Hiking in Crested Butte, A Sunrise Hike on the Lupine Trail

Disclosure: When you buy something through the Affiliate product links I have created below, I earn a small commission. I only promote products and companies I support as well as believe in

So you’ve planned a summer trip to Crested Butte in Colorado and you’re looking for a good hike to start the trip off. Well, the nice thing about Crested Butte is there are a few hikes right in town that are great for getting acclimated to the elevation while still enjoying the mountains. One of these hikes is the Lupine Trail. Late June through early July this trail will be covered with Wildflowers and in the fall you’ll get to see some fall colors as there are Aspen trees on part of this hike.

I decided to hike it at sunrise to get some good photos and avoid any crowds, but this trail would also be great to do mid day and even in the afternoon-evening time. With that being said, in this post I’ll be going over where to park, trail details, what to expect, and recommended hiking gear.

How to get to the trail and where should we park

To get to the Trailhead you’re going to drive on Gothic Road and then take a left onto County Road 734. Park at the Slate River Trailhead. The parking area is small, but If you arrive early or later in the day, you shouldn’t run into any problems.

Please Note, because this is an out and back trailhead, do not park off Saddle Ridge Ranch Road to start the hike. This is a private neighborhood and this trailhead start should only be accessed via Mountain Bike!

Is this a difficult hike

I would say this is actually a great hike if you are looking for something on the easier to intermediate side. The trail itself isn’t too technical and the elevation gain didn’t feel too strenuous, plenty of areas to take a break if needed. I listed a few trail details below.

Trail Type: Out and Back

Elevation Gain: 1,594 feet

Distance: 5.8 Miles

Dogs Allowed: Yes, but must be on leash

Download the trail ahead of time via All Trails for help with navigation

Best time of the summer for seeing Wildflowers

I visited the second week of July starting on the 8th and the flowers were in full bloom, but I feel like I caught the end of it. For this trail I think a week earlier or even the last week of June will be the best time to see the wildflowers in the summer.

What is the Trail Like

You’ll start off on a series of switchbacks that overlooks Nicholson Lake. This is an awesome area for photography, especially in the evening! What I also liked about the very beginning of the hike is you kind of feel like you’re in a valley with surrounding Mountains. Mount Emmons will be to your left with Peeler Peak off in the Distance.

Once you pass Nicholson Lake, the trail will start to flatten out and you will be surrounded by fields of Aspen Sunflowers until you reach a wooded area of Aspen Trees. The lighting in the early morning through these trees is amazing fyi. As you exit the Aspen Trees you’ll get some more views of Slate River and the town. If you continue all the way to the end of the trail it will essentially be more fields until you turn around and hike back.

What should We Expect

The first thing to expect is the high possibility of there being more then just hikers on the trail! You might run into horse back riders and Mountain Bikers as this is a popular bike trail. More on biking later in this post. There also isn’t really any shade other then the small part through Aspen trees, so make sure to wear sunscreen. Lastly since this hike is close to town, easy to get to, and not too difficult, expect it to be more crowded during weekends and the 4th of July holiday!

Can you Mountain Bike on this Trail

Yep, this is a great beginner to intermediate Mountain Biking trail! There will be bike rental shops in town as well as up on Mount Crested Butte. I rented a demo bike from the Alpineer off 6th street towards the beginning of downtown. I recommend leaving your car parked in town and then biking to the opposite end of where you actually start the hike (Saddle Ridge Townhomes). This way the climb won’t be as bad and the second half is going to be a better downhill ride then if you were to start at the Slate River Trailhead.

Since the trail isn’t a long bike ride you can keep going and down the road there will be the Gunsight Bridge Trail that you can bike as well.

Recommended Hiking Gear

I made a quick list below for things I would recommend having on this hike!

• Water Bottle- I really like Hydro flask as the water bottles will keep fluids cold for up to 12 hours

• Small Bag- Carry your water bottle, camera, or snacks with a small backpack. Burton makes some of the best backpacks for the outdoors in my opinion

• Lightweight Clothing- Stay away from cotton!, Patagonia, Fjallraven, REI, and Vuori all make great lightweight apparel for hiking

• Hiking Footwear- Since this trail isn’t too rocky, hiking boots aren’t a requirement, but I would say at least have good trail shoes. Stop into your local outdoor store or visit REI.com for good footwear options

• Rain Jacket- Thunderstorms can pop up in the mountains, never leave home without a rain jacket!

