Crested Butte is a storybook Colorado mountain town at 8,885 feet in the Elk Mountains, where brightly painted false-front buildings line Elk Avenue beneath the pyramid peak of Mount Crested Butte. Known as the Gateway to the Elk Mountains and the Wildflower Capital of Colorado, it is just as fun in ski season as it is in July bloom.

Crested Butte began in 1878 as a supply town for nearby silver camps and was incorporated in 1880. Its name traces to surveyor Ferdinand V. Hayden, who described the area’s “crested buttes” in 1873. The real wealth turned out to be high-quality coal: the Denver & Rio Grande railroad reached town in 1881, and Crested Butte’s mines soon ranked among the most productive in the Rockies. A deadly 1884 explosion at the Jokerville Mine killed dozens of miners and became a turning point for the labor movement in Colorado. Coal kept the town alive until the Big Mine closed in 1952, and the first ski area opened in 1962. Because Crested Butte was a coal town, its historic district is made of colorful wooden buildings rather than brick, and it has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974.

Start at the Visitor Center at the 4-way stop at 601 Elk Avenue, then stroll Elk Avenue for galleries, gear shops, cafes and saloons in buildings that date to the mining era. Three miles up the road, Mt. Crested Butte is home to the ski resort and summer lift rides, while the trails and back roads around town, including scenic Kebler Pass, show off wildflowers in July and golden aspens in September. Pair your trip with a day on Blue Mesa Reservoir at Curecanti National Recreation Area near Gunnison, or the dramatic cliffs of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

The Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber runs community events such as the Chili & Beer Festival, the 4th of July celebration and Boots on Belleview. Kebler Pass is a seasonal road that closes in winter, so check road status and the event calendar at gunnisoncrestedbutte.com before you go.