CB Activities
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Summer
Summer Tours/Rentals:
*Fly Fishing Float Trips on The Gunnison River:
*Gunnison River Guides - (970) 901-9489 Fly fisherman’s paradise and an absolute must do in the summer time! From put-in to take-out, float trips with Gunnison River guides are a high action adventure. A custom drift boat or fully rigged raft will be your ticket to beautiful scenery, wildlife, and miles of Rocky Mountain trout water. Beginner to advanced anglers will appreciate the large casting decks, swivel seats, and lean bars that our boats have to offer. Fly fish private water that is only accessible by boat. Stop and walk-wade the productive public stretches. Catch and release lure trips with light tackle are a great way to get into the fish. 2 fisherman per boat with 1 guide on the boat. I have been fishing with them for 20+ years and these float trips are my favorite thing to do during the summer - Highly recommended! There’s nothing like floating down the river and catching beautiful rainbow and brown trout. Tell Jason and Joel that Jordon says hello.
Gunnison Fly Fishing Outfitters - (970) 707-4110 - These guys are also good friends of mine and will show you a great day on the river. Tell Dane that Jordon says hello.
*Rafting Trips - Class 2-3 rapids on the Upper Taylor River which is a blast for the kids and family - (970) 641-1303 - Three Rivers Resort, 130 County Rd. 742, Almont CO 81210
Horseback Riding - Fantasy Ranch Horseback Adventures - (970) 349-5425
*Golf - Skyland Country Club - The course is absolutely beautiful with mountain view in every direction! Call for tee-times. 385 Country Club Dr - (970) 349-8601 (There is also a public course in Gunnison called Dos Rios but Skyland is much nicer, closer, and has incredible views)
Mountain Bike and Townie Rentals - Renting townies and exploring every street downtown with a quick peddle out to Peanut Lake is a great way to spend a summer day.
Big Al’s Bike Shop - 207 Elk Ave - (970) 349-0515
Handlebar Bike Shop - 315 6th St - (970) 251-9169
4x4 Jeep rentals - Alpenglow Rentals - 630 Gothic Ave - (844) 968-7368
4 Wheeler and ATV Tours - Action Adventures ATV Tours & Rentals - (970) 349-5909
Paddle Board Rentals:
*Float Shack - Rent paddle boards here and they will also run shuttle for you if you want to float the slate river. Floating the slate is one of my favorite things to do! (970) 209-9747
CB SUP - Rent Paddle Boards in the summer and take them to Lake Irwin. 607 6th St - (970) 309-1491
Hiking:
*Summit Mount Crested Butte - Moderate 2 mile, 2 hour round trip hike. Buy a lift pass at the base of the mountain and take the Silver Queen lift to the top. From the top of the Silver Queen lift, you have a 1:15 minute hike to the peak of Mount Crested Butte which is 12,162 feet. It’s rather strenuous in sections so take your time but it’s the easiest way to summit a mountain because you get to use the chair lift. Fantastic views at the peak! Take the Silver Queen lift back down after you summit. If you have some people at the house while a group does this hike we recommend getting the telescope out and pointing it at the top of Mount CB while the group is at the summit. For more information click here. Elevation Gain:1,248 feet Max Elevation:12,162 feet
Summit of Mount CB
*Hike to downtown Crested Butte from the House - Moderate/Easy, 2.5 hour roundtrip hike, 3 mile round trip hike from the front door at 2255 Wildcat to downtown Crested Butte. Directions: Walkout the driveway and turn right and then stay on Wildcat Road until you find the Green Lake Trail sign which will be on the right hand side of Wildcat Trail. It’s a short downhill 1.5 mile hike to town and then a 1.5 mile uphill hike back to the house. To make this hike super easy, I recommend having one person drive a car into town to “run shuttle” so you can hike the easy 1.5 miles downhill to town which takes 1 hour and then catch a car ride back to the house and skip the uphill part back to the house. We do this hike to town with little kids and then grab breakfast or lunch in town and then shuttle back to the house to avoid the uphill part with the little kiddos.
