Heart of the Southwest
Montrose Salida to Crested Butte: 4 Night Bus Tour –
Outdoor Recreation and Cultural & Heritage Tourism Options
Click Here to Download Itinerary PDF
Day 1:
Overnight in Salida – official visitor information and lodging options on ColoradoHeadwaters.comAt this point you are 134 mi/216 km from Denver and 100 mi/161 km from Colorado Springs
Outdoor Recreation
- Rent a townie bike and cruise around historic Salida
- Duckie or raft trip on the Arkansas River (1/2 or full day)
- Fish in town on the Arkansas River, Sand or Frantz Lakes (1/2 day) Ark Anglers for gear
Culture & Heritage
- Visit the Salida Museum (1 hr.)
- Walking tour of historic Main St.,
- Rocky Mountain Outdoor for rentals art galleries & working studios (1/2 day)
- Mt. Spirit Winery Tour (1/2 dayVisit Buena Vista (28 mi/45 km from Salida)
- BV historic Ghost Town Museum; St. Elm
- Turner Farm; BV Heritage & Train
Dinner at Dakota’s International & Regional cuisine in Salida or at Fiesta Mexicana
Day 2:
Overnight in Gunnison – official visitor information and lodging options on GunnisonCrestedButte.com At this point you are 65 mi/104 km from Salida, 10 mi/16 km from Almont, 28 mi/45 km to Crested Butte,
65 mi/104 km from Montrose, home of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and
172 mi/277 km from Durango
Outdoor Recreation
- Visit Blue Mesa (Colorado’s largest body of water) for boating & fishing. Lunch at Pappy’s at the Marina (1/2 day)
- Mountain bike, hike or horse ride in Hartman Rocks Multi-use Recreation area Local outfitters available (1/2 day)
- Rent a townie bike and cruise around historic Gunnison
- Waunita Hot Springs Ranch (hot springs use only if the group is overnighting) Hiking, horse back riding and group dinners also available at the ranch
Culture & Heritage
- Visit the Pioneer & Train Museum (3 hrs)
- Walking tour of historic downtown art galleries
- Visit to Gunnison Arts Center, galleries & art store (1 ½ hrs.) shopping (1/ day)
- Visit the Gunnison Valley Observatory opening early 2006 (1 ½ hrs)
- Guided tour of Aberdeen Quarry, source of state capital building granite
Local rental shops available
Dinner at Garlic Mike’s Italian Restaurant on the Gunnison River
Day 3:
Overnight in Gunnison – official visitor information and lodging options on GunnisonCrestedButte.com
This can easily be a full day. Scenic drive up Taylor Canyon Road to Taylor Reservoir and view of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area; along the way Big Horn Sheep viewing areas, ½ day Duckie, rafting and fishing trips available at Three Rivers Resort and Almont Anglers; fishing and horseback riding at Harmel’s Ranch Resort. Lunch options: Three Rivers Resort Smokehouse, Almont Resort and Harmel’s Ranch Resort; depending on transportation, well graded, hard pack dirt road will take you another 25 minutes up to the historic 1880’s mining town of Tin Cup. Frenchy’s Restaurant for lunch, a visit to the General Store and easy walk around town to the Town Hall.
Day 4:
Overnight in Crested Butte, a registered National Historic District and Wildflower Capital of Colorado – official visitor information and lodging options on GunnisonCrestedButte.com. At this point you are 28 mi/45 km back to Gunnison to Highway 50, 172 mi/277 km from Durango or 126 mi/203 km from Grand Junction.
Outdoor Recreation
- Chair lift ride and gentle hike at the peak (2 hrs.) on Crested Butte Mountain Resort
- Townie Bike rental for a cruise around town
- Mtn Bike rental to experience epic Mtn. bike trail system
- Horseback rides in the Gunnison National Forest (2 hrs.)
- Wildflower hikes (guided available) for all levels
- Jeep Tours of Paradise Divide; high alpine meadows
Culture & Heritage
- Visit CB Mountain Heritage Museum & Mt. Bike Hall of Fame (1 hr.)
- Guided or self-guided historic walking tour of Crested Butte (2 hrs.)
- CB Center for the Arts (check Crested Butte Arts.org for performances)
- CB Mountain Theatre -longest running community theater in Colorado (Check cb mountain theatre.org for performance Schedules)
- Visit to historic town of Gothic & Museum; home of the Rocky Mtn Biological Laboratory (2 hrs.)
Dinner at the historic Slogar (family style chicken dinner with all the fixin’s), Cowboy’s Bar-b-que or a catered group dinner under the stars at the Lazy F Bar Ranch up Brush Creek Road.
Day 5:
Depart the Gunnison Valley and overnight in Montrose, Grand Junction, Sandstone, Aspen or Glenwood Springs
Today, head west on Highway 50 to Blue Mesa and Curecanti National Recreation Area, Colorado’s largest body of water with over 92 miles of shoreline, just 15 minutes west of Gunnison. The Blue Mesa follows along Highway 50 for nearly 25 mi/40 km for spectacular scenery along with grand mesas and the Dillon Pinnacles, an interesting geological formation and the Gunnison National Forest. Stop at Morrow Point (just 25 minutes west of Gunnison) for a scenic boat tour* and then stay on Highway 50 to the main entrance of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Montrose. From there, you can head northwest to Grand Junction and the Colorado National Monument or southwest to Mesa Verde National Park and the Durango area.
25 mi/40 km on Highway 50 west to Morrow Point Canyon Boat Tour in Currecanti National Recreation Area available Memorial Day to Labor Day; 10:00 AM and 12:30 PM tours.
Our suggested route for an easy days drive with lots to see and do along the way, and overnighting in either Redstone, Glenwood Springs or Aspen is to divert off of Highway 50 west on to Highway 92 west at the Blue Mesa Dam. (Before Morrow Point) This is a much more scenic drive and views the south rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park which keeps you on the West Elk Scenic & Historic Byway.
On 92 you will travel through the historic towns of Crawford and Hotchkiss in the North Fork Valley, a prominent fruit-growing region and home of the Hotchkiss/Crawford Historical Museum. When you come to Highway 133 in Hotchkiss, we suggest you head north on Highway 133 to Paonia where you will find some of Colorado’s best wines and fruit orchards. Make a visit to the Alfred Eames Cellars by Puesta Del Sol (call ahead or email for a group tasting! 970.527.3269) eames@alfredeamescellars.com)
From there, continue on 133 north where you will still be on the West Elk Scenic & Historic Byway and a drive through the historic coal mining town of Somerset and take in beautiful vistas of the Paonia Reservoir and Paonia State Park. Further on up the road and over the spectacular McClure Pass (paved and 4 lane) take in more incredible vistas and head on down in to the Crystal River Valley. A “must see” is the historic and quaint town of Redstone where the 1880’s coke ovens line the highway (a great place for lunch or an overnight at the imposing and historic Redstone Inn). The Crystal River follows along much of this section of Highway 133 north and takes you on in to Carbondale. From Carbondale you can either head west on Highway 82 to Glenwood Springs or east to Aspen.
Resources:
www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com www.coloradoheadwaters.com
www.westerncolorado.org (Crawford, Hotchkiss & Paonia information) www.alfredeamescellars.com
www.redstonecolorado.com www.redstoneinn.com
www.aspenchamber.org www.glenwoodchamber.com
www.visitmontrose.net www.visitgrandjunction.com
For more information: info@tourcolorado.com Phone: 888-311.TOUR www.TourColorado.com