Looking for other hiking trails in Crested Butte? Check out the Snodgrass Trail, also not far from town with lots of wildflowers and some pretty epic views. As always thanks for checking out the blog and I’ll see you on the next post.

Best Wildflower Hikes in Crested Butte Colorado, Hiking the Snodgrass Trail

Disclosure: When you buy something through the Affiliate product links I have created below, I earn a small commission. I only promote products and companies I support as well as believe in

Known to be one of the most populated areas for Wildflowers, Crested Butte in Colorado offers some of the best hiking trails minutes from town. One of these trails is Snodgrass. Other than hikers, you’ll also find mountain bikers, trail runners, and even horseback riders. If you want to see wildflowers, well this hike is one of the best hikes for it in the summer time. I decided to hike it in the afternoon to catch the sunset at the end, and if you time it on the right night, the mountain views at sunset mixed with wildflowers are incredible. I haven’t experienced anything like it in Colorado.

In this post I’ll be going over how to get to the trailhead, where Crested Butte is in Colorado, trail information, and what to expect. Sickk lets get into it.

Where is Crested Butte and how to get to the trailhead

Crested Butte is actually really close to the town of Aspen (in the summer) and will be west of Denver (Around a 4 hour drive). To access the trailhead you’ll want to take Gothic Road up past Mount Crested Butte where the ski resort is, but keep driving until you see parking. There will also be signage, as you drive along Gothic road. To park, there will be a couple free day lots and parking along the road too.

Best time to Hike and Trail Stats

Late May through early October, weather depending. In the summer the best time to hike it would be mid June through Mid July because of the wildflowers. I hiked it right after the fourth of July and there were fields of wildflowers. Pretty amazing to be honest. The fall would also be a great time because of the colors from the Aspen leaves.

The best time of day is either early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds and grab parking. Since the hike is longer, give yourself at least 4 hours if you plan on hiking the whole trail.

Type: Out and Back with a Loop

Distance: 5.8 Miles

Elevation gain: 1,594 Feet

Dogs allowed: Yes, but on a leash

Does the trail have a lot of Wildflowers

Yep, this trail is covered in Wildflowers from June through July, with Peak season being early-Mid July. I saw a lot of Arrowleaf Balsomroot (Yellow) and Silvery Lupine (purple)

What is the trail like

The cool thing about this trail is you don’t even have to hike it all the way for the best views. The best views are less then halfway through the hike as you make your way towards the top. Actually the top of the hiking trail has no views at all.

The trail begins and ends with a 360 scenic lookout of the town, Mount Crested Butte, and surrounding peaks such as Mt. Emmons and Teocalli Mountain. You’ll also notice horses off in the distance from the Horse Ranch down the road. The beginning part is where you will see the majority of the wildflowers.

Eventually there will be an area where the trail will start to Loop. I stayed to the right on Snodgrass Mountain Road then looped back around on Snodgrass Trail 590 on the way down. Hiking the road will take you through a wooded area of Aspen Trees until you reach the part of the trail that overlooks the ski resort and Mount Crested Butte.

Don’t feel like hiking the whole trail? Hike only to the area that overlooks Mount Crested Butte before turning around. I recommend not taking the road, but taking the actual trail if you plan on only hiking part way . If you keep going you’ll be walking through the woods with no views other then the surrounding pine trees.

The top of Snodgrass mountain will be a dead end at 11,142 feet. It’s probably one of the only hikes I’ve ever done without any views at the very top of the trail! No stress, the decent is pretty cool if you can time it for golden hour (evening).

On the way down stay to the right on trail 590 and you kind of walk through a field at one point of more wildflowers.

If you hiked this in the afternoon or evening, stay for sunset at the end of the trail and you won’t regret it!

What to pack

• Hiking Boots- Shop at your local outdoor store or REI to try the boots on in person. Every hiking boot will fit differently, therefore it’s important to see which pair will be the best for your feet.

• Rain Jacket- Afternoon Storms do pop up, so gotta be prepared

• Hiking Socks- Stay away from cotton. I like Smartwool.

• Hiking Apparel- Lightweight, breathable, and moisture wicking are what you want with outdoor clothing. Patagonia & Fjallraven make great outdoor clothing.

• Sunscreen and Bug spray- In the summer there will be mosquitoes as you hike, keep a bottle of bug spray on you!

• Extra Water- Pack a waterbottle! Hydroflask make some of the best water bottles as the bottle will keep water cold for up to 12 hours.

Looking for other outdoor activities in Colorado? Check out Buena Vista. It’s one of the coolest parts of Colorado and definitely worth spending 3-4 days exploring!