Green Lake Trail - Moderate, 3 hour, 6 mile round trip hike from the front door at 2255 Wildcat to Green Lake. Directions: From the front door of the house you can hike to Green Lake which is at the base of Mt. Axtell - pic of Green Lake below. Walk out of the driveway and turn right and then stay on Wildcat Trail until you find the second Green Lake Trailhead sign which will be on your left hand side. Note - The first Green Lake Trail sign you see is on your right hand side of the Wildcat Trail and that will be a downhill trail which will take you into downtown CB. Keep walking until you see the second trailhead sign for Green Lake Trail which will be on the left hand side of Wildcat Trail and this trail will be an uphill trek that will get you to Green Lake. It's uphill to the lake so be prepared for a gradual climb to the lake. The lake has cutthroat trout in it and I always bring my fly rod with me when I do this hike. Click here for more information and please note that you only have to do half of this hike since all of this information is about starting from town. You will be starting from the house which is on Wildcat Trail road which eliminates the first half of the hike and makes this much easier/shorter.
Green Lake with Mt Axtell
Dark Canyon Trail / Horse Ranch Park - Easy 4 mile round trip hike for an amazing view. The horse ranch park parking lot is a 12 mile drive from the house on Kebler pass. Stay to the left on the dark canyon trail and there’s a Rocky open spot in about 2 miles that offers panoramic views of the valley - see pic below from fall 2021. This is my favorite hike in the fall time to see the Aspens changing colors. Click here for information on the 6.5 mile loop. I’ve done the loop many times and it’s a great hike but my favorite part is the observation point that is 2 miles into the hike - pic below with the yellow aspens is from this observation point. Google maps directions to the parking area for horse ranch park can be found by clicking here.
Observation point on Dark Canyon Trail
*Scarp Ridge - Moderate/Hard 4.6 mile 3 hour round trip hike with incredible views. 25 minute drive from the house to the Scarp Ridge trailhead which is located above Lake Irwin. You want to park at the base of the old Irwin Lodge and the trail head is right next to the old lodge. It’s a 2.3 mile climb uphill but standing at the top of Scarp is one of my favorite places in the valley - see pic below. More info on this hike can be found by clicking here. Google maps directions to the parking area can be found by clicking here. Elevation Gain: 1,576 feet Max Elevation:12,216 feet
Top of Scarp Ridge
Short and Easy Hikes close to CB - Woods Walk - very flat 2.9 miles round trip right next to downtown CB, Judd Falls - flat 2.2 miles round trip to a waterfall close to the Gothic townsite, Meridian Lake - a little uphill 2.4 miles round trip hike to a beautiful lake on Washington Gulch Road, Lower Loop Hike - mostly flat 6.4 miles round trip outside of CB past Peanut Lake
Hard/Long Hikes close to CB - Summit Axtell after Green Lake trail - 12,055 ft, Summit Whetstone - 12,156 ft, Summit Teocalli - 13,208 ft, Summit Gothic - 12,625 ft, Summit Emmons - 12,392 ft. These are the 5 main mountains/peaks that you see around Crested Butte besides Mount Crested Butte. Hike to Aspen from Crested Butte is also a great trip - It’s 11 miles and takes 6-10 hours depending on your fitness level and then you need to get back to Crested Butte. The options to get back to CB are to shuttle back or hike back the next day and there is also a company that will drive your car to Aspen for you so your vehicle is waiting for you in Aspen. I have done all of these hikes so I can give you tips on any of them if you’re interested - shoot Jordon a text or email for more info.
Mountain Bike Trails:
Super Easy - Rent bikes in town and ride out to Peanut Lake and around town. If you want a bigger day, take your bikes all the way out to “lower loop trail” past Peanut Lake.
Medium - Lupine Trail, Strand, Evolution Bike Park, Hartman Rocks in Gunnison
Difficult - *401 - most famous ride in CB, *Doctor’s Park, *Green Lake Trail (from the house), Evolution Bike Park, Teocalli Ridge, 403, Dyke Trail, Hartman Rocks in Gunnison, etc. Crested Butte is home to world class mountain biking. Chat with employees at a local bike shop for details about some of these rides if you are interested in them. I mountain bike from the house to Green Lake up Green Lake Trail quite a bit - it’s a great way to start the day with a short 6 mile ride to get the heart pumping without dealing with a vehicle/drive/running shuttle.
