Hike Through a Sea of Wildflowers in Idyllic Crested Butte

Crested Butte claims to be Colorado's Wildflower Capital... and after one trip here you'll see why!

Greg Heil

Images

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Maroon Bells

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Crater Lake provided to fatmap

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View from the top of 403

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Looking back down the 403 Trail

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Trail 403

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Scarp Ridge

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Scarp Ridge

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Climbing toward the high point

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Returning from Scarp Ridge

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Description

Crested Butte isn’t close to… well, really anything else. As you drive north from Gunnison, the paved highway winds up a beautiful valley, with the mountains getting progressively taller and more majestic along the way. And suddenly—you’re in the town of Crested Butte, surrounded by soaring mountain peaks on all sides! The paved road continues a little further up to the resort, but then the pavement simply ends. From here, you’ll only find dirt roads heading further up and into the mountains.

Dirt roads... and hundreds upon hundreds of miles of fantastic trails!

Thanks to the remoteness of this entire region, it’s easy to reach a middle-of-nowhere feeling within minutes of stepping on one of the hundreds of hiking trails. These trails provide access to stunning alpine peaks, deep aspen groves with golden leaves in the fall, tumbling waterfalls, and the wide-open meadows filled with wildflowers that Crested Butte is famous for.

Whatever type of hiking you enjoy, you’re guaranteed to find your next favorite hike here in Crested Butte!

Adventures

Snodgrass

Hike through a stunning aspen grove and beautiful meadows.

Mount Crested Butte

A $20 chairlift ride and a quick 0.75-mile hike will get you to this epic mountain summit.

Lower Loop

A flat, easy, but incredibly scenic hike directly from downtown Crested Butte.

Rustler Gulch

One of the most spectacular wildflower hikes in Crested Butte!

Judd Falls

One of the most popular, easy hikes in Crested Butte.

Gothic Mountain

Difficult hike to the summit of one of the most iconic mountains in the region.