Crested Butte Music Festival
We are home to the Crested Butte Music Festival. www.crestedbuttemusicfestival.com This dynamic festival regularly hosts internationally renowned musicians from major orchestras across the country, vocal artists from the Metropolitan Opera, dancers from the Kansas City Ballet, and nationally recognized poets to perform at the festival each summer. The Center for the Arts (www.crestedbuttearts.org) also hosts a summer outdoor concert series along with ballet, theatre and many other performances. (970) 349-0619
Mountain Biking – To many, Crested Butte is the true birthplace of mountain biking in America. Regardless of where it started, Crested Butte offers an enticing array of rides ranging from leisurely spins through the picturesque wilderness, to grueling World Class journeys over extreme and challenging terrain. The enthusiasm for mountain biking in Crested Butte is ingrained throughout the local community and is intertwined with a mentality devoted to conservation and to the protection of the environment. This positive, involved approach to back country recreation will no doubt ensure that Crested Butte’s outstanding trails will be here for many future generations to experience and enjoy. Don't miss the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame and Museum, founded in 1988 to chronicle the history of mountain biking. visit www.mtnbikehalloffame.com
Click here for a list of Crested Butte and Gunnison Mtn Bike Rides
Crested Butte Ski Area receives an average snowfall of 25 feet per year across approximately 1,160 skiable acres. This does not include the incredible wealth of backcountry terrain available to telemarkers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers. With more double-black diamond terrain than any other resort in Colorado, it’s no surprise that Crested Butte plays host to the US Extreme Skiing and Snowboard Championships, which are held here each year.
Click here for Crested Butte Mountain Resort website
Wildflower Capital of Colorado Crested Butte was named the wildflower capital of Colorado in 1989. This honor is celebrated and highlighted each summer with the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival. Every hike, ride, fishing trip and walk through town is framed beautifully by a bounty of our native flora every summer from early June through July and even into August. Natural beauty at it’s best.
Nordic / Cross-Country Skiing Crested Butte has a great Nordic center and miles and miles of groomed trails. The Nordic center is located at Big Mine Park (2nd & Whiterock Ave) in Crested Butte, Colorado. Beautifully groomed trails meander through the outskirts of town. Ungroomed backcountry trails can be found at the end of almost every dirt road! The Nordic Center provides complete rental packages for skate and classical skiing, as well as ice skating and snowshoe rentals. 42 kilometers of trails groomed for classic and skate skiing (open to snowshoeing as well). More info at: www.cbnordic.org.
Golf Crested Butte boasts one of the finest mountain courses in the west, the Championship Robert Trent Jones II golf course. This 580-acre, 7,208-yard, par-72 course is a series of rolling and pitching fairways and multi-level greens that take advantage of the natural terrain. Strategically placed cloverleaf bunkers, water hazards and sagebrush rough, challenge players of all abilities. Virtually every hole affords breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, the meandering Slate River or the quaint town of Crested Butte. View homes and condos for sale in the Skyland Crested Butte Golf Community. More information at www.theclubatcrestedbutte.com.
Hiking & Camping A seemingly endless array of hiking trails weave their way through and above Crested Butte’s peaks and valleys, rewarding hikers with breathtaking views of our unique topography, countryside and fields of wildflowers. Hiking between Aspen and Crested Butte is a favorite hike for many. Others just enjoy the lakes and streams in the valley and pack a picnic for the day. Campers and backpackers can enjoy true solitude on their wilderness retreats away from the usual weekend crowds seen at many other resorts.
Fishing Fly fishing dominates the anglers’ interest in Crested Butte and for good reason. Crested Butte’s valleys provide a lush pathway for our major rivers and countless back country streams. Great fishing can be had year-round with the summer season serving as the peak. With a little luck and some local knowledge in tow, you’ll be sure to get in on your fair share of the catch ranging from Colorado's native brook trout to cutthroat trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, and even Kokanee salmon if you are lucky enough to be fishing here during their annual run from the Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison.
Guide Services: The Troutfitter
Dragonfly Anglers
Three Rivers Outfitting
Horseback Riding There are many unique options for trail riding enthusiasts including day trips, fishing trips and for the more adventurous, overnight excursions over Maroon Pass to Aspen. Another perfect way to enjoy the beauty of Crested Butte’s famous wildflowers and aspen groves. Contact Info for Horseback Riding:
Fantasy Ranch Horseback Adventures - (970) 349-5425 or (888) OUTFITT
Lazy F Bar Ranch - (970) 641-0193 or (800) 833-8052
Aspens It is an unofficial Colorado tradition to revel in the beauty of aspen groves throughout the state during our travels; and if we’re lucky, while at home in the mountains. Beginning in late September, fall is ushered in by the aspens with the magical transformation of their leaves from their familiar pale green to an intense shimmering yellow. West of Crested Butte, along Kebler Pass lives what is thought by many to be the largest grove of aspen trees in the world.
Jeeping Off-Roading, Four-Wheeling take your pick; Crested Butte offers plenty of tours that provide access to panoramic views of our landscape that for many, would be otherwise very difficult or impossible to reach. Take a guided tour or for the (off) road ready, tackle the mountain in your own vehicle. Don’t forget to tap into some of the local history along the way