Crested Butte was established as an old silver and coal mining town going back to the 1860s. After the mining opportunities began to dry up, the town risked elimination. The area was reestablished as a ski town with the opening of Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The city now brands itself as “the last great Colorado ski town”. Spur Experiences respectfully disagrees with the idea that Colorado doesn’t have any other great ski towns, but does agree the Crested Butte is one of them. Fun fact – Crested Butte lies only about 12 miles away from Aspen. Many people hike between the two during the summer. However, the fastest driving option is about 200 miles around the mountains and takes over four hours.
Crested Butte is internationally known for the incredible (and difficult) terrain. Crested Butte’s location, plus its difficulty to drive to, mean that it gets far less crowds than many Colorado resorts. Lift tickets aren’t crazy expensive either.
The summer months are beautiful and perfect for outdoors activities. Mountain biking is very popular. The ski resort is open for summer activities including chairlift rides, zip lining and an adventure park.
Crested Butte has a plethora of festivals in the winter and summer. A few of the most popular summer events are the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, Bike Week, and the Crested Butte Film Festival. Great winter events include the Santa Ski and Crawl, the Mountain High Music Festival, and the Landshark Pond Skim.
Winter is prime time for visiting a "Colorado's last great ski town". Daily high temps are around 30 degrees. Plenty of snow but also plenty of sunshine.
Spring is good for late season skiing until the area closes down. Once the area closes in April, there isn't much to do until the summer season. Daily average highs in May are in the mid-50s. Too hot for skiing, and too cool for the summer activities.
Summers are gorgeous. Highs are in the mid-70s with lots of sunshine. Summers are packed with really great festivals and it really is a beautiful time to visit.
Falls are similar to spring. The major exception is the fall foliage. Crested Butte has a lost of the same aspen trees that Aspen (the city) has so late September is a great time to visit. After mid-October, there is little to do until ski season.