Skip to main content
site-logo
  • Sign Up
  • Log In
  • Dashboard
  • Logout
    • My Account
    • Dashboard
    • Profile
    • Saved items
    • Logout
Home
News
Adventures
Galleries
Features
Getaway Guides
Things to Do
  • Boulder
  • Breckenridge
  • Colorado Springs
  • Crested Butte
  • Denver
  • Fort Collins
  • Fruita
  • Steamboat Springs
  • Telluride
  • Vail
  • VIEW ALL
Activities
  • Camping
  • Hiking
  • Mountain Biking
  • Rafting
  • Running
  • Skiing and Snowboarding
  • VIEW ALL
Events
Podcast
Store
Newsletter
VIEW ALL
site-logo
  • Open user controls
    • Log In Using Your Account

      Log In
      Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
    • My Account
    • Dashboard
    • Profile
    • Saved items
    • Logout
  • Open user controls
    • Log In Using Your Account

      Log In
      Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
    • My Account
    • Dashboard
    • Profile
    • Saved items
    • Logout
  • ADVENTURES
  • NEWS
  • FEATURES
  • EVENTS
  • PODCAST
  • STORE
Crested-Butte-OutThere-Colorado.png

Crested-Butte-OutThere-Colorado.png

Headlines

  1. Crested-Butte-OutThere-Colorado.png
  1. Read More
SIGN UP: Free daily newsletter + 20% off in the OTC gear shop

News, travel inspiration, podcasts, & more.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Things To Do in Crested Butte

Crested Butte is a quintessential Colorado mountain town. It’s the kind of place you visit and never want to leave. This small town, founded in the 1880s as a gold camp, sits nestled in a mountain valley among 12,000-foot-high peaks. It’s a place that respects history and where locals have traded in their mining hardhats, picks, and gold pans for mountain bikes, skis, and hiking boots.

People call Crested Butte “Colorado’s Last Great Ski Town” for its funky 1970s vibe. The reason why skiers and snowboarders love this remote area in central Colorado is the snow, making for epic ski conditions. The town recorded an astonishing 112 inches of snow during the first two weeks of January 2017 alone—so much snow that the ski area closed for a day. Skiers and boarders find open beginner and intermediate slopes, three terrain parks, and extreme inbounds runs for experts.

The town also bills itself as the “Nordic Ski Capital of Colorado”. Over 50 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails surround Crested Butte so you can clip into your skis and hit the trails. The Nordic Center, within walking distance of downtown Crested Butte, offers ski rentals, lessons, clinics, and tours. Beyond town are more cross-country ski tours up the Slate River Valley and to the old mining town of Gothic.

Crested Butte was one of the places that mountain biking was born in the United States. In the late 1970s, a few locals started pedaling clunker Schwinn bicycles over Pearl Pass to Aspen. These fat-tire adventurers created a new sport and Crested Butte became its capital. Over 750 miles of singletrack trails and abandoned mining roads give many options from easy cruiser rides to jarring technical descents. Good beginner routes include trails at the ski resort, Wagon Trail, Lupine Trail, and Cement Creek Trail. The best expert route is Trail 401 with alpine views and a 1,500-foot descent down Mount Belleview. Other toughies are Dyke Trail, Doctor Park Trail, Strand Hill Trail, and Teocalli Trail.

In summer, there are so many flowers that the state officially dubbed Crested Butte the “Wildflower Capital of Colorado.” Lace up your boots and hit area trails for flowers and photography. Good wildflower hikes include Rustler Gulch Trail, Copper Lake Trail to Judd Falls, Meridian Lake Trail, and Brush Creek Trail. A great two-mile hike begins atop the Silver Queen lift at the resort and climbs to Mount Crested Butte’s summit—expect stellar views.

September at Crested Butte is one of the best seasons, with forests of golden aspen spilling down mountain slopes. The best aspens are found along the Kebler Pass Road, which is home to the largest living organism on earth—an aspen grove. Aspens grow from a single root system so every tree is a clone of its neighbors. Other great color drives are Ohio Pass Road, Brush Creek, Washington Gulch, and the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway.



Kebler Pass

Kebler Pass

Crested Butte Zipline Tour

Crested Butte Zipline Tour

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Washington Gulch Trail

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Judd Falls Trail

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

401 Trail

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Crystal Ghost Town

Crystal Ghost Town

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Evolution Bike Park

Evolution Bike Park

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Entrance Park

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Henderson Park

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Meridian Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Meridian Lake Park Reservoir Number 1

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Meridian Lake Reservoir

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Peanut Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Lake Brennand

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Rainbow Park (Crested Butte)

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Three Ladies Park

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Totem Pole Park

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Town Park (Crested Butte)

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Town Ranch

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

E Beckwith Reservoir Number 1

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Big Mine Park

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Nicholson Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Peeler Lakes

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Lake Grant

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Lake Irwin

Lake Irwin

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Lost Lake Slough

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Lower Peeler Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Red Mountain Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Silver Dollar Pond

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Elko Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Big Alkali Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Cathedral Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Copley Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Copper Lake

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Yule Lakes

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Upper Peeler Lakes

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Lake Irwin Campground

Lake Irwin Campground

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Lost Lake Campground

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Oh-Be-Joyful Campground

Oh-Be-Joyful Campground

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Cement Creek Campground

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Gothic Campground

Gothic Campground

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020

Judd Falls

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Gunnison National Forest

Gunnison National Forest

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Conundrum Hot Springs

Conundrum Hot Springs

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
The Club At Crested Butte

The Club At Crested Butte

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Castle Peak

Castle Peak

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Conundrum Peak

Conundrum Peak

  • Updated Jun 23, 2020
Crested Butte Resort

Crested Butte Resort

  • Updated Jun 25, 2020
site-logo
Copyright © 2016 - 2021
OutThere Colorado, LLC
All Rights Reserved.

main

  • Home
  • News
  • Adventures
  • Features
  • Getaway Guides
  • Things to Do
  • Where to Go
  • Newsletter Sign-Up

Info

  • Advertise
  • Our Mission
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Affiliate Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram