Best Hiking Trails in Crested Butte, The Scenic Teocalli Ridge Loop

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Crested Butte in the summer is one of the best places to explore different hiking trails. The area has everything from short scenic paths to ten mile plus day hikes with elevation gain that will take you to the top of some awesome overlook areas such as TeoCalli Ridge!. After getting a recommendation from a friend on this hike last minute, I decided to go for it. It wasn’t far from town, so I grabbed breakfast at a local bagel shop in town and then made my way towards the trailhead.

In this post I’ll be going over parking, how to get to the trailhead, details, best time of year to hike it, what makes this trail worth it, and what to expect!

How to get to the trailhead and where should we park

The trailhead is a little over 20 minutes from downtown Crested Butte and you want to end up on Brush Creek Road. You’ll Pass the Brush Creek Trailhead on the left, a more popular hiking destination and the road will turn into Forest Service-7738. These are dirt roads in which you’ll pass a farm and cattle ranch on the way to the trailhead! AWD is helpful, but not required to drive this road. If you do plan on camping in the area, you will need to have a high clearance vehicle with 4 X 4 to make it up the road to designated campsites FYI.

Distance from town: 8 Miles

Coordinates: 38.89614, -106.88932

For parking there will be a few spots at the start of the hike, however if you stay right on the service road and keep driving, you’ll come up on a much bigger parking lot. This is where the hike actually ends if you do the entire loop.

Where does the trail begin and how long is the hike

The trail will start on the dirt road, Forest Service-7738 essentially right where the map and trail signage are. This hike is going to be longer and a bit more challenging then some of the other more popular hikes in Crested Butte, so make sure to plan accordingly! It took me over 6 hours to complete with breaks and shooting photos along the way.

There’s also going to be some elevation gain on this trail, so be prepared to hike up hill a bit for the first half of the hike! It will be worth it though, the views on this hike are incredible on the first half of the trail. Below are some quick trail stas.

Trail type: Loop

Elevation Gain: 2,303:

Distance: 10.9 miles

Dogs Allowed: Yep, this is a more remote hike so if you plan on hiking without a leash, just keep in mind there is wildlife in the area such as moose, bears, and mountain lions.

What should we expect

This hike isn’t easy by any means so if you’re looking for something a little more chill check out the Snodgrass Trail or Lupine trail closer to town. Really, the challenging part is the distance. You’re hiking close to 11 Miles, so take breaks, drink lots of water, pack snacks and just enjoy the trail because it is a good one! Expect the views to be pretty amazing, especially when you get up on the ridge line.

What should we pack

Depends on the time of year, but I listed some items that I highly recommend

• Hiking Boots- You can get these at REI or your local outdoor

• Rain Jacket- Always pack one of these, especially on longer hikes!

• Outdoor Clothing- Try to stay away from anything cotton and stick to performance type clothing when hiking. Outdoor specific brands to look into would be
  Fjallraven, Patagonia, and The North Face.

• Sunscreen- Apply this ahead of time or keep a sunstick on you to reapply throughout the hike if necessary.

• Extra Water

Best time of the summer for Wildflowers

I hiked this trail the second week of July and I feel like that was the last great week of catching the Wildflowers. However, it depends on the year and the start of summer was extremely dry. On average the flowers start to bloom in June and peak at the end of June through early July.

What are some trail details

You’ll start right next to the trailhead sign which is a clockwise route to take. Take in the views as you make your way along the trail. Once at the top of the Forest Service Road, you will have to cross part of the river. This is where having a pre-downloaded map on AllTrails will be helpful. You can either take your shoes/socks off or just trek through the river with your hiking boots on.

Once your across the river, the trail will take you through a small patch of Aspen Trees. This part of the trail is pretty flat, so try to enjoy it!

Eventually you will arrive at the trail sign Teocalli Mountain TR no. 554. The elevation gain starts to kicks in here and you will be hiking across the Ridge with Teocalli Mountain to the left!

The end of Teocalli ridge is one of the best views on the hike in my opinion, so grab a few pictures and take in the view. It overlooks the valley area along with the streams and river below.

The second half of the hike will be mostly through pine trees with no views until you get to almost the end of the hike. As you descend your way down through Aspen trees, be cautious of Mountain Bikers and Dirt Bike Riders! This trail is great for either of those activities.

The end of the hike is nice when it’s wildflower season as you will run into an entire mountainside full of them. As you make your way back to the parking lot, you will have to cross the river one last time to stay on trail.

When is the best time of year to hike Teocalli Ridge

This trail is good, depending on snowfall, from Mid May through October with the best times being early July for Wildflowers and Late September for the Fall colors.

You’ll probably feel pretty accomplished after hiking this trail so pat yourself on the back if you hiked the entire trail. Looking for other outdoor recreation in Colorado? Check out the small town of Buena Vista, with rafting, hiking, and even River Surfing. It is one of my favorite places in Colorado to explore.

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

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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.