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

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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!

Colorado Mountain Towns near Denver, A day trip to Silver Plume

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One thing that makes Colorado unique is the number of historic mountain towns through out the state. Some more popular than others such as Crested Butte, Telluride, and Breckenridge. However, there’s still a number of hidden gem towns with outdoor recreation and cool history. One being the very small town of Silver Plume.

Only dirt roads with one main street, this is one of the smallest towns I’ve been to in Colorado. However, there’s a really cool coffee shop, bar, and hike worth experiencing that makes this town worth spending an afternoon at. With that being said, lets get into it!

Where is Silver Plume

About an Hour West of Denver and 30 minutes East of Silverthorne, Silver Plume is right next to Georgetown off of i70.

What should we do

Grab Coffee at Plume Coffee Bar

Located in the center of town the Plume Coffee Bar is a great place to check out before you do some exploring. Open everyday except Tuesdays, this coffee shop will have baked goods as well as breakfast burritos and a full craft coffee menu. Pretty cool spot in a historic building that has a welcoming, home like feeling.

Hike the 7:30 Mine Trail

A somewhat challenging trail, leave your car parked in town and then walk up Silver Street until you see the trailhead. Although the trail has some elevation gain the views at the top are pretty amazing mixed with historic mines along the way and views of the downtown area. The only downside is the highway is right there, however once you get about halfway I felt like the noise starts to disappear. Towards the top will be Griffin Memorial. Griffin was a musician in the Mid 1800’s who came to Silver Plume for mining. He ended up striking big calling the mine 7:30 where silver and gold were prevalent. He ended up taking his life which is what the memorial at the top of this hike is for.

Trail Stats

3.6 Miles out and Back

1,210 feet of elevation gain

I probably wouldn’t take a pet on this trail due to it being narrow in areas on the trail

As you make your way up to the Griffin Memorial, please note that parts of the trail become narrow, with some drop offs. If you hike past Griffin Memorial there will be a waterfall at the very top of the hike! If you’re scared of heights I would be very careful hiking out to the Griffin Memorial. It is essentially an island separate from the main trail that you have to hike down to.

If you stay left when hiking down to it, you will be just fine. I’m somewhat scared of heights and was able to overcome the fear and hike out to the Memorial. The views are definitely worth it, especially if you go in the evening.

What should we pack?

This trail does have some rockier areas, so I would recommend a good pair of hiking boots. Other items that you’ll need are a rain jacket (just in case of bad weather), hiking pants or shorts, and hiking socks. Outdoor gear brands that I really like for hiking are Fjallraven, Smartwool (socks), Patagonia, Burton, Black Diamond and LaSportiva (hiking Boots). Depending on the time of year that you go a lightweight jacket or sweatshirt would also be recommended.

Stop in at Bread Bar for a drink (open Fri/Sat/Sunday only)

If you end up hiking this trail on the weekend, go to Bread at the end of town for a drink. Probably one of the coolest bars I’ve been to. They have a back patio with board games and it’s just a chill vibe all around. Amazing music playlist too. Sometimes there’s a food truck on the side of the building with authentic Mexican burritos and tacos. They’re open until 10 on Fridays and Saturdays, then Close at 6pm on Sundays.

Other Activities

Georgetown Train Loop

If you would like to do something other then hiking look into the Georgetown Loop Railroad and Museum. The boarding area starts in Georgetown (the next town over) then Loops through Silver Plume. Coach cars are wheel chair accessible and in the winter months 1st class cars are available for an upgraded price.

The train will take you through the scenic area of Clear Creek Valley, over the Devils Gate Bridge, and through the Mountains. You can actually do a Mine Tour when the taking the train ride you just have to buy a separate ticket for the tour. Overall the train loop was a little over an hour and if you do the mine tour it adds and extra hour to the train ride. Honestly a pretty fun activity that allows you to spend time outdoors in the Colorado Mountains. I saw a number of families with kids and I think it’s a great activity for kids due to the “cool” factor of being on a moving train.

The train stops in Silver Plume for 15 Minutes where you can get out, walk around, and check out the gift shop or Museum. If you end up not doing the actual train ride, walking around the Silver Plume train station and museum is still a great way to spend part of your day. The Silver Plume train station is only open from Mid May through October!

George Rowe Museum

Showcases the history of this once booming mining town. Silver was the most concentrated in this part of the state in the 1800’s. The museum preservers the history, artifacts and stories of Silver Plume.

Hike The Argentine Central Railroad Grade trail

Another hiking trail that starts across the highway from town with a little bit less elevation gain then the 7:30 Mine trail. The hike is longer at almost 6 miles out and back but will have similar views to Mine trail, such as overlooking the Clear Creek Valley and i70.

Looking for other Colorado Adventure? Check out the Reds Rocks Trail and Morrison Slide Loop. It’s a cool hike to do in the afternoon not far from Denver!