Things To Do
Chili and Beer Festival
This is one of our favorite local events, happening right outside the Elevation hotel! All of the local restaurants compete to make the best chili, complete with live music and tasting samples from tons of Colorado breweries. Tickets will be on sale at some point this summer!
Watch the 47th Pearl Pass Klunker Tour Starting Line
Catch a piece of CB history and some of the local weirdness. The Pearl Pass Klunker tour is the oldest mountain bike event in the world is repeated year after year the 2nd weekend of September. The first tour happened in 1976 when a group of Crested Butte rowdies pedaled and pushed their one-speed klunkers over the 12,705 ft. pass and on into Aspen. The Tour now is a classic and historic 39-mile off-road ride from Crested Butte to Aspen over Pearl Pass at 12,705 feet. It’s the longest running organized mountain bike ride in the world. Check out the attached video about the origins of mountain biking in CB.
Rent a Townie Bike
Despite being nestled in the Rocky Mountains, the town of Crested Butte is very flat, making it perfect for a townie cruise. There is no better way to experience this quirky town than to cruise the streets. We recommend renting from Handlebar or Big Al's, or some rental homes might come with townie bikes! If you are interested in mountain biking, you are traveling to the right place! Reach out to us directly for all the details.
White Water Rafting
The Taylor River is more of an adventure, and the Gunnison River is more a booze cruise! Request Angie for your raft guide!
Hikes of All Abilities
Some of our favorite very accessible hikes: Woods Walk / Lower Loop: Easy, gorgeous, and starts in Downtown Crested Butte Snodgrass: A 10 minute drive from the resort with great views of the valley. Slightly more challenging than Woods Walk. Green Lake: Difficult, leaves directly from Downtown Crested Butte, and has a gorgeous alpine lake at the end Let us know if you want suggestions for hikes further from town!
Ride the Silver Queen lift to the top of Mt. Crested Butte
A love of heights is a requirement for this activity! This is the easiest way to get to the top of a mountain!
Farmers Market
On the 1st & 2nd block of Elk Avenue, 9am - 2pm Sunday!
Places to Eat
Hands Down our Favorite Place in CB: The Breadery (make a reservation!) For a quick but delicious breakfast: Butte Bagels Best lunch: Miette Lunch Cabin Our favorite Gunnison spots: Blackstock Bistro and The Dive Cocktails & Live Music near Elevation: A Bar Above
Leaf Peeping on Kebler and Ohio Pass
If the altitude is getting to you, but you still want to explore the gorgeous wilderness surrounding Crested Butte, hop in your car and drive over Kebler or Ohio Pass. Kebler Pass is home to what is believed to be the world's largest Aspen grove, which is also believe to be one of the largest living organisms on Earth. Ohio Pass connects Gunnison and Crested Butte alongside the West Elk Wilderness. Our favorite rock formation, The Castles, is visable from Ohio Pass. Our wedding is at the very beginning of the normal time for leaves to start changing, but if you want to catch a glimpse of the famous gold Aspen tree leaves, you're best shot is taking one of these drives!
Spend a day at Lake Irwin
Rent a SUP or fishing equipment from a company in town, and drive up to Irwin to enjoy a day on an alpine lake!
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Check out our closest National Park, the Black Canyon of Gunnison. It's like the Grand Canyon, but black and narrow. It's a bit of a drive, but a gorgeous drive!