Crested Butte Wildflower Festival best trails, workshops and drives
Wildflower season is in full bloom in Colorado’s high country.
Whether you are staying in a hotel, camping or just driving through, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the peak wildflower season in Crested Butte.
The 10-day festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary, welcoming flower and garden hobbyists, botanists and alpine enthusiasts with more than 150 workshops that include everything from photography to culinary and medicinal arts.
Trails & Hikes
Difficulty: Easy 🟢
Distance: 4.3 miles
Elevation: 315 feet
Trail type: Out & back
Estimated time: 2 hours
What to expect: This short hike is easy to do for those who don’t want to stray far from town. The trail offers sweeping views of Mt. Crested Butte as it winds along the base of the mountain. With few trees to offer shade, this trail will provide plenty of direct sunshine, so be sure to pack your sunglasses and sunscreen. We also recommend taking this hike early in the morning or at sunset for optimal lighting.
Difficulty: Moderate 🟡
Distance: 8.1 miles
Elevation: 832 feet
Trail type: Out & back
Estimated time: 2 hours
What to expect: This trail takes you through wildflower meadows with stunning views of Mt. Crested Butte as the backdrop as you wind through aspen groves for sweeping panoramas of the town below. With a moderate out-and-back and plenty of opportunities to rest in the shade, you can choose your own distance based on how you’re feeling.
Difficulty: Easy 🟢
Distance: 7.2 miles
Elevation: 640 feet
Trail type: Loop trail
Estimated time: 3 hours
What to expect: This trail connects with a few other trails such as Woods Walk and the Budd Trail, which can offer alternative routes if you don’t want to complete the entire loop. Winding through the valley and along the Slate River, there are plenty of spots to stop and enjoy the scenery along the way on one of the few benches that are provided to take in the picturesque views of the flowers.
Workshops & Classes
Photographing Wildflowers & Alpenglow workshop
Skill level: All levels
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $185
Meeting location: NE Corner of Elk Avenue & 6th Street (Hwy 135), Crested Butte, CO 81224
What you’ll need: Warm clothing; dress in layers. You may need a headlamp to hike back in the dark. You’ll want to bring your DSLR camera, water bottle and anything else you may need to hike out to the location.
What to expect: Deepen your photography skills with a golden-hour photography experience that helps you frame Colorado’s stunning wildflowers with a warm, glowing light. The workshop will teach lighting, composition and camera settings so you can tell your story visually.
A-Bee-Cs of Wildflower Pollination
Skill level: Beginner
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: $80
Meeting location: 8000 CO Road 317, Crested Butte, Colo., 81224
What you’ll need: Wear comfortable clothing and shoes and bring any items you need to stay comfortable for a trek into the mountains.
What to expect: What kind of bee pollinates Colorado’s wildflowers? You will join pollination ecologist Dr. Jackie Fitzgerald to learn about the delicate relationship between alpine pollinators and wildflowers. You’ll observe bees and other pollinators up close and learn how scientists study wildflower nectar.
Watercolor Workshop in the Garden
Skill level: Beginner
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $95
Meeting location: 716 Elk Ave., Crested Butte, Colo., 81224
What you’ll need: Comfortable clothing/layers, a camping chair, hat, sunscreen and water.
What to expect: This guided workshop will teach the basics of plein air watercolor set in the scenery of Three Ladies Park. Paint your blooming flowers against a mountain backdrop using splashes of summer color. All painting materials will be provided.
Scenic Drives
Ohio Creek Pass — Gunnison to Crested Butte
Distance: 34 miles (one way) from Crested Butte to Gunnison on County Road 730
Drive time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Road conditions: Gravel/dirt road. Well maintained, but upper sections of the road contain right curves, narrow roads and some rocky conditions in some areas.
Vehicle requirements: 2wd or better
What to expect: This drive offers scenic, mountain views of the West Elk Mountains and Colorado’s iconic ‘Castles,’ a natural rock formation of pillars that juts out of the mountain’s peak. You will find tight curves and dirt roads that will lead to untouched parts of Colorado’s wildflower fields as they blanket entire mountainsides. This drive makes for a good out-and-back without touching any of Colorado’s main highways, or you can take the pass over Keebler into the town of Paonia or stay in Gunnison to enjoy the Black Canyon.
Keebler Pass — Crested Butte to Paonia
Distance: 30 miles (one way) taking CO-12 (Whiterock Avenue) west out of town, winding up Keebler Pass before intersecting with Highway 133. Turn right to go to Paonia, Somerset and Hotchkiss.
Drive time: 2 hours
Road conditions: Gravel and dirt conditions with some areas typically prone to wet and muddy conditions due to spring snowmelt.
Vehicle requirements: 2wd or better
What to expect: This drive is one of Colorado’s most beautiful drives with panoramic views of towering mountain peaks and valley floors covered in wildflowers. You’ll climb through groves of aspen and evergreen trees as you wind through dirt roads. There are some sections with narrow curves and steep drop-offs, but the sections where they are present are short.