Crested Butte, CO

We moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the mid 90’s.  With excitement and exuberance, we couldn’t wait to take our first trip as Colorado residents to the mountains.  I’m not sure why or how we picked Crested Butte as our first mountain destination, but Crested Butte it was.

We packed up the vehicle, two kids, and the dog and ventured into unknown territory.  Oh dear, out of the mouths of babes……  I’m not sure which kid said it first, but Crested Butte turned into Crusty Butt.  To dub such a beautiful, pristine place with such an unpleasant title is just wrong.  BUT to the four of us, Crested Butte was now known as Crusty Butt.

Crested Butte holds special memories for me and remains a favorite of mine.  This recent trip allowed Al and me to reaquaint ourselves with the area, as well as explore the back country….a first for us.

Elk Avenue is the main shopping district in this beautiful mountain town.  During our three-day visit, we take the opportunity to stroll these shops and enjoy a few meals.  We ate breakfast twice at McGill’s.  The food was delicious but the coffee was amazing.  The coffee was soooo good we just had to ask, “what kind is it?”  Turns out it’s locally roasted…. Camp 4 Coffee.   McGill’s serves the Blue Mesa blend.

After breakfast we head on over to Camp 4 Coffee to take home some of these amazing beans.  Following our three-hour scenic loop drive, we stop in at The Last Steep Bar and Grill for lunch.  We sit on the deck enjoying a great meal and perfect weather.

Worth noting;  we found the prices overall in Crested Butte to be reasonable, especially for a tourist town.  I paid $35 for two T-shirts and about $30 for two people, breakfast/lunch.

Considering our lodging cost totalled $16, we felt we had extra cash to splurge on fun things.  It was always our plan to go out to eat a few times, which is why we left all the camp cooking gear behind.  This turned out to be a great decision, and I would plan it this way again in a heartbeat.

I purchased the T-shirts at Cottonwood Tees.  In a previous post I mentioned the young guy working the counter.  He was extremely helpful in sharing his passion and knowledge of the countryside.  Its because of his help, we explored and saw some amazing back country.

I look forward to future visits to try some of the other fun and interesting restaurants, and of course a little more retail therapy!