The Inn at Crested Butte
32 rooms, hot tub, ski-bus, family-owned for 25 years.
A 32-room family-owned inn in the village of Crested Butte, Colorado — hot tub, ski-bus stop at the door, and the kind of low-key in-town stay that's been the budget-conscious-skier's pick for 25 years. The Inn at Crested Butte isn't a slope-side resort and isn't trying to be; it's the in-town independent, walking distance to the village's restaurants and a free-shuttle ride from Mt. Crested Butte's lifts.
Crested Butte's lodging splits into the slope-side condos at Mt. Crested Butte (the resort up the hill) and the village inns (in the historic mining town three miles down). This is one of the better-priced of the village options.
The setting
The inn sits in the Town of Crested Butte — the historic mining village at the base of the road up to Mt. Crested Butte. Walking distance to Elk Avenue (the main street, with the Secret Stash for pizza, the Dogwood Cocktail Cabin, the Last Steep Bar & Grill, the Coal Creek Grill). The free Mountain Express shuttle stops at the inn, running every 15 minutes up to Mt. Crested Butte's lifts (a 10-minute ride).
The drive in from Denver is four hours; from the Gunnison-Crested Butte airport (GUC), 30 minutes. Winter passes (Cottonwood, Independence) are the variable.
The building
A modest two-story inn — pine-paneled exterior, peaked roofs, peaked windows, the standard Colorado mountain vernacular. Materials are pine and timber. Public spaces include the lobby, the breakfast area, and the outdoor hot tub. The aesthetic is country-mountain-traditional, not designer.
Family-owned for 25 years.
The rooms
Thirty-two rooms across kings, queens, and a few suites. From around $295. Pine-paneled walls, mountain-traditional furniture, and bathrooms updated in stages. Some rooms have small balconies; some are interior. The aesthetic is functional ski-trip, not styled.
Food & drink
A continental breakfast is included. There's no on-site dinner. Walking distance to all of Elk Avenue's restaurants — the Secret Stash for the destination pizza, the Brick Oven Pizzeria, Bonez Tequila Bar, the Last Steep, and the more serious dinner rooms (Soupçon, the Dogwood). For groceries, the Clark's Market is in the village.
On the property
A small ski-town inn's amenity stack:
- Outdoor hot tub
- Continental breakfast included
- Free shuttle stop (Mountain Express) at the door — to Mt. Crested Butte's lifts
- Ski storage
- Concierge for lift tickets
- Open year-round; winter is peak
Who it's for
- Skiers and snowboarders on a budget — Crested Butte at a real rate
- Families doing a Colorado ski week without the resort tier
- Mountain bikers and hikers in summer (Crested Butte is one of the country's better summer mountain-bike towns)
- Repeat Crested Butte visitors who like the historic-village base
Who it's not for
- Slope-side seekers (Mt. Crested Butte's lifts are 10 minutes by shuttle)
- Travelers wanting an on-site restaurant or full resort program
- Light sleepers — winter ski-shuttle activity starts early
Nearby
Elk Avenue's restaurants and bars are walking distance. The free Mountain Express shuttle to Mt. Crested Butte's lifts (the resort's village and gondola) runs every 15 minutes. The Crested Butte Mountain Bike Trail system (the Lower Loop, the Upper Loop, the 401, and so on) leaves from the village in summer. Kebler Pass (West Elk Wilderness, the largest aspen grove in North America) is 30 minutes west via the dirt road. Gunnison National Forest is across the property line.
