getting here & staying here
Crested Butte, CO
Travel Considerations
Getting to and from Crested Butte, CO
The town of CB sits at the northern-most end of the Gunnison River Valley, nestled against the bases of several prominent mountains, Mount Crested Butte—the town’s name sake—being one of them. Funnily enough, Mount CB isn’t actually a mountain at all, it is, in fact, a laccolith (in the simplest terms: an un-erupted volcano).
Our special valley is part of what is known as “the laccolith triangle”; in the Gunnison-Crested Butte area alone appear as many as 15 of these towering rock formations and within the triangle as a whole, there are upwards of 30. These eye catching behemoths formed as a result of the West Elk Volcano, and guess what?
We’ll be walking right through it.
Don’t worry, though, it was most recently active about 30 million years ago.
Back to “getting here”; the drive up valley from Gunnison is breathtaking, with views of Paradise Divide, the Ruby Range, and the Slate River Valley. And, if you so choose to arrive to town over Kebler Pass, you will get to a stunning preview of some of the valley’s most startlingly beautiful laccoliths.
Crested Butte isn’t on the way to anywhere, mind you, it is a destination in and of itself, which is what makes it so special!
Airports
Gunnison Regional Airport: 28 miles (40min drive) from Crested Butte
Montrose Regional Airport: 93 miles (2hr drive) from Crested Butte
Be advised, there is heavy road work on hwy 50 in Little Blue Creek Canyon resulting in full day-time road closures, please plan your drive accordingly.
Grand Junction Regional Airport: 116 miles (2hr 45min drive) from Crested Butte via Kebler Pass road, a 31.4 mile long dirt road with gorgeous views, this road can become very muddy and slippery after a big rain
Denver International Airport: 252 miles (4hr 45min drive) over Monarch Pass, or about 4hr over scenic Cottonwood Pass
Buses
Gunnison Valley RTA busses are free and run on a regular schedule from Gunnison to the town of Crested Butte.
The Bustang runs between Denver and Crested Butte, the journey takes about 5.5 hrs
The Mountain Express busses are free and run throughout the town of Crested Butte, to and from Mt. CB
Driving
Rental car options are available in Gunnison, Montrose, Grand Junction, and Denver.
No matter where you are traveling from, the drive into Crested Butte is stunning! If you choose to come over Kebler Pass, be advised, the 31.4 mile road is unpaved, but the stunning views make it well worth the added adventure. In the fall, people travel from all over to drive GCR 12 and peep the leaves of the golden aspen & the fiery scrub oak.
The most straight forward way to access Crested Butte, though, is via hwy 135, from Gunnison.
Accommodations
When it comes to “staying here”, you have a multitude of options, the first of which is: up-valley or down-valley. In many cases the most affordable accommodations will be found in the town of Gunnison, down-valley.
There is really amazing camping available all around Crested Butte, a wonderful & affordable option if you have a car-camping set-up, RV, or you just love sleeping in a tent, and you want to stay in CB with out breaking the bank.
Definitely shop around for the option that makes the most sense for you, and book early! Summertime is peak visitor season.
Staying in Crested Butte
Hotels & local BnB’s
The Lodge at Mountaineer Square
AirBnB & Vrbo
Camping
The best resource for finding a place to camp in Crested Butte is Travel Crested Butte’s Camping Guide, which details dispersed camping options, how to book a site, and how to take care of the land your are camping on. There is even an interactive map for choosing a campground. Please note, many of these campgrounds fill up fast during peak summer months, so book in advance when possible!
Staying in Gunnison
Hotels
The Gunnison Inn at Dos Rios Golf Course