Great Crested Butte Lodging

4 miles is not alot, but it is a gradual up up and away to the pass, which s 13,500 ft. So in all it is an 8 mile round trip. Take your time!!!!

Emerald Lake

This is one of the prettiest spots on earth. Really. Just drive from Crested Butte toward Gothic - it is a beautiful drive - look down and see the prehistoric-looking river snaking down a gorgeous valley (I always expect to see a band of cro-magnons!) and keep going thru the little town of Gothic. Keep going! you will pass beautiful rivers, cows, andother bikers and hikers but keep going. There is one small area as you go up and then down into Emerald Lake that is very narrow so be careful. But it is so worth it. What a gorgeous spot. This would be great for a picnic, or just a hike around the lake.

Lost Lake

After you've been in Crested Butte a few days and want to go further afield for a beautiful hike, try the Lost Lake hike. You head out toward Lake Irwin. Where the road splits near Irwin, the righthand will go to Irwin and the left to Kebler (it is well marked). Keep going, and enjoy the view! when the aspens are all around you in a close woods for awhile, Lost Lake Campground will come up on the left, after Horseranch turnoff.Turn in and keep to the right and park as far as you can. It takes 35 minutes from CB to drive there. 

There are 3 lakes - and it takes about 2 hours to walk all around the three lakes. We saw a herd of moose, and climbed past waterfalls - it was absolutely glorious. The lakes are called Lost Lake Slough, Lost Lake, and Dollar Lake. This is a gem.

Trail 401 - THE Famous Biking trail...

Normally completely a bad place to hike. Just imagine walking peacefully down the most beautiful trail in Crested Butte and having someone scream "out of the way"! you leap off the trail into the mud. So, yes, Trail 401 is normally off limits to hikers.

But here's a little secret. When it rains and the trail is muddy, the bikers can't bike! hurray! So if you see light rain, rejoice, put on a tarp and go hiking. The mountain bikers won't even reappear when the sun comes out - the trail has to be dry for them to safely bike.

We hiked the 401 this summer. it was heavenly - we didn't go all the way to the beginning but started right where Judd Falls starts - put one car at the end of the trail and one at the start so we could go back and pick it up. Took about 1 1/2 hours and was glorious!

The Dyke Trail

This hike will always be a mixed memory for me. It is gorgeous - and long - plan at least 4 hours. But I tried to do it as a mountain biking trip and learned that what is an easy hiking trail is totally not necessarily an easy biking trail. Those roots and branches are easy to step over but not so easy to bike over!!!! But it is really spectacular and worth doing for a longer hike.

The entrance to the Dyke trail is just above Irwin Lake on the left - don't go too far or you get to private land. This bike trail goes gently down for 5 miles.  Have a non-biker drive to Horseranch to pick you up, as that is where the trail ends. Your driver can find Horseranch by heading back toward Crested Butte and taking a right hand turn at the fork towards Kebler. Horseranch is lovely - a nice place to hang out - tell your driver to have some lunch and water ready! That pic to the right should be titled,"An easy hiking trail is NOT always an easy biking trail!!!!!!!!

Lower Cement Creek Trail

An easy hike. Go down the main drag - (Hwy. 135) towards Crested Butte South to Cement Creek Road. Drive around 2 miles to a pull-off parking area on the right. The Lower Cement trailhead is on the left. Flowers, sage brush, aspen groves, wildlife. A beautiful trail.