Below are the travel distances from surrounding airports, so you can better plan your trip. Don’t worry, the drive is beautiful so it will go quick!

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Guests who want to go right from the plane to the town can fly into Gunnison County Airport (GUC), a mere 30-minute drive from the town. For those who want a bit cheaper airfare and don’t mind an hour and 30 minutes drive, Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ) is a preferred destination. For the absolute lowest priced air travel, guests can fly into Denver International Airport (DEN), located 4 hours drive time from Crested Butte.

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Gunnnison Airport

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The Gunnison airport is about a 30 minute drive to Crested Butte. The are 1-2 flights per day to and from Denver to the Gunnison airport. 

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Transportation from the airport to the Nordic Inn or your AirB&B can be found through Alpine Express.

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Montrose (Telluride) Airport

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Montrose airport is about 1 hour 45 minutes from Crested Butte. You can connect to Montrose airport from Denver or Dallas.

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From Montrose, take highway 50 east for about an hour through rolling hills as you approach the Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest body of water in Colorado. Feel free to pull off onto highway 92 just before you hit the reservoir for a quick glimpse of the Black Canyon from the Blue Mesa Dam (5 minute detour). The trip up highway 92 along the north rim of the Black Canyon is also a worthy detour to see aspen filled cliffs on one side and thousand foot drop-offs on the other. Highway 50 runs along the reservoir until you eventually roll into Gunnison. Turn left onto highway 135 and enjoy the scenery the rest of the way into Crested Butte.

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Denver International Airport

It’s a 4 hour or so drive from the Denver airport to Crested Butte.

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If you’re coming from Denver International Airport, hop on I-70 west, exit highway 470 west to route 285 south. Your travel time will be roughly 4 hours.

 

For the fastest route in the summer, take highway 285 south to Buena Vista and be greeted by the 14er Mt. Princeton straight ahead. Then turn right onto route 24 into town and make a left at the stoplight to head up Cottonwood Pass (route 306), which tops out at over 12,000 ft (you may want to pull off for some photos). The descent into Taylor Reservoir is gravel and dirt, but easily managed by nearly any car. It turns back to smooth pavement as you descend route 742 next to the Taylor river and are neighbored by beautiful rock and cliff formations. Another shortcut here takes you to Jacks Cabin road (back to dirt) for a few miles until you hit pavement again and turn right onto Highway 135. From here it’s just a short 10 minute drive up the valley to view mountain paradise.

 

Crested Butte is located in Gunnison County. Once you are in Gunnison, make a right at the stoplight onto highway 135 north for another 30 minutes. Enjoy the scenery as the surrounding aspen covered mountains get higher every mile of the way.

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THE DRIVE:

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We highly suggest people try to coordinate car rentals and travel logistics and not do the Denver to CB drive alone at night from Denver. Be warned that the Colorado area is known for deer and driving at night can result in accidents.

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ALTITUDE:

 

The town of Crested Butte sits at an altitude of 8,885 ft above sea level and the mountain at 9,380 ft. If you are coming up in elevation, you will likely feel it. Take it easy particularly if this is your first time at high altitude, it is best to arrive early and give yourself 24-48 hours to acclimate. If you don't have this luxury of time or are experiencing difficulty, we recommend the Oxygen Bar in downtown Crested Butte. Please see "Before You Go" on the menu if you want to see the location.

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