Crested Butte is Colorado’s Best Kept Fall Secret
Crested Butte Colorado is by many accounts the best mountain town in the state. But have you ever experienced it in the fall? If you love Colorado as much as I do, CB in the fall MUST be on your state bucket list.
Scenic Drives
You might have heard that Crested Butte is the wildflower capital of the state in the summer. Or, rumor has it, it’s the birthplace of mountain biking. But have you heard that out its back door is the largest Aspen grove of maybe anywhere? Yep, Kebler Pass holds the record for the largest Aspen grove in the Centennial State. Enjoy the drive among the Aspens on Kebler and Ohio Pass. Both of them will offer jaw dropping views any time year, but through the autumn season it’s on a whole ‘nother level of amazing. Golden swaths of Aspens mile after county road mile. Keep driving and enjoy Gothic Rd, as well as Cement Creek Rd for more lush groves of Aspens and high alpine meadows.
Fall puts on its annual show beginning the third week of September through early October. Catch peak leaves (and crowds) the last week of September into the first few days of October.
The Town of Crested Butte
My family opted to spend a few days in Crested Butte the third weekend of September for a few reasons. We wanted to catch fall color, enjoy less tourism in our favorite Colorado town, and soak up some of the true mountain culture. These are only found when the crowds dwindle between summer tourism and winter ski seasons.
Check, check, and check!
While technically we were a week early for the best fall color we still saw golden and fiery aspens everywhere. We also enjoyed a peek into the normal ebb and flow of Crested Butte town life. We arrived on the Autumnal Equinox which was also the last day of Vinotok. Vinotok is a long standing, locally known, pseudo secret, fall tradition. Homecoming weekend for the high school also meant bustling local town activity. Many locals were out and about dressed in their best. On Saturday, Crested Butte had an annual fall 5k run through town ending with a live music street party.
We happily found ourselves in the throws of town life. In what seemed the normal fall ebb and flow, we spent time supporting local stores and restaurants with no lines.
Peace, Quiet, and Mountain Activity
Crested Butte holds a magical place in the list of mountain towns. It is still such a special place is because it’s not easy to get to. With no stops, it takes around 4 driving hours from Colorado Springs or Denver. And with all the windy mountain roads, stopping is a must to stretch your legs and enjoy the views.
It’s the perfect distance for someone who really wants a mountain get-away that is away from suburban life. You go to Crested Butte because you want to go there, it takes planning and intention. It’s not on the way to anywhere in particular…except a, pure, mountain living culture that is harder and harder to find.
My family stayed in this quaint airbnb that had a priceless view of Whetstone mountain and allowed us to watch shooting stars each evening after dark. The sky was so clear, with the naked eye, we could see the milky way.
Each day of our stay we drove the backroads surrounding Crested Butte and found locals mountain biking, hiking, dirt biking, and flying fishing among golden aspens. It was quiet, easy, simple, comfortable, welcoming, and all around magnificent.
In between our own hiking, and picture taking we enjoyed coffee twice a day from the best coffee shop in the state, trading stories of adventure with other customers and the barista behind the counter. And we toe-tapped and bobbed our heads to the music playing down Elk Avenue during the street party after the Elk Run on Saturday.
It was pure mountain living magic, the kind that can’t be duplicated or snapped into a social media platform…with any kind of accuracy.
It will live on in our memories though. Memorialized as a long weekend set apart by the clear mountain air, trembling golden aspens, and the easy going nature that comes from being fully present.
Only Crested Butte can make this kind of magic.
With Intention,
