Crested Butte, Colorado
Often called "the last great Colorado ski town", Crested Butte is a small resort town located in Gunnison County in the U.S. state of Colorado. A former coal mining hub, Crested Butte is now a destination for skiing, mountain biking, and a variety of other outdoor activities. The Colorado state legislature has designated Crested Butte the wildflower capital of Colorado.
A popular winter resort, Crested Butte also has an abundance of summertime activities. Crested Butte is one of the locations where mountain biking is claimed to have started and in fact, the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame is located in Crested Butte. Other popular summer activities in Crested Butte include hiking, camping, whitewater rafting, and fishing.
Mount Crested Butte. This file is licensed under GNU Free Documentation License. Check out more photos of all our featured destinations in our photo gallery.
Winter Break
The primary winter activity in Crested Butte is skiing or snowboarding at nearby Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Mount Crested Butte, Colorado. Snowmobiling (private or rental) in the surrounding drainages is some of the best in Colorado. Mount Crested Butte rises to 12,162 feet (3,700 m) above sea level. The ski area base is at 9,375 feet (2,860 m). 14 lifts serve 1,058 acres (4.2 km²) of terrain. 448 acres (1.8 km²) of the terrain are double black runs. The large amount of extreme skiing terrain at Crested Butte has attracted the US Extreme Skiing Championships and the X Games. The longest run on Mount Crested Butte is 2.6 miles (4.2 km) long.
The town of Crested Butte itself has a Nordic Center which has an ice skating rink as well as many miles of groomed cross country skiing trails.
Hotels and Restaurants
Look for our full directory of hotels and restaurants, coming soon.
Clubs and Bars
Look for our full directory of clubs, coming soon.
Attractions and Events
Crested Butte hosts a number of summer festivals, including an Arts Festival, a Wildflower Festival, and a Rubber Ducky Race.
Tourism
Coming soon.
Climate
The climate of Breckenridge is mountain. The average July high is 75°F and the average January low is 0°F degrees. The record high is 89°F set in July, 2003; the record low is -55°F set in January, 1962. The city receives over 300 inches of snowfall per year so combining with the cold winter temperatures, the snow stays on the ground for 6 months of the year.
History and Development
The East River Valley where Crested Butte is located was once used as a summer residence by Ute Native Americans. However, they were quickly displaced when white explorers first entered the area. The first Caucasians to explore the valley were beaver trappers, followed by surveyers. Captain John Gunnison, after whom Gunnison County is named was one of the early explorers to enter the area.
In the 1860s and 1870s coal and silver mines began to open in the surrounding area and many little mining towns formed. However, when silver mining hit on hard times, many of these towns failed. Crested Butte was in a better position to survive because it served as a supply town to the surrounding area.
When the coal mines closed, the town began to shrink, and eventually the local high school was closed. Students had to travel to Gunnison to go to high school. The town did not revive until a ski area was built on Crested Butte Mountain in the 1960s.
In 1993 the Crested Butte Academy opened in Crested Butte, bringing a private high school into town. In 1997, the Crested Butte Community School was opened, and Crested Butte finally had a public high school again.
US Energy Corp. owns mining rights for molybdenum on Mount Emmons ("Red Lady") near Crested Butte and as molybdenum prices rise, the town is fighting to prevent a molybdenum mine from being opened.
This article has been modified from its original version (available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_Butte) and is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. |
