Nestled in the midst of some of Colorado’s most beautiful public lands, Gunnison is an easygoing college town with a heart for biking. It’s located on the south end of the Gunnison Valley, which is also home to Crested Butte.
Find 5 Reasons to Visit Crested Butte & Gunnison This Winter
Gunnison is a high-desert playground situated at an elevation of 7,703 feet. The landscape is dominated by rocky ridges and rolling, sagebrush-covered hills. The area's early spring thaw brings mountain bikers to the rocky, technical trails at Hartman Rocks and the mellow, scenic trail system at Signal Peak. More than 1,000 miles of dirt roads in the Gunnison Valley make it a convenient base camp for gravel cyclists, too.
The West Elk Mountains tower west and north of Gunnison. This scenic natural area provides a vast wilderness for hikers and hunters to explore. The Gunnison River flows through town, drawing anglers to its Gold Medal waters. The river flows into Blue Mesa Reservoir, one of Colorado’s largest lakes and another fishing hot spot.
Note: Parts of Hwy. 50 near Blue Mesa Reservoir are currently closed. Plan ahead and see the recommended detour from Colorado Department of Transportation.
The restaurants in Gunnison serve strong coffee and hearty, unpretentious fare, and many are bike themed. The city of Gunnison is also home to Western Colorado University, a small public university that offers more than 100 areas of study, including several outdoor-industry-focused programs and an engineering partnership with the University of Colorado Boulder.
A 10-mile drive north on Highway 135 from Gunnison transports you to more Gold Medal fishing in Almont. Eighteen miles further is Crested Butte, home to steep ski slopes in winter and famous for its summer wildflowers.
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