Explore Fall Colors on Stunning Rides in Gunnison County, Colorado

Great autumn deals & drives abound in the Rockies

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (April 21, 2011) -  The mountain ranges surrounding the Gunnison-Crested Butte Valley will remind you of an artist's autumn palette, with brushstrokes of gold, orange and crimson evident at every turn in September and early October. Known for the largest, most spectacular aspen grove in the United States, the area offers eye-popping vistas.

Or get surrounded by fall foliage on foot by hiking one of the great trails off Kebler Pass Road, mountain biking Trail 401 or one of the area's other classic routes, and going on a trail ride through the forests with Fantasy Ranch Horseback Adventures or Tenderfoot Outfitters.  Crested Butte Mountain Guides and Colorado Backcountry can help you hit the trail on bike or foot.

In addition, the towns of Gunnison County and nature have teamed up to present "September Splendor in the Rockies," a month-long celebration featuring a full calendar of events.  For a listing of September Splendor activities and fall vacation packages in addition to the ones listed below, visit www.septembersplendor.com. 

FALL DRIVE ROUTES

Ohio Creek Road to Kebler Pass
From just north of Gunnison on Colorado Highway 135, take a left on Ohio Creek Road (look for signs).  About 12 miles up the Ohio Creek Valley, near a series of ranch buildings that mark the abandoned site of Castleton, travelers will see the spires of "the Castles."  These are erosion remnants carved out of volcanic debris that erupted from the West Elk Volcano, now extinct.  Continuing on, look for a fine view of the Anthracite Range.  Near the end of Ohio Creek Road is the intersection with Kebler Pass Road (County Road 12).  At that junction, you can head west towards Colorado Highway 133, where southbound goes toward Paonia or northbound to Paonia Dam and Redstone over breathtaking McClure Pass, a popular route to Aspen.  Heading east on Kebler Pass Road, you'll come to Crested Butte, with the eighth largest National Historic District in Colorado.  Before heading to Crested Butte, take a short detour and go north to the beautiful Lake Irwin.

Kebler Pass to Marble & Crystal River Valley
Going north out of Crested Butte on Whiterock Avenue, the road turns into County Road 12, a well-maintained, hard-surface dirt and gravel road.  A stop across the road from Horse Ranch Park provides one of the most scenic landscapes of the Anthracite Mountain Range and a predictable pocket of red amongst the expanse of gold and yellow.  Continuing on through the West Elk Mountains, which has been called "the closest you can come to a wilderness experience in a passenger car," you will pass by the scenic vista of the largest aspen grove in the United States.  After a total of 30 miles from Crested Butte and at the intersection of Highway 133, go right and travel along the Paonia Reservoir and over McClure Pass.  After the right turn onto Highway 133 and another turn on County Road 3, it is approximately 27 miles to Marble, a historic mining town that is like a step back in time.

West Elk Loop Scenic & Historic Byway
From Gunnison, the byway heads north on Highway 135 to Crested Butte, continues on Kebler Pass Road (also County Road 12, take Whiterock Avenue out of town), which is a gravel road and a popular fair-weather route to Aspen.  Kebler Pass Road links with Highway 133 near Paonia Dam.  At this point, travelers can complete the loop back around to Gunnison by going south on the West Elk Loop Byway (Highway 133) and going east on Highway 92 toward Blue Mesa Reservoir, traveling through Somerset, Bowie, Hotchkiss, Crawford and the north rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. At the junction of Highway 92 and Highway 50, going east takes you back to Gunnison along 23 miles of Blue Mesa Reservoir and Curecanti National Recreation Area. West on Highway 50 leads to the main south entrance of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Montrose.

AutoWeek deemed the drive from Hotchkiss to Gunnison and Crested Butte one of their eight favorite Great American Roads.  An "Experience the West Elk Loop Scenic and Historic Byway" brochure is available at visitor centers along the route.

Almont to Various Scenic Routes
Between the towns of Gunnison and Crested Butte on Highway 135 is Almont, where the Taylor and East Rivers meet to create the Gunnison River.  From Gunnison, go east at Almont on Taylor Canyon Road to Taylor Park Dam and Reservoir.  From here travelers have three choices: 1.) Go east on Cottonwood Pass to Buena Vista; 2.) Go north and loop back to Almont on Spring Creek Road; or 3.) Go southeast through one of the richest gold strike areas in Gunnison County traveling through Tin Cup, over Cumberland Pass, and through Pitkin, Ohio City and Parlin before reaching Gunnison.

FALL VACATION DEALS
In September and October, purchase three nights of lodging and get one free through Peak Property Management & Sales in Crested Butte.  Call (888) 909-7325 for rates and property availability and visit www.peakcb.com.

Save on lodging and rafting when staying two nights or more at Three Rivers Resort in Almont from Aug. 15 - Sept. 30.  For only $100 per person, receive two night's lodging in a lodge room or small,
one-room cabin and one Upper Taylor whitewater raft trip each.  Price is based on two-person
occupancy and does not include lodging taxes.  This offer is not valid with any other offers or existing
reservations and can be booked by calling (888) 761-3474.  Other lodging options and custom packages can be arranged.  Visit www.3riversresort.com.

VISITOR INFORMATION & PERSONALIZED VACATION PACKAGES
For more information about Gunnison-Crested Butte's summer calendar of events or to book personalized vacation packages, visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com/packages or call (800) 814-8893.  Find the Tourism Association on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gcbta or follow us on www.twitter.com/gcbta. 

During the summer, air access to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is provided by United Airlines. 

ABOUT GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO
Gunnison-Crested Butte is nestled among almost two million acres of pristine wilderness in southwest Colorado.  Winter sports enthusiasts know the area for its world-class alpine skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing.  Gunnison-Crested Butte is also a haven for outdoor summer activities.  In the warmer months, visitors can choose from recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, boating, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, camping and horseback riding.  Year-round visitors enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops and stimulating cultural opportunities, and have a wide range of lodging options - from rustic inns to guest cabins and bed-and-breakfasts to full-service resort hotels. 

Gunnison, county seat and a real western town, is home to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison Whitewater Park, Gunnison Valley Observatory, Pioneer Museum and Western State College, which offers bachelor's and master's degrees in liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional fields.  Both Crested Butte and Gunnison have thriving historic central business districts packed with shopping and dining opportunities. 

Recognized as the "Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado" by the Colorado Legislature and one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in 2008, Crested Butte is 28 miles from Gunnison and the site of rich mining, ranching and skiing heritage and home to the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.  Only three miles up the road is the resort village of Mt. Crested Butte, home to the ski area, an active base area, the area's conference center, and outstanding hiking and biking trails. 

Marble is located in the Upper Crystal River Valley along the Elk Mountains and is the gateway to nearby Crystal, home to one of the most photographed mill sites in the country. Marble has seven sites on the National Register of Historic Places and is the location of the Yule Marble Quarry.

In Gunnison County, visitors will find the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where dinosaur fossils were recently discovered; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado's largest body of water and home to the largest Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States; and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of our country's newest national parks.  Gunnison County includes the quaint and historic towns of Pitkin, Gothic, Tin Cup, Marble, Powderhorn, Almont and Crystal, plus the better-known communities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.  Gunnison County is part of the West Elk Loop and Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byways.

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Photo: The Castles surrounded by fall foliage near Gunnison 

For a Word version of this press release, click on the link below.

Contact:                       Beth Buehler                                        

                                    Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association               

                                    (970) 349-1168 or bethbuehler@qwestoffice.net         

                                    http://www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/