Crested Butte Help

I'm staying in Crested Butte this weekend with my wife for our anniversary (#2). She enjoys wildflowers and good hikes. Where are the best places around Crested Butte to see wildflowers this time of year? Any good hikes? (she can handle just about anything that I can).

I'm far from an expert on Crested Butte, but just drive past Mount Crested Butte and down towards Gothic and you should see tons of wildflowers all around. I was there the 1st week of July two years ago and the wildflowers were great. There's a trail that starts just past the end of Mt. Crested Butte that heads up into the hills that is a great wildflower hike.

Also drive Kebler pass road and you'll see patches of wildflowers on the side in various places - you can find compostions of East Beckwith and Mt. Marcelena with wildflowers in the foreground.

One of the best hikes is the Oh-Be-Joyful trail located a few miles up the Slate River road - you should see a sign pointing to the Oh-Be-Joyful turnoff. There’s a parking area before Slate River or you may be able drive across the river about 1 mile of so to the trail head. This hike has lots of wildflowers in early-mid, waterfalls, mountain peaks and ponds.

Take washington gulch road up to Paradise divide. Good place for sunrise and there may be some small ponds for reflections looking southeast. Also, on the kebler pass road, go in to lake Irwin and take the road past the campground to the west. There is a nice basin and a series of small falls in the area. When I was there last year I parked by an old van that was torn apart, just before the road starts getting rougher. The falls are in a small cleft to the east of the road.
Gothic road is nice too!
It's a nice half day (there and back with pics) trip over kebler pass, down to CO-133 near Paonia state park, then NE to Marble and the Crystal Mill. Late afternoon is a good time for the mill.
Enjoy and Happy Anniversary!

Thanks guys. This should give us several good options.

I recently read a report that Schofield Pass/Devils Punch Bowl got hit with an avalanche again this year and is still blocked. This is the part past Gothic, so don't worry about making the Gothic/Paradise loop, it isn't affected. Just don't plan on taking this to get to Marble or as a return. You'll probably have to take Kebler Pass both ways.

Lead King Basin (Marble side) had nice meadows and flowers when I was there in 2004. It is along the back shoulders of Maroon Bells and Snowmass and serves as a nice remote trailhead into the region.

Mel-

Thanks for the good advice, Mel.