What better place to build an outdoor industry business than a place surrounded by the outdoors? Many passionate people have started or moved their outdoor industry business to the Gunnison Valley. Along with amazing outdoor access, there is a network of outdoor industry entrepreneurs to tap into. Network with entrepreneurs who have built successful outdoor industry businesses. Test the practicality of your ideas on the trails and public lands in Gunnison and Crested Butte. Live somewhere that has easy access to the things you, your family, friends and employees like to do. 

Because of the access to diverse outdoor landscapes, the Gunnison Valley is a prime location for product testing. Take advantage of the four-season climate, varied terrain and expansive trail network to refine your products. Blister Labs is a program with the Paul M. Rady School of Computer Science and Engineering at Western Colorado University and Blister. Engineering students in this program take their qualitative experience with outdoor gear and perform quantitative analyses on gear to make it even better. 

The outdoor recreation in the Gunnison Valley has professional and personal benefits. Your employees can take advantage of the trails, skiing and other outdoor recreation opportunities in their downtime. Crested Butte Mountain Resort is minutes from the town of Crested Butte and only a 40 minute drive from Gunnison. The Signal Peak trails are just steps away from the ICELab@Western. Hartman Rocks is 5 minutes from downtown Gunnison. Many Nordic skiing and hiking trailheads are right in town in Crested Butte. 

Outdoor recreation in the Gunnison Valley is not limited to the backcountry or the ski resort. Crested Butte and Gunnison both have public parks with playgrounds, ponds, pickleball courts and more! Each town also has an ice rink and sledding hills. Get more details on these amenities, and more free or low cost things to do, on our parks pages. 

Each season in the Gunnison Valley provides different scenery and activities. Summer is vibrant thanks to green trees and colorful wildflowers. This is prime hiking season. The aspen and cottonwood trees turn to autumnal shades of red, gold and orange in the fall. Experience the magic on a fall mountain bike ride. Winter feels like a snow globe, but a snow globe known for extreme skiing at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Spring is the quietest season in the Gunnison Valley, but snowmelt turns into spring runoff for that whitewater boaters can take advantage of. Explore each season and its offerings below. 

There are three public lands managers in the Gunnison Valley. The National Parks Service oversees Curecanti National Recreation Area and Blue Mesa. Hartman Rocks Recreation Area, one of the best places to mountain bike in the valley, is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Most of the public lands in Gunnison County are part of Gunnison National Forest and managed by the U.S. Forest Service.