Why You Should Visit Crested Butte, CO in the Winter
December of 2022 some family from Texas wanted to get together for Christmas in Crested Butte to ski and enjoy the beautiful state of Colorado. My wife and I joined them and documented our stay. Below you will find why you should visit Crested Butte, CO in the winter. This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links from this post at no additional cost to you.
Why you should visit Crested Butte, CO
#1 Colorful Vibrant Town
Walking through downtown Crested Butte in December felt like a winter wonderland. Christmas wreathes hung from street lamps. Shops put up home made Christmas signs. Decorations and more scattered throughout the city. Buildings were painted with bright saturated colors. Big and small art structures just off the sidewalk, hanging from architecture, in restaurant patio’s and more. Even in the middle of the day a few venues had music playing outside that just gave the town more flavor.
Elk Ave | Crested Butte, CO | © Untethered 4 Life
There were plenty of options for food up and down the main downtown street, Elk Ave. From Thai, Nepalese, Greek, Asian, BBQ, Mexican, Italian, pizzeria’s, to a bakery, all within roughly a quarter mile of each other. What makes that even more interesting is that none of the restaurants or cafe’s are franchises, the city of Crested Butte makes a concerted effort to keep their business local. I will note that most of the restaurants were not open in the middle of the afternoon. Typically many were open for breakfast through lunch then closed until dinner. I presume this was due to peak ski times.
So we ate at McGills for a late lunch, which was chosen mostly because they were actually open when we decided to eat. The service was quick, food was well done and the prices were reasonable. The showcase of the meal was the very flavorful coffee from a local provider, Camp 4 Coffee.
Places to eat while in Crested Butte:
- Secret Stash – Pizzeria
- Teocalli Tamale – Mexican
- Ryce Asian Bistro – Asian
- Pitas in Paradise – Greek
Camp 4 Coffee had one of the most visually interesting buildings, which says a lot considering how colorful and unique all of the buildings in Crested Butte were. This café is covered, top to bottom, with CO license plates and has statues of wood carved bears holding signs outside. It was a tight squeeze inside the café and many people crammed themselves inside to get a hot cup of coffee for relief from the bitter cold outside. I later learned the the Denver Post indicated that Camp 4 Coffee had the “Best Coffee in Colorado.”
#2: Incredible Lodging Options
While we were in Crested Butte we stayed at The Grand Lodge in a privately owned condo. The room was a bit pricey at roughly $266 a night after all fees were taken into consideration. However, given the time of year and that it is a ski town it felt priced just right. The lodge was within 300ft of the ski slopes and shuttles buses were available right outside of the lobby to take us to town. Detailed and ornate decorations were neatly hung throughout the grounds and it was very clean, warm, and inviting. While we did not take advantage of the amenities while we were there it included a hot tub, indoor/outdoor pool, and gym.
The rest of our family went in on a single family home Airbnb. It was well furnished, had all the appropriate kitchen ware, felt very homely, and was also a 1/4 block from a bus stop. Ten adults and a baby piled in without trouble as we enjoyed dinner and various Christmas activities. Between the lodges, a wide range of different Airbnb’s, and even a hostel there is no shortage of accommodations that can fit various budgets.
#3 Excellent Bus Availability and Schedule
From the large resort lodges, the residential areas, grocery stores, the ski slopes, to the main strip of Crested Butte there were active buses running. Each bus was custom decorated and there were a variety of colorful themes. The bus schedule is almost anywhere, where every you were. Many buses ran every 15 minutes, some every 30 minuets, and a couple ran every hour. Shuttles are available that run between Gunnison and Crested Butte as well. For $45 dollars, you can even save yourself the hassle and take a bus from Denver all the way to Crested Butte.
Plan your visit with these bus schedules:
#4 Challenging Ski Runs
Crested Butte has exhilarating and challenging ski runs. Roughly 75% of the ski runs are listed as intermediate or advanced. Here is a map of both the ski runs and ski resort. You can tell just with a quick glance that there an incredible number of double black extreme runs. We did not get a chance to ski during our visit but spoke to a few that did, December is a good time to visit as the traffic is not as heavy as later in the season.
Mt. Crested Butte Ski Resort | Crested Butte, CO | © Untethered 4 Life
We did walk through the ski resort however, especially given is was just a short walk from out lodge. We had a chance to catch an ice sculptor at work visiting the ski slopes. Plenty of space and places to stay warm to accommodate the busy ski days. No shortage of food and ski rental locations. Art and random activities were sprinkled throughout the resort. They even had a pet relief area, which with the colder weather was an appreciated touch.
Why you should NOT visit Crested Butte, CO
#1 Extremely cold in December
The snow doesn’t seem to melt here. As we woke the temperatures were around -15°F. The temperature barely reached 10°F with full sunlight in the middle of the day. Essential gear would include a beanie, gloves AND mittens, an undershirt with a sweater, waterproof boots with traction, and wool socks. Walkways are very slick and icy.
#2 Far Drive from the Denver Metro Area
From Denver it will take you roughly 3.5 hours to get to Crested Butte if you drive without stopping and the conditions are perfect. During the winter months there are a few places that can slow down your commute significantly. Kenosha Pass and Monarch Pass are great examples of that. The higher altitude tends to get more snow which then proceeds to run down the mountain, creating slick and icy conditions.
I’d suggest taking a well equipped automobile and be familiar with how to drive well in extreme conditions.
Final Thoughts on Crested Butte, CO
Crested Butte, CO is a beautiful town worth checking out! If you’re a skiing enthusiast Crested Butte is a must visit. If you’re looking to get away from the hustle for a bit, then Crested Butte is also for you. With only local businesses in Crested Butte everything was unique and can only be found in Crested Butte. Unfortunately we had to cut our visit short as our dogs could not get and stay warm once they were outside for too long. The day we left we actually had a snowmobile tour set up with Action Adventures that we could not do as a result. They were very nice and let our family use our reservation even though we wouldn’t be present.
Getting there in the winter can be a challenge with the distance and the chance for problems is high if in the winter. If budget is not a concern you can easily fly into Gunnison and take a bus to town however. I will most definitely be revisiting in the summer to get an idea of what the hiking and summer recreation looks like.
