Best place for base mid July

I plan to visit Colorado for a week beginning July 18 to shoot the wildflowers and mountains. Could some of you locals give me the pros and cons of Crested Butte verses Ouray as a base? I've read that Crested Butte peaks a week earlier than the San Juans around Ouray. Is this true, and if so, should I wait and decide at the last minute based on wildflower report? Would there be problems getting reasonable lodging (ie, on the cheap end) at the last minute? Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. Thanks!!

Generally speaking that is true, but the best looking flowers I've ever seen were around Ouray in Blue Lakes Basin right in your date range. They were the most garden like in variety and form I've ever seen. Toward the later end of your range, the flowers should be picking up in the more iconic basins such as American and Yankee Boy and maybe Ice Lake. Crested Buttes should be the sure bet, but there are upsides to the Ouray area too.

Flip a coin. It's that simple. Crested Butte's lower areas might peak earlier than the San Juans, but really, the most magnificent flowers are higher than what the town celebrates during their wildflower festival, and the higher stuff is fairly consistent across Colorado.

I would pick Ouray and the San Juans. check out the Orvis hot springs for lodgeing. nothing like a good hot soak after a day in the field.

I'd keep an eye on the wildflower reports here. I like the San Juans better but Crested Butte is the safer bet that time of year. I think you have to reserve Orvis pretty far in advance. The first two hotels on the right as you approach Ouray - Riverside Inn and Timber Ridge Lodge, I think - are fairly reasonable and should have vacancies on short notice. The Historic Western Hotel near the center of Ouray probably has the cheapest accommodations and most last-minute vacancies...no TVs and shared bathrooms but I like it. As for Crested Butte, you might have to stay in Gunnison for lower-cost rooms. There's a motel at the far west end of town - Long Holiday Motel, I think - that has good rates and decent rooms.

Thanks for the info - I was also thinking of asking about places to stay in that region - for Yankee boy basin etc is it advisable to stay in Ouray as well ?

If you're looking at Gunnison lodging, I like the Wagon Wheel. Nice folks and reasonable rates there.

I've stayed at Riverside in Ouray off-season. Its pretty nice. I've stayed in a couple other hotels there too over the years. The hotel with the hot spring cave was OK (Weisbaden I think), but its not my favorite. We really like the Box Canyon Lodge and the old school wooden hot tubs out back (filled by hot springs of course). If we've been up camping in the area, we like to stay there the last night before coming back to CO Springs to clean up and soak in the springs.

..for Yankee boy basin etc is it advisable to stay in Ouray as well ?

That would be your best bet, Soubhik.
Ridgway is a fine second choice if you can't find any lodging in Ouray.