7 Best Fall Hikes in Crested Butte

Mill Castle Trail / Storm Pass

The Mill Castle Trail follows along the valley floor before beginning to steeply ascend toward Storm Pass. While the views from Storm Pass are spectacular, it is quite a long hike. The best leaves can be seen within the first 3 or 4 miles of the trail, before it begins to really ascend. Since the Mill Castle Trail is generally done as an out-and-back, the best fall scenes can be viewed in a 4 to 8 mile hike, for those needing a hike shorter than 16 miles.

Swampy Pass

The best part of the Swampy Pass Trail is within the first 3 miles before it ducks into a rather long section of dark pine forest. Since Swampy Pass is usually hiked as an out-and-back, this hike can easily be shortened. Another option is to set up a shuttle, leaving a car at the Cliff Creek trail near Horse Ranch Park. Then, you could continue hiking to Swampy Pass, then on to Beckwith Pass, finishing at Horse Ranch Park. There are a lot of beautiful sections of aspens between Swampy Pass and Beckwith Pass that are worth checking out. This version of the hike is a little under 12 miles.

Pass Creek

Being not very steep, this trail is great for a wide variety of hikers. The distance can be easily altered as the trail is done as an out and back. To get one of the best views of the Castles, you have to hike about 4.5 miles to a wide open field before retracing your tracks.

Beckwith Pass via 842

The aspens will be located a bit lower on the trail, in the first 3 miles. So, reaching Beckwith Pass is not necessary to enjoy the changing leaves. But, the views from Beckwith are worth the trek if you’re up for it!

Dark Canyon Trail / Dyke to Dark Canyon Loop

This loop that connects the Dyke Trail and Dark Canyon trail ascends and descends multiple times through the hike. There are some steep sections, but if you do the loop counter-clockwise, most of these steep sections are on the downhills. They are also very short. The Dyke to Dark Canyon Loop is a favorite among families. To shorten this hike, start by hiking directly on the Dark Canyon trail as an out-and-back. The first mile or two of the Dark Canyon trail as an out-and-back has some fantastic view points that should not be missed.

Another way to hike this area is to hike the entirety of the Dark Canyon Trail, which is 14.5 miles. To do this, you can set up a shuttle or hitch hike between the two trailheads (hitching here is relatively easy) – one at Horse Ranch and the other at Erikson Springs. The Dark Canyon Trail is fabulous the whole way!

Ruby Anthracite

The Ruby Anthracite Trail begins by descending into the gorge. This trail is quite steep at times. Remember that you do have to turn around and go back up! The trail can be shortened or lengthened based on your desire, as it is an out-and-back. You could hike a couple of miles, or you could hike twenty. It’s up to you 😉

Meridian Lake, also called “Long Lake”

The typical trail to the lake is only about a half mile long, but it is very steep. But, the lake can be accessed by walking on a longer, but less steep, old dirt road, which is about a mile long between the trailhead and the lake. The whole thing can be made into a 2.5-mile loop.