Top Summer Mountain Towns in Colorado, A trip to Crested Butte
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Without a doubt one of the best places to be in the summer time are the mountains, especially in Colorado. Throughout the state you will find historic mountain towns filled lots of outdoor recreation, cooler summer temps, and of course landscape views that don’t seem real at first site. After hearing great things about Crested Butte and seeing photos, I decided to plan a summer trip and discover what summer and the wildflower hype were really like in Crested Butte.
In this post I’ll be going over where to stay, restaurants that are worth checking out, what activities to add to your itinerary, and the best time to visit. Coool, lets do this.
Where is Crested Butte
Crested Butte is going to be South West of Denver and actually pretty close to Aspen even though there isn’t a direct road connecting the towns. The closest airport will be in Gunnison, a little over 25 miles from downtown CB. If you plan on driving or flying into Denver, the main route to Crested Butte will be through towns Leadville along with Buena Vista and then up and over Cottonwood Pass. Below I listed areas in Colorado and how far they are from Crested Butte.
*If you do plan on driving over Cottonwood Pass, just know that it is a series of switchbacks and to take it slow!
Denver: 4 Hours/190 Miles
Salida:1 hour 50 minutes/92 Miles
Colorado Springs: 3 hours and 30 minutes/161 miles
The drive itself is also really scenic, and worth stopping at the top of Cottonwood pass if you have time. The drive through small towns, winding canyons, and over mountains passes is one of the best parts of traveling around through Colorado as you make your way towards the destination.
Is there Camping close to town
Campgrounds are limited near town however there are a few really good ones. Outside of town there will be a number of campgrounds. You can reserve online ahead of time at recreation.gov. I stayed at the O Be Joyful Campground, about 20 minutes from town, but there is also the Gothic Campground. These will be paid sites with bathroom facilities, picnic tables, places to store trash, and fire pits.
If you don’t want to pay for camping, check The Dyrt app for primitive campsites in the area. Two of the best areas for primitive camping are Teocalli Ridge and Kebler Pass!
What is the town like
The town of Crested Butte has got a great local vibe that doesn’t have that tourism feel. That’s what I liked the most about the town area, very chill and laidback.
Restaurants and shops will mostly be found on Elk Avenue. You can find free parking where the in-town transportation center is and then it’s a quick walk to town.
What are the best restaurants
Coffee
Two coffee shops I tried out and liked while here were the Coffee Lab up near Mount Crested Butte and Rumors Coffee and Teahouse right in town. Rumours is connected to a bookstore which was pretty cool. Neighboorly coffee shop vibe on the inside with outdoor seating too, perfect for those summer days. They’ll have baked goods and breakfast burritos as well.
The Coffee Lab is on Gothic road and part of the village at the base of the ski resort. The coffee here is really good, place is dialed! It has a more peaceful vibe as it is farther from town. I’m sure in the winter this coffee shop gets busy!
Breakfast
McGill’s, Paradise Cafe, and Butte Bagels are going to be the main breakfast spots in downtown Crested Butte. I only tried Butte Bagels because McGill’s is close on Tuesday’s and Wednesdays unfortunately. McGill’s and Paradise Cafe will be your classic diner joints.
It will be typical to see a line for Butte Bagels, but the wait will be worth it. Lot’s of creative breakfast sandwiches all made in house and it’s not even that expensive. I also tried Daily Dose, a healthier breakfast place. They will have smoothies, breakfast sandwhiches/burritos, and coffee. Located On Elk Avenue it was actually a damn good place to fuel up after an early hike on the Lupine trail.
Dinner
There will be a handful of laidback or more expensive restaurants in town. The Stash is the place for Pizza, they sell pizza by the slice too. For Mexican, I would recommend Teocalli Tamali or Bonez. Teocalli Tamali is known for their burritos.
For nicer sit down restaurants there is the Breadery or the Sunflower. For the Sunflower you will need to make a reservation weeks or even months in advance! I tried Breadery and it was actually really good. Mostly Breads, Pastas, and Pizzas with an extensive wine menu. Great place for groups or families looking to share some of their plates as well.
The Sunflower will be farm to table with ingredients that is sourced from local Gunnison farmers. When I tried to get on the waitlist, someone at the door who had a reservation that night said, “This place is the best, you gotta eat here.” I’m hoping to be able to eat here this winter when I make it back out to Crested Butte for a snowboard trip.
Breweries and Distilleries
For a good cocktail check out Montanya’s towards the end of town, they use rum for all their cocktails and have a distillery right in town. For breweries there is Irwins, located inside the Public house along with the actual brewery location off of Belleview avenue on the south end of town. For bars check out, Kochevars Saloon, it’s going to be the oldest bar in Crested Butte with a gaming hall.
What summer activities are there
1. Town Events and Concert Series
Every Monday in the evening from Mid June to Mid August is the Alpenglow concert series at the Center for Arts. Other concert series include shows at the base of the ski resort, called Music on the Mountain. Other Events include the Art, Food and Wine festival and the Wildflower festival. Tickets for the Wildflower festival can sell out so make sure to purchase ahead of time.
2. Stop in at the Crested Butte Museum
Located right in town, this museum has some pretty cool history, especially for skiing and snowboarding. The cost is free and would be a good raining day activity or something to do in between outdoor adventures. The Museum also offers historic walking tours of the town.
