My friend Jared took this beautiful picture of Crested Butte.

Have you ever seen those signs that say, “Welcome to Colorful Colorado”? I think they might have been talking about Crested Butte. Over Labor Day Weekend, we gathered up a group of friends and made the trek over to “the last great Colorado ski town,” which is (arguably) a 4.5-hour drive from Denver.

This quaint mountain town has a bustling historic district stretching along Elk Avenue, where brightly painted shops and vibrant restaurants are interspersed with splintery wooden cabins and original buildings from the early 1900s. Surrounding the town are jutting mountains with groves of aspen trees snaking up the sides, stark rock cliffs and grassy meadows with swaying wildflowers. Apparently, Crested Butte is also nicknamed “The Wildflower Capital of Colorado,” which makes me want to come back in July to revel in all its summertime glory.

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