20 Reasons to Visit Gunnison and Crested Butte

Take a pontoon boat ride through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Journey by boat past waterfalls, stunning spires and the dramatic cliffs of one of our nation's newest national parks.

Picnic at 11,000 feet. Ride a chairlift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort to 11,400 feet. Sightseers can hike to the 12,162-foot summit or stop for lunch and take in the stunning scenery.

Step back in time. Explore the many ghost towns and areas with remnants of the late 1800s silver and gold mining rush on a four-wheel drive Jeep tour or in your personal vehicle.

Get soaked. Raft, kayak or canoe the rollicking rapids and relaxing waves on the Taylor and Gunnison Rivers. Or set sail on Blue Mesa Lake, Colorado's largest body of water, at Curecanti National Recreation Area for a full day of water sports.

Grab your spurs. Take a journey on horseback through the real American West. Outfitters in Gunnison County offer everything from guided one-hour rides and multi-day horseback trips to breakfast and dinner rides.

Fly-fish in Gold Medal rivers. Let one of our expert anglers take you on a guided fly-fishing excursion on the Gunnison, East and Taylor Rivers, some of the finest trout streams in Colorado.

Gunnison County is a mountain biking mecca and home of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Ride the legendary Lower Loop (scenic, easier), Rage in the Sage (high desert, intermediate), or the famous, lung-busting #401.

Find out how much farther your golf ball flies! Local golf courses offer great high-altitude golf and stunning vistas.

Hiking stimulates mind & body. Explore the spectacular beauty of the mesas, lakes, canyons, meadows and Rocky Mountains on hundreds of miles of trails.

Events bring out our fun-loving side. We love to have a good time and celebrate music, rivers, cowboys, wildflowers, great beers and wine and all of the ways that snow can be used and enjoyed, just for starters.

The skiing & snowboarding rock. Inspire your passion for adventure on Crested Butte Mountain Resort's legendary extreme terrain or on beginner to advanced slopes that cover 1,167 acres and include 121 trails.

Unleash your inner dog-sledding fantasy. There is nothing quite like the freedom of being pulled by a team of dogs in the thick of the area's mountain terrain capped with snow.

Go to dinner ... in a sleigh. Hop on a horse-drawn sleigh and ride to a cabin overlooking the East River for a five-course meal or ride in an open sleigh pulled by a snowcat at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.

Moonlight ski & snowshoe tours will leave you star struck. Indulge in a Full Moon Yurt Dinner Tour on Nordic skis or snowshoes or take a snowcat ride to the top of the Red Lady Express lift and snowshoe back to the base area.

Go to the theatre or tap your toes at a concert. Several arts venues host theatre productions, concerts, art exhibitions and classes, and more year-round.

Take it to the ice. We take our hockey seriously and love to ice skate for fun! Seven ice rinks offer indoor and outdoor experiences, and ice fishing on Blue Mesa Lake also is red hot.

Kick it into gear on 95K groomed Nordic trails. Groomed Nordic trails now number more than 95K, backcountry routes are plentiful, and a full calendar of tours and races offer opportunities to get one of the best workouts on the planet.

Catching air ... on a snowmobile. If gathering speed on a motorized sled is more your style, explore more than 55 miles of groomed and marked trails, 170 miles of single-track in Gunnison-Crested Butte and the area's bottomless powder fields.

Go gourmand at laid-back cooking classes. Two of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Valley's most popular chefs lead hands-on workshops. Let Keely Murphy and Mike Busse expand your culinary horizons.

Cap it off with local brews & great wines. Go microbrewery hopping for some suds. Look for large wine lists at many of our valley's premier restaurants.

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