10 Things to "Fall" Into in Gunnison

Fall is in the air and there are lots of things to choose from to "Fall Into".  Here are 10 ideas..

Mountain Biking at Hartman Rocks

10 - Fall into biking?  That doesn't sound good but it's sure a lot of fun! Grab your trusty mountain bike or motorcycle and head south of Gunnison to the Hartman Rocks Recreation Area.  There are miles and miles of hiking, single-track and motorcycle trails to challenge all skill levels - even the kids.  There's vehicle parking, restrooms and picnic tables at the base area.  For more information and trail maps for Hartman Rocks go to http://www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/hartman-rocks 


Locomotive #268


9 - Fall into history at the Gunnison Pioneer Society's Museum located at the east end of Gunnsion on Highway 50 across from Legion Park. The museum has some of the most comprehensive displays in the State of Colorado on everything from military history to clothing to railroading.  You can even ring the bell in the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Locomotive 268.  For more information go to www.gunnisonpioneermuseum.com 

8 - Fall into fitness by power walking the historic VanTuyl Ranch Trails.  The City-owned ranch, located in the northwest corner of town off North 11th Street, offers several miles of flat, packed-gravel trails, perfect for walking or biking.  The trails pass through the historic VanTuyl Ranch, a working sustainable-centered ranching operation.  When you walk the trails with your dog - remember - they must be on a leash!  There are also stunning views of the Palisades formation over the Gunnison  River to the west. 

Golden Gunnison Aspens

7 - Fall into gold - golden aspens that is - all around the Gunnison Valley.  Check out the blog post below for scenic leaf-peeping trips you can take.  The trees are only golden for a few precious weeks, so get out and enjoy their grandeur. 

6 - Fall into your rubber waders and Fly Fish the Gunnison River.  There are several excellent fly shops in Gunnison and even though the water level is low, they can advise you on the best techniques for catching that wiley trout or kokanee salmon.  Head to the west end of Tomichi Avenue (Highway 50) and access the river at the City's Gunnison Riverway.  There's parking, restrooms and a covered picnic pavillion plus easy access to fly-fishing. 

5 - Fall into the clear, starry, night sky at the Gunnison Valley Observatory.  After a long day of hiking, fishing and enjoying the Gunnison Valley, stop by the Observatory on Saturday evenings through October 20th, look through the 30" dome-housed telescope or the other smaller scopes on hand, and see celestial objects you've never seen before.  Check it out at  www.gunnisonobservatory.org 

Climbing Wall and Swimming Pools at the
Gunnison Community Center

4 - Fall with a splash into the leisure or lap pools at the Gunnison Community Center.  The two pools located at the Gunnison Recreation Center offer something for everyone.  You can swim laps, slide down the twirly or drop slide, try out on the rope swing, shoot water hoops or soothe those aching muscles against the water jets.  There's a special section just for the little ones with a frog slide and water jets.  Go to www.cityofgunnison-co.gov/parks_and_rec/index.html for information of entry fees and the schedule. 

3 - Fall into the foam on a pint of locally-brewed beer at the local brewpub.  Or try out the wide variety of gastronic offerings at Gunnison's great cafes, bistros, restaurants, bars, pubs, and patios.  You can find just about every type of cuisine you might have a hankering for. 

 2 - Fall into some bargains at the ecletic retail shops in Gunnison.  You can surround yourself with the latest in fall fashions, decorate the house with unique art or home decor, start your holiday shopping early for the kids or just seek out those rare and interesting items that tickle your fancy.  Gunnison offers a tremendous variety of shops, galleries, and stores.  There is even a selection of "toy" stores for day with everything from tools to sporting goods.


Climbing at Hartman Rocks


And, #1 - Fall into your climbing harness and try out the pitches.  You can start at the climbing wall in the Gunnison Community Center.  Learn climbing and rapelling techniques in a safe, indoor setting.  Once you've mastered how to safely get up and more importantly down the climbing wall, try out your new found skills on the granite rock walls of Hartman Rocks Recreation Area or in Taylor Canyon north of town.  Check out the links provided above for more information on the climbing opportunities. 

