Crested Butte in Summer

We’ve lived in Colorado for almost 5 years and had never been to Crested Butte! It’s a wonderful weekend getaway - only about 4 hours from Denver and a beautiful drive.

Crested Butte Hikes

We drove down after work on Friday and drove back super early Monday morning, so we only had Saturday and Sunday to explore. Below is a list of hikes we did and a list of one’s we didn’t get around to, but had great recommendations for. I’ll break down each hike in more detail in the next sections.

Hikes we did :

Lower Loop Trail : 7.2 Miles, mostly flat, easy.
Snodgrass Mountain Trail : 5.8 Miles, 1,594ft elevation, moderate
Judd Falls : 2.2 Miles, 462ft elevation, easy

Hikes we didn’t do but are on the list for next year!

Teddys Trail : an offshoot at Snodgrass, adds 1.8 miles
Brush Creek : 4.29 miles
Rustlers Gulch : 9 miles
Scarp Ridge Trail : 3.9 miles

Lower Loop Trail

Lower Loop Trail : 7.2 Miles, mostly flat, easy.

Beautiful easy hike along Peanut Lake and the Slate River.
We didn’t see moose, but it would be the perfect spot, tons of willow. We did see a lot of wildflowers, mostly Columbines, and a lot of hummingbirds.
If you use all trails, it will have you park in a lot pretty far away from the actual start of the trail. At first we were a little annoyed at this because we were walking on a road and had zero idea when the hike would be more “hike like”. Eventually we really liked the road portion of the hike - the added miles were nice and it had beautiful scenery. If you want to shorten the hike, keep driving and you’ll come to another parking lot that is for disabled and people with small kids - but there are a few spots you can park on the side of the road.
I’d recommend counter clock wise, but there is no right or wrong.

Snodgrass Mountain Trail

Snodgrass Mountain Trail : 5.8 Miles, 1,594ft elevation, moderate

The trail starts off the main road, beautiful views of a horse farm, fields of yellow flowers, and wonderful views of the mountain town and downtown.
The path is pretty narrow for the first half if you go clockwise, watch out for mountain bikers. All the bikers we encountered were super friendly. There isn’t a lot of shade for the first half either, so wear sunscreen!
The second half was my favorite part because you walked through a beautiful aspen forest.

The beautiful aspen forest!

Judd Falls

Judd Falls : 2.2 Miles, 462ft elevation, easy

This was another hike where alltrails will tell you the parking lot is off the main road, but you can actually drive up about another half mile and park if you want to make the hike even shorter.
Honestly this one was our least favorite. There were no wildflowers and the hike was a bit lack luster. Its definitely a good hike if you’re new to hiking, have small kids, are pressed on time, etc.

Food & Drink

Most of the restaurants and bars are on Elk Avenue. We don’t have photos of everything, but these were our favorites!

The Secret Stash - wonderful vibe, great service, delicious food. We had the crack wings and split a specialty pizza
Montanya Distillers - I absolutely LOVE rum. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this place. Its a small and cozy bar. We had the rum flight and a ginger mocktail. I literally dream about the rum and the mocktail, both delicious!
The Breadery - only open for dinner, starting at 5. Highly recommend the Bread Chunk, its delicious and great value. We actually got 2 - the original sourdough and their daily special. The fettuccine was amazing as well.
The Hideout - some of the freshest tasting burgers we’ve had with lovely shoestring fries.
Sunflower - we tried going Saturday night but we didn’t have a reservation and they were closed Sunday. Looked amazing and hope we get to eat there next time!