Close to Crested Butte, the trail to Judd Falls is a popular choice for visitors with its mellow profile and short distance. It offers great views of Gothic Mountain along with wildflowers and a waterfall destination. There is also free bus service to the trailhead in summer months!
Sustainable Trail Use
This trail and many others like it are maintained by the Crested Butte Conservation Corps. From picking up trash to trail maintenance to poop removal, they do it all and keep our backcountry pristine. Please help support them with a tax-deductible donation (501c3).
| Highlights: | Aspen, Waterfalls, Wildflowers |
| Difficulty: | Easy, Rocky Trail |
| Length: | 1 mile |
| Approx. Time: | 45 minutes |
| Elevation Gain: | 166 feet |
| Max Elevation: | 9,882 feet |
| Trailhead Elevation: | 9,824 feet |
| Travel Time to TH: | 30 minutes |
Click photos to view multi-season gallery
Directions
From the Town of Crested Butte: Take Gothic Road (135) north past Mt. Crested Butte. Bear right past the Snodgrass Trailhead parking lot and descend into the East River Valley for a total of 8.45 miles just past the town of Gothic [1]. Park at the signed Copper Creek lot on the right side [2]. There is an upper parking lot area accessible by SUV another .5 miles up the trail. Â Map
Route
If you start from the lower parking lot, be sure to add another mile roundtrip to your plans. The signed trail [3] starts out on a wide dirt road as you make your way through some aspen forest. The next signed section [5] puts you on some more narrow and rocky terrain.
Toward the end is where you'll want to stay on the main trail to avoid confusion [9]. The trail comes to a wide dirt path junction at the end. Take a right at the junction and the waterfall viewing spot is just ahead by the stone bench [10]. From the bench there are steep options to hike down for different viewing opportunities.
Turnaround and head back the way you came [12] or continue up the wide dirt road toward Copper Creek and Copper Lake.
This is a highly trafficked hike. Please stay on the trail at all times. Pack out trash and waste. Yield to uphill hikers. Stay off Rocky Mountain Biological Lab testing sites
Click photos to view multi-season gallery
Trail Map
Buying or Selling Property in CB?
Judd Falls is one of the most accessible trails in the Crested Butte backcountry, and Jenna loves that fact that it connects to the Copper Lake trail as well. She's not only an avid hiker, but one of CB's top real estate brokers. Born and raised in Texas, and having come from a real estate-based family, Jenna has real world experience and expansive knowledge in the industry. She holds both a Texas and Colorado sales agent license.Â
