EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

The beautiful Victorian mining village of CRESTED BUTTE , 150 miles northwest of Telluride and 230 miles southwest of Denver, almost died off in the late 1950s when its coal deposits were exhausted. However, the development of 11,875ft Mount Crested Butte into a world-class ski resort in the 1960s, and a mountain-bikers ' paradise two decades later, means that today it can claim to be the best year-round resort in Colorado. The old town is resplendent with gaily painted clapboard homes and businesses, and zoning laws ensure that condos and chalets are confined to the resort area, tucked behind the foothills three miles up the road. The rapid transition from near-ghost town to sporting heaven has lured young people here from throughout the West, to produce an addictive laid-back atmosphere.