Mt. Crested Butte is in the Rocky Mountains – quite a ways back in the Rockies for that matter. It lies 231 miles to the southwest of Denver. The nearest larger town is Gunnison, 28 miles away. Gunnison and Mt. Crested Butte have a lot in common and work together on a number of events, including the Santa Crawl. That means winter sports and summer outings galore. The town itself is a great place to visit, with more than enough to do for everyone at any time of the year.
Fall is a particularly good time to visit, unless your only goal in life is skiing. There’s mountain biking, mountain climbing (mountaineering if you prefer), hiking, fishing, and you can try your hand at kayaking and river rafting as well. The area is also famous for its wildflowers, and if you come mainly for the scenery, you won’t go away disappointed. Snow comes early however, since Mt. Crested Butte sits over 9,000 feet above sea level. The ski resort usually opens just before Thanksgiving and ski season runs well into April most years.
Just down the Road sits the historic downtown of Crested Butte. Would you like to see what downtown looks like at this time of the year? The CantinaCam gives you a great shot down Elk Avenue. If you can’t see the far end, it means there will be great skiing tomorrow!
What goes on besides opening day at the ski resort and the Santa Crawl; two highly popular events. There is also a Nordic ski area, a Nordic ski opening day, and an annual Nordic ski marathon, theAlley Loop, which is held at the highest elevation in the United States – if you want to participate, come early and get acclimatized! Another event is Big Air. This takes place annually on Elk Avenue, where a portion of the street is blocked off and a ski jump is put in place.
Mt. Crested Butte is also a place for the arts and for music. In the summer check out one of the numerous art, music or beer festivals. It would seem that the locals never run out of ideas, and never stop having a good time.
The visitor center is not hard to find and is a great source of local information. When youarrive at the base of the ski area, look for the Transit center at the bus stop. That’s where you’ll find it.