Enjoy yout FALL in Gunnison! 

Base Camp to GOLD

Gunnison has been the Base Camp to the Rocky Mountains for hundreds of years.  And for over the past 130 years, Gunnison has been Base Camp to GOLD,  first, as the supply towns for the gold-seeking miners and rowdy gold mining camps of the Valley, now for the golden aspen seekers.
The large aspen groves in the mountains surrounding Gunnison, are starting to turn golden in the warm autumn sun.  Aspen trees - also known as quakies - shed their green leaf cholorphyll as the temperatures drop and the resulting golden diplay is awe-inspiring! 
Use the City of Gunnison as your Base Camp for your gold-seeking adventures.  Start the day off with a hearty breakfast at one of the local cafes or restaurants, fill up the gas tank or pump up your bike tires, put together a picnic lunch and then head for the hills. Remember to bring the camera.  Try out a couple of these routes that should satisfy your "lust for gold":



Golden Aspen on Kebler Pass

 Head north of Gunnison on Highway 135 and take a left on Ohio Creek Road.  You will pass by local historic working-ranches on your journey up the valley.  About 12 miles up the valley you will see "The Castles".  These eroded rock pinnacles are remnants of volcanic debtris from the long-extinct West Elk Volcano.  The Castles are surrounded by stands of golden aspen trees, making this a spectaular photographic opportunity.  Continue on the Ohio Creek Road, with spectacular views of the Anthracite Range, until it continues to the top of Ohio Pass.  You will see golden aspens at nearly every turn.  Over the top of Ohio Pass, near the top of Kebler Pass, turn right onto the Kebler Pass Road and head down into the Town of Crested Butte, with its quaint National Historic District.  Return to Gunnison south via Colorado Highway 135 while you view the golden aspens along the East River Valley into the Gunnison Valley at Almont.  Take your time and make it a day-long trip. 

The "Golden" Castles
photo copyright protected

Another spectacular day-long golden aspen trip is the West Elk By-way.  This is a day-long 204-mile route.  Start in Gunnison, head west on US Highway 50 to Highway 92 (Black Mesa Road) that crosses Blue Mesa Dam.  Drive over Black Mesa with it's stunning views of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and the often-snow capped San Juan Mountains coated with golden aspens to the south.  Continue onto the quaint towns of Crawford to Hotchkiss where you will turn right onto Highway 133.  Drive through Hotchkiss and then Paonia (stop at some of the local fruit stands and wineries), and connect up with the Kebler Pass Road (Highway 133) near Paonia Reservoir.  On Kebler Pass, you will be back in the thick of the aspen forest groves.  You will pass by one of the largest known organisms on the entire planet, an inter-connected aspen grove near the top of Kebler Pass.  You'll want to pull off the road at nearly every turn to take spectacular phtographs.  Dropping over Kebler Pass, you will once again make it to the Town Crested Butte as described above.  There are several side trips out of Crested Butte where you can enjoy more golden aspen.  

Anthracite Range
photo copyright protected


A couple of other Golden Aspen Tours out of your Base Camp Gunnison include the Parlin to Pitkin to Cumberland Pass to historic mining town Tincup into Taylor Park.  The golden aspen trees and mountains reflected in Taylor Park Reservoir are not to be missed.  Keep your eyes peeled out for meandering moose on this trip.  A gold seeking trip south of Gunnison, is east on Hwy 50 to Highway 114 then onto good gravel roads through the old Los Pinos Ute Indian Agency and onto Los Pinos Pass.  The Pass was the original route by the early gold and silver-seeking miners into the rugged San Juan Mountains to the south.  You will travel onto the Cebolla Creek Valley and into Powderhorn.  You will return to Gunnison via Highway 149 and drive past Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest man-made body of water in Colorado.  Visit the Gunnison Chamber of Commerce, located in Legion Park in Gunnison or the US Forest Service Office on North Colorado Street in Gunnison to pick up more route information for each of these adventures.
Remember to get out of your vehicle or off your bike, walk off the road into the golden aspen groves and lie or sit down on the forest floor.  It is a truely memorable site to look up into the sky through the golden trees while the leaves float gently down around you - coating you with golden sunshine. 

