Colorado’s Wildest Mountain Town Stories Start Here

Gunnison Crested Butte is a superlative Colorado destination tucked high up in the West Elk Mountains. In addition to Gunnison County’s 2 Million+ acres of public land, we own quite a few best-in-state titles. Our claims to fame include:

•  The Home of Mountain Biking: Crested Butte is one of the original birthplaces of mountain biking (along with Marin County, California).  Today, there are over 800 miles of singletrack to ride throughout the Gunnison Valley. World-renowned trails such as Doctor Park, the 401 and the trail network at Hartman Rocks are in the Gunnison Valley. You could mountain bike here every summer and need years to ride every trail. 
  
  
•  Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado: The Colorado State Legislature officially designated Crested Butte the state’s Wildflower Capital. No need to put it in quotes in your story. Come out during the Wildflower Festival to experience peak bloom.
  
  
•  Best Extreme Ski Terrain in the Lower 48: Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) has 1,547 acres of terrain within its boundaries. 37% of the terrain is rated expert. CBMR has honed many pro skiers and Olympians, such as Cam Smith and Aaron Blunck. It hosted the first Extreme Ski Championships in the U.S. and has continued to be a testing ground for ski competitions. It’s a true skier’s mountain.
  
  
•  Home to Colorado’s Largest Lake: Blue Mesa Reservoir is located just west of Gunnison in Curecanti National Recreation Area. The lake offers great power boating, the country’s largest kokanee fishery and 92 miles of shoreline to explore.
  
  
•  Host of Colorado’s Oldest Rodeo: Cattlemen’s Days in Gunnison is the state’s oldest rodeo. Professional cowgirls and cowboys come from all over the state and country to compete. Held in July, it draws a large crowd of visitors and locals.
  
  
•  Home to Colorado’s Largest Aspen Grove: Kebler Pass is a massive aspen grove accessible just minutes from Crested Butte. This scenic drive explodes with shades of yellow, orange, and red in the fall. 
  
  
• Home to Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory: Gothic, Colorado, just may be the most useful former ghost town in the state. Originally a silver boom town that fizzled out within a few years, Gothic has been home to the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) since 1928. That means it’s one of the oldest and largest biological field stations in the world. Every summer, RMBL hosts hundreds of researchers and students from all over the world. They study nearly everything in the pristine mountain valley: marmots, deer, salamanders, flowers, bees, hummingbirds, and the list goes on. 
  
  
•  “Nordic Ski Capital of Colorado”: This one is less official than the Wildflower Designation; it’s a grassroots designation we’ve adopted. We have 60+ km of groomed trails in the North Valley, maintained by the Crested Butte Nordic Center. The Alley Loop race is held in February and is an American Birkebeiner qualifier. 
  
  
• Home to Gold Medal Waters:
  In 2023, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission designated portions of the Taylor River and the Gunnison River as Gold Medal status. This means that these sections of the Taylor River and the Gunnison River are elite trout fisheries. The waters provide long-lasting and healthy habitats for fish.