled by a team of eager pooches is one of the most genuinely different things you can do here. You ride out through winter landscapes behind dogs that live to run, and with a musher who knows the country. Book ahead, the good outfits fill up over the holidays.

Town light ordinances and a whole lot of nothing for miles mean the night sky here is genuinely dark, and on a clear night the Milky Way is right there. New-moon weeks are best. Drive ten minutes up Gothic Road to drop the last of the town glow.

One of the largest aspen stands on earth runs over Kebler Pass, and for a couple of weeks in fall the whole road turns gold. Drive it, hike it, or ride it, the dirt is easy for any car when it is dry. Peak is a moving target, usually toward the end of September and early October, so watch our fall color updates, not the calendar.