Crested Butte: Rustler's Gulch

September 4, 2021

I have a confession - I fell in love with Crested Butte this fall. I grew up visiting Colorado in the summertime, but as a family, we always went to the same area and went fishing. While that was fun, once I move here 2 years ago, I decided to start exploring more parts of the state on weekend trips.

I hadn't spent much time in this part of the state and meant to go when the wildflowers were blooming this summer, but had some health issues, and sadly couldn't exercise like normal. Thankfully, I'm doing great now! On a couple long weekends this fall, I made my way out to Crested Butte. Honestly, it exceeded my expectations, and is now one of my favorite parts of Colorado!

Rustler's Gulch has been a hike I have consistently heard about, mostly due to the wildflowers. When I went in September, they were all gone, but it was still a stunning hike!

Important notes: To get to the trailhead, you really need an off road vehicle. Parking down at the road will add 1 mile, each way, to the hike. It's also a very steep start up the hike - it left us winded for the little bit we had to walk. There is not a lot of shade on the hike, so make sure to bring a lot of water, and sunscreen! There were a couple areas where you could see some major mudslides - if it starts to rain, you would want to turn around immediately, that could be very dangerous due to lack of shelter (lightning risk) and the risk of flash flooding.

The trail starts just after the metal gate and goes straight back. The trail actually used to be an old road, so there are 2 parallel paths, the entire way. You can see where there were lush wildflowers, along the trail. Sadly, but September, there were none left, but it was still worth it!

There are a few creek crossings to be aware of, but the overall trail is pretty mild, minus the elevation. The open meadow views and vibrantly colored mountains are stunning. I will definitely be back next summer to see the wildflowers!

There are some old mining ruins and equipment, towards the top, but my friend started to get altitude sickness, so we turned around before we reached the end.

For a full video: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYc_8-Xj1q3/

All Trails Info: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/rustlers-gulch

Parking Info: there is not a lot of parking to this hike. There are some spots along the dirt road, or you can take a right, and drive up the path. You do have to cross a stream, so make sure you have high clearance. We drove past the stream and parked on the right, where there were a few more spots. I wasn't sure how the road was, and parts of it looked pretty steep, so I played it safe. My stock 4Runner would've been fine making it up the rest of the way, to the gate. There are only 2-3 spots at the top though.

The views on the way back into town were gorgeous. I do want to mention it's a narrow shelf road (2nd photo) on part of the way back, so if you're scared of heights, and do not have experience driving/passing on 1 lane roads, I don't recommend this route for you.