Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Car -- Crested Butte is 28 miles north of Gunnison on Colo. 135, the only year-round access. In summer, the gravel-surface Kebler Pass Road links Crested Butte with Colo. 133 at Paonia Reservoir, to the west.

By Plane -- The Gunnison-Crested Butte Airport, 711 Rio Grande Ave. (tel. 970/641-2304), is just off U.S. 50, a few blocks south of downtown Gunnison. American (tel. 800/433-7300) and Delta (tel] 800/221-1212) provide air service during ski season and United Express (tel. 800/241-6522) provides daily year-round service from Denver.

Alpine Express (tel. 800/822-4844 or 970/641-5074; www.alpineexpressshuttle.com) provides shuttle service from the airport to Crested Butte frequently in ski season; call to check on availability at other times. Reservations are required. Adults are $34 per person one-way and kids under 13 are $23.

Visitor Information

Consult the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce (tel. 800/851-0482 or 970/349-6438; www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com). An information center is located downtown at the four-way stop at the corner of Elk Avenue and Sixth Street.

Getting Around

There are actually two separate communities here: the old mining town of Crested Butte and the modern resort village of Mt. Crested Butte, 3 miles away. Colo. 135 enters Crested Butte from the south and is intersected by Elk Avenue, which runs east-west as the town's main street.

Free transportation throughout Crested Butte and the ski resort is provided by Mountain Express (tel. 970/349-7318; www.crestedbutte-co.gov).

Fast Facts

The Crested Butte Medical Center, in the Ore Bucket Building in downtown Crested Butte (tel. 970/349-0321; www.cbmedicalcenter.com), can handle most health needs; the medical center also operates a clinic at the ski area during winter (tel. 970/349-4370). The post office is on the north side of Elk Avenue between Second and Third streets; contact the U.S. Postal Service (tel. 800/275-8777; www.usps.com) for hours and other information.

Special Events

Fat Tire Bike Week, June; Crested Butte Music Festival, early July; Wildflower Festival, July; Wine and Food Festival, late July; Festival of the Arts, early August; Wild Mushroom Festival, early August; Vinotok Fall Festival, September.