Sightseeing/Drives:
*Lake Irwin - Beautiful lake that is only a 20 minute drive from the house and one of my favorite places in the valley. Rent some paddle boards in town at CB SUP and spend a day at the lake having a picnic. It’s also a good place to catch some small lake trout and you can also hike around the perimeter of the lake which is a flat 2.2 mile walk. (The trailhead for the Scarp Ridge hike that is mentioned above, is only a 10 minute drive from Irwin Lake.) Google Maps directions
Drive to Gothic Townsite - Beautiful 45 minute drive from the house to the Gothic Townsite for sightseeing in the summertime. The Gothic Townsite was once a little mining town but it’s now home to The Rocky Mountain Biological Lab where students spend the summer here studying the local ecosystem. Make sure to check out the Gothic visitors center and you can also grab a coffee at the cafe next to the visitors center. If you want to get a little hike in to move your legs after sitting in the car, I suggest hiking to Judd Falls. The parking lot for the Judd Falls trailhead is only .7 miles past the townsite of Gothic. It’s an easy 3 mile round trip hike to a waterfall and we have done this hike carrying infants and 3 year olds walking. The drive to Gothic and the 3 mile hike to Judd Falls is an awesome little day in CB. Google Maps directions
Drive to Taylor Reservoir - Beautiful drive along the Taylor River. If you like to fly fish, bring your rod and stop at CNR (Catch & Release) for some fishing below the dam of Taylor Reservoir. Stop at Harmell’s for a drink on their deck that overlooks the Taylor River which is about the halfway point to Taylor Reservoir. From the house this is a 41 mile, 1 hour and 10 minute drive to Taylor Reservoir. If you make it out to Taylor Reservoir in the summer and you have time to kill, I recommend driving the extra 25 minutes to a small town called Tincup and grabbing a burger at Frenchy’s. Taylor Reservoir Google Maps Tin Cup Google Maps
Drive Ohio Pass - Great way to go to/from Gunnison on some back-roads in the summertime to avoid 135 highway. This drive takes about 1 hour which is about 15 minutes longer to Gunnison instead of using 135 highway. Any high lifted 2-wheel vehicle will work great for the pass. During Fall this is the perfect drive to check out the Aspens changing color from the house. You will get a glimpse of the Castles while on this drive which is an amazing rock formation. Highly recommended in the fall to look at the leaves changing color! On the backside of Ohio Pass, there is a short easy 1.1 mile round trip hike called Beaver Ponds if you want to move your legs. Google Maps
Drive Cement Creek - Gorgeous drive up a valley right past CB South. County Road 740 will eventually end but go as far as you want and turn around and head back to CB South. I recommend grabbing lunch or dinner in CB South at The Wooden Spoon which is a local favorite. Google Maps Directions
Drive Kebler Pass aka Highway 12 - This is the pass you take to drive to Aspen or Paonia in the summertime. A couple of my favorite stops while on Kebler are Lake Irwin, hiking the Dark Canyon trail mentioned above, and hiking Lost Lakes. During Fall this is a beautiful drive to check out the changing fall colors of all of the Aspens. The town of Paonia is Colorado’s wine country with multiple wineries. I also recommend checking out Big B’s Orchard and eating dinner at Good Love or Flying Fork while in Paonia. If you make the drive all the way to Aspen, check out the small town of Marble and eat at Slow Groovin Barbeque and hike to Crystal Mill. Kebler pass is closed in the wintertime.
National Parks - The Black Canyon National Park is a 1 hour 45 minute drive away towards Montrose. The Great Sand Dune National Park is a 3 hour drive away towards Alamosa. Rocky Mountain National Park is a 5 hour and 20 minute drive towards Estes Park. Mesa Verde National Park is a 4 hours and 30 minute drive towards Cortez.