Wildflowers in Crested Butte

Living in Colorado offers so many options when your schedule frees up for a day or two. My Lone Tree camera club announced a weekend trip to photograph the wild mountain flowers in Crested Butte, I jumped at the chance to go.

Crested Butte is located just north of Gunnison in surrounded by three wilderness areas: Raggeds, Maroon Bells-Snowmass, and West Elk. The drive from Denver is 4-5 hours of Rocky Mountain scenic beauty. We drove along the Arkansas river on Highway 50, turning north on Highway 135.

Our Colorado scenery is spectacular anytime of year. One can see for miles into the distance, this day was no exception. We watched in awe as thunder heads accumulated precisely over the town of Crested Butte. As if timed exactly for our visit, the clouds opened up with a heavy downpour, while we unpacked the car. The weather continued long after dinner and as we crawled into bed, but the next morning the sky cleared all but for a few misty fog clouds, perfect for composition!

My club members filled up two 4-wheelers as we headed for the hills. Lucky for us we head 4-wheel drive vehicles because we seriously needed them! Loaded down with a ton of gear we drove toward Schofield Pass via FR 734. We passed through Pittsburg (I only know this because I read the sign!) and the silver mining, former ghost town of Gothic. I say “former” ghost town, because it is now occupied. The charming western town was alive and kicking when we drove through.

Photographic groups I’ve learned travel with different priorities. Unlike typical day tourist, the group stopped at any and all photographic opportunities. With the scenery in the mountains this day, I can say we didn’t make good time, but we got some outstanding shots.

I really enjoyed the leisurely tempo of the day. We would stop for 20-30 minutes and take
photos to our heart’s delight. The leader would gently beep the horn, signaling for us to finish up, it was time to go.

I also enjoyed the camraderie of the people. We scouted out particular flowers or backdrops and shared them. I was handed a book of Colorado flowers and assigned the task of learning the names of flowers as others would ask. I must say I never realized how many different varieties of flora there is to be found in one area.