Cozy Cabins in Crested Butte, Colorado

We like to mix things up a bit when traveling and always try to find a unique place to stay outside of the standard hotel or a tent. Something like a cabin, a cool, cozy cabin, not the Ted Kaczynski creepy kind.

We actually found some great cabins in Crested Butte, Colorado. The hiking and mountain biking in this part of the state are some of the best, so a yearly visit is always on the agenda!! The cabins are called the Pioneer Guest Cabins.They are roughly 80 years old now and are about a 10 to 15 minute drive outside of downtown Crested Butte.

Cabin rentals can be tricky. You have to really study the property. We look for real flowers (not the plastic kind), clean premises (no trash blowing in the wind, trucks on cement blocks, or dirty diapers strewn about), and greater separation between structures to limit the midnight sounds of strangers snoring! I laugh at this, because we have seen and experienced it all!

If they are too close to a main road, you have to look even more closely. Sometimes I feel like they house unsavory drifters passing through town (back to the Ted K reference), similar to the old 50’s motels on West Colfax in Denver. Which sadly, are being torn down and replaced with shiny new condos. I say sadly only because Colfax is such a big part of Denver history and it makes me sad to see it go away. You know what I’m talking about….

But I digress….So, what makes these cabins special? All of them are nestled within a healthy mix of aspen and pine trees and are beautifully restored. The insides are super cute and cozy with lovely furnishings and comfy bedding (there is indoor plumbing and a kitchenette as well – BONUS).

We spend our days in Crested Butte, hiking, trail running, Stand-up Paddle boarding, or mountain biking. It’s heavenly. Our dog Yogi, loves the creek so much, he will ONLY drink out of the creek and not his water bowl – little diva. Essentially, the entire family loves this place!

There are only 8 of them (spread out over 10 acres), so you have all kinds of privacy AND Cement creek runs through the property. One with actual flowing water instead of sad trickles. You can enjoy your morning coffee and the sounds of rushing water from the Adirondack chairs strategically placed along the creek. You can also take a drive up the canyon and follow the creek for several miles. It’s a beautiful drive.

I took this directly from their website – it gives a little bit of history about the cabins which I found interesting!

The Pioneer Guest Cabins were originally a part of the base area for the old Gunnison-Pioneer Winter Sports Area. In the 1930s, despite the perils of the Great Depression, local volunteers championed a cause to create the region’s first ski area. As true pioneers, the men and women of the Gunnison County Ski Club decided to build Colorado’s first chairlift. Bought for $50 and completed in 1939, the single seated Comet Chair brought adventurous skiers almost 2000 feet up to the warming hut that still sits in the trees overlooking Paradise Divide.

Today travellers and guests can hike to the hut, which continues to be maintained by local volunteers in the tradition of the “Old Pioneer Spirit.” The cabins that once housed these great pioneers have been remodeled with a focus on comfort while retaining their original charm and character and now sleep today’s skiers, travellers and adventurers.

If you find yourself in Crested Butte, you should check these gems out – you usually have to book pretty far in advance, but sometimes you get lucky.

Cheers,

Pam