Ana's Pledge Bike Safety Rodeo

Bring the kids out to Ana's Pledge Bike Safety Rodeo on Saturday morning, starting at 9am , at Lake School in Gunnison.  Each child must have a bike helmet.   A wonderful group of volunteers, funded by generous donations from many community organizations and churches, will be instructing the children of the Gunnison Valley on how to ride their bicycles safely.  This is very important now that school is back in session and the kids are riding their bikes to and from school and home and to their after school activities. 

The Bike Safety Rodeo is being held in memory of and to honor Ana Mendez.  Bring your children out for a fun and educational event! 

Late Summer Weekend

The air is getting crisp and there is a feel of fall in the air.  But...there is still a lot to do outside this weekend!

Tonight, Friday, September 7th is the First Friday Gallery Crawl, starting at 5pm in downtown Gunnison.  Stroll the sidewalks and check out the fabulous and thought-provoking art at the numerous galleries and venues.  Enjoy some music and light refreshments before heading to one of the great restaurants in Gunnison.  There's everything from chinese to italian to mexican to BBQ to vegetarian to fusion to good old american cuisine offered at a good variety of establishments.  Check one out!
As the sun sets, drive south of town to the Gunnison Valley Observatory.  Tonight and Saturday night's public viewing through the 30" telescope will be started off with a classroom talk on "Stellar Evolution".  Find out how stars are "born" and how they evolve through their lifetimes.  It's fascinating!  You can then see the rings of Saturn or perhaps the "Ring Nebula".  Check out Western State's own constellation - the "W" shaped "Cassiopeia" constellation! 

Saturday morning, ride your townie to the Gunnison Farmers' Market on the 100 block of East Virginia downtown.  The fall harvest is coming in and you can select from a plethora of fresh produce, baked goods, organic beef and meats, wonderful arts and crafts, and wines.  You can also select lunch from a variety of food vendors on hand. 

After picking up your healthy fruits and veggies, get out side and enjoy some of the great outdoor adventures to be had in the Valley!  After all - Gunnison is the Base Camp to the Rocky Mountains!  You can't go wrong with a bike ride, trail hike, fishing, boating or admiring the changing autumn leaves!  Have a safe and fun weekend!

No Excuses!

There are NO excuses if you or your children can't find something to do!  The Gunnison Parks & Recreation Fall Programs are now starting. 
Listed below are some of the classes or programs and their start dates:

Intro into Aerial Arts - ages 6 and up; starts Friday, August 31st
Pre-K to 8th Grade Cheerleading - starts on Friday, August 31st
U6, U8, U10 Soccer - starts on Wednesday, September 5th
Rock Climbing Classes for all Ages - the majority of classes start the week of September 3rd
Youth Tennis ages 5 to 13 yrs - starts Tuesday, September 4th
Hula Hoop - starts Tuesday, September 4th
Tae-Kwon-Do - starts Monday, September 10th
Gymnastics - the majority of classes start the week of September 3rd
Diving Classes - start Monday, September 10th
Kingston Swim Club - starts Wednesday, September 5th
After School Swim Lessons - start Tuesday, September 4th
Saturday Swim Lessons - start Saturday, September 8th
Morning Swim Lessons - start Monday, September 10th
Evening Swim Lessons - start Tuesday, September 11th

Call 641-8060 or stop by the Community Center at 200 East Spencer Avenue for more information or to register.