Eleven Scarp Ridge Lodge hits all the right notes. Think vintage local photography adorning the walls, eclectic coffee table books scattered about the oversized furniture, and a playlist curated just for you. Before checking into the lodge, my fiancé and I were asked about our music preferences on the check-in form. We didn’t think much of it then, but as we toured the hotel—which felt more like an upscale, cozy mountain home with six unique guest rooms—we noticed all our favorite artists were playing, like Caamp and The Head and the Heart. “Music is a really intentional part of our experience,” explained Laura Haselton, marketing manager with Eleven Experience, which has properties worldwide but is headquartered right here in Crested Butte. We were having dinner at the hotel’s partner restaurant, Public House, which doubles as a live music venue. “It sets the mood, especially if you like what you’re hearing, so we do our best to personalize the playlists.” You can even listen to the hotel’s audio in your room via the light switch, which also has an option to pump more oxygen into the room—an option that made us sleep like babies every night we were there!
Scarp Ridge Lodge is perfectly arranged for a full buyout—the only way to book in the winter, which includes access to a private hill for guided cat skiing. The lodge features communal spaces that can be converted into casual sleeping areas to accommodate your entire group, along with the coolest bunk room inspired by Chutes and Ladders. Many rooms are connected, like ours was with our neighbors, opening onto a communal patio, shaded by aspens and decorated with a Himalayan prayer flag, an aesthetic throughline in the town, where we enjoyed nightcaps together. We often left our doors open to both the patio and the cozy sitting area and fireplace right outside our door. During happy hour, all the guests gathered at the bar (where alcohol is included) for light après snacks. In the mornings, the kitchen is open to the breakfast area, and the chef prepares your meal to order. It