3. Go for a Mountain Bike Ride
Crested Butte is a popular spot for biking, and I believe Crested Butte was one of the first places for mountain biking to exist. There’s a lot of biking trails including the downhill park at Crested Butte. If you’re new to mountain biking or have limited experience, the Lupine trail is great. Some areas are steeper so you can get off and walk, but for the most part it was a pretty mellow ride. If you want to bike for the whole day, continue onto the Gunsight Pass trail and then loop it back into town! For biking start at the Smith Hill Road Trailhead location as it will offer more of a downhill ride and less uphill climb.
For Bike Rentals there will be shops in town and at the base of Mount Crested Butte. If you plan on Biking the Lupine trail, rent from a shop in town and it’s about a 20 minute bike ride to the trail! Snodgrass is another good bike trail for someone with more experience!
3. Check out the wildflowers
June through about the 2nd week of July will be the best time to see the Wildflowers! There are going to be a handful of trails right in town for this too. My favorite trails were the Lupine, Snodgrass, and Teocalli Ridge.
But there is also Upper and Lower Loop, Brush Creek, and the Woods Trail.
Make sure to stay on trail and to not pick any of the flowers.
Best time of day for hiking is either early morning or late afternoon. Weekends will be busy during this time so try to visit Crested Butte during the week! If you can.
5. Do a 10 mile plus day hike
If you’re up for an adventure there are a couple great day hikes that are over ten miles. Two that I would recommend are Teocalli Ridge as mentioned above for Wildflowers and also O be Joyful. Both will have some elevation gain, but the views are incredible. If you don’t want to hike the full amount, both of these hikes are still great to do a portion of the hike before turning around, especially if you have kids.
6. Drive up Kebler Pass for Golden Hour
Out of all the things I did in Crested Butte, to be honest, this one was my favorite. Drive up here in the evening and you will see that it is pretty magical. The mountains can get rain sometimes in the evening, so check the weather and see if there’s a good window to drive the pass.
There are no guard rails on this road so take it easy and as you get towards the top of the pass, you’ll essentially see an open field with mountain views. This is the best place to get out and walk around.
If you put Kebler Pass in google maps it will eventually take you to the top of the road, no lookout or anything like Independence pass. So the best spot for views will be that wide open area with pull offs.
7. Go Horse back riding
Fantasy Ranch offers horse back rides up Snodgrass Mountain for 1 hour, 1.5 hour, and 2 hour time slots. The minimum age for trail rides is 8 and the max weight is 225 pounds. If you’re not a big hiker this would be a cool alternative activity and the Snodgrass mountain area has some pretty awesome views as mentioned.
8. Sign up for a guided Fly fishing trip
Fly fishing is a really fun way to spend time outdoors. You’ll need a Colorado fishing license for the day or they offer fishing licenses for the year if you plan on using it more often. Dragon Fly Anglers will be right in town and they also offer 24 hour equipment rentals if you don’t feel like doing a guided trip. With guided trips you’ll be shown how to cast the rod, where to cast it, and some basic fundamentals on fly fishing.
If you have experience, but just want to know where to catch fish, guided float trips are great for this. Make sure to book in advance as spots do fill up through out the summer! The top fly fishing areas will be the Taylor River, Gunnison River, East River, Slate River, and Gothic Creek. Spring Creek is also a good spot for fly fishing, which is where I went for a half day. If you want more views I would recommend the Slate River or Taylor River.
9. Pack a beach towel and hang out on the Slate River
This is a fun activity and close to the campground I was staying at, O be Joyful. Bring a towel, a cooler or water bottle, some snacks, maybe a book and hang out on the Slate River for an afternoon. It’s a good place for families too. You can park at the Gunsight Bridge and then walk down to the river. It’s ok to swim in it and the water will be pretty cold. Just remember to pack out what you packed in!
After watching a couple kids jump in no problem, I decided to take a dip. The river was ice cold, but pretty refreshing.
10. Rent a Stand Up Paddle Board
Wheelies and Waves rent inflatable paddle boards right in town. From there they can point you in the right direction on where to float. Some good spots for Paddle Boarding are the Slate River and Lake Irwin. Make sure to bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a good hat, towels, sandals, and lightweight clothing if you plan on going out on the water. As mentioned earlier the water is pretty cold!
11. Ride the Scenic Chairlift at Crested Butte Resort
In the summer the ski resort will offer scenic chairlift rides on the Silver Queen lift until 2pm and the Red Lady Express until 5pm. You can either ride the chair down or hike down which is a fun experience. I took the Silver Queen lift up and then hiked down to The Red Lady Express. From there, I rode the lift back to the base.
Lift tickets can be purchased at the base of the mountain and there is also parking at the base for free or you can take the bus from town up to the resort.
It’s awesome to see what the ski resort looks like in the summer time and the mountain views on the backside of this lift are incredible if you hike down.
That’s it for a summer trip to Crested Butte. This place is pretty amazing in the summer and I hope you’re inspired to take a trip here. If you have any questions or comments drop them below. Thanks for checking out the blog and if you’re interested in other Summer Colorado trips, check out the town of Buena Vista. See you on the next post!
