Crested Butte is a small, colorful town about 100 miles from Montrose, that was once the center of mining activity including coal, silver and gold. A couple miles away, Mount Crested Butte is a modern ski resort and emerging residential community. The two towns complement each other very well, and both share the bounty of being Colorado's "Wildflower Capital". The annual festival, which brings thousands of visitors, is scheduled for early July each year, but other outdoor activities keep people coming year round. Hiking, biking, four-wheeling, fishing and hunting are some of the attractions to the area. My last visit to Crested Butte was in 2014, so I felt it was time to go again, especially during wildflower season.
From Gunnison, it's a thirty-five mile drive via the highway to reach Crested Butte. However, I chose a longer, more scenic, route. Ohio Creek Road travels first through a beautiful valley of farms and ranches with views of several mountain ranges, then crosses Ohio Pass and ends near Crested Butte.
One of the more impressive ranches is the 6000 acre Castleton Ranch, owned by a New York financier, art collector and philanthropist. Some buildings on the ranch, including the original homesteader's cabin, date back to the 1880s. A new rustic mansion was built along the river and isn't visible from the road. The foreman's cabin (I think) is located near the gate, and a large horse barn is nearby. The owner, a self-made billionaire, is married to a former Miss Sweden, and fourth runner-up to Miss Universe, who became a doctor after moving to the U.S.
There are other nice homes scattered around the valley, as well. On my trip, I encountered a small herd of elk, mule deer, marmots, ground squirrels and more than a few birds, not to mention some pretty wildflowers.
In Crested Butte, I started up Gothic Road toward Schofield Pass. This are is normally over-run with wildflower watchers, but not this time. Due to low snowfall this past winter and low rainfall this spring, the wildflowers aren't as bountiful as normal. There are still lots of them, just not as plentiful as I've seen in the past. Several northern flickers kept calling to me at one stop, and one hung around for a photo.
Gothic was a silver mine community in the late 1800s, abandoned when the ore ran out. Many years later, the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory was founded and bought the property. The organization still uses the old buildings along with new ones. Many plant experiments are carried out here with assistance from numerous college students who volunteer for the summer.
Near the top of the pass, Emerald Lake is a favorite spot to relax a bit. On this day, however, there were several people on paddleboards and others having a picnic, so I kept moving.
Once over the pass, I turned and drove toward Paradise Divide, a pretty area above 11,000 feet. By now, clouds were rolling in and threatening rain.
While there were more wildflowers along Washington Gulch Road on my way back to Crested Butte, most were similar to ones already shown. My major disappointment was the absence of columbine flowers, usually seen in massive clusters. This time, I saw only one bunch of Colorado's state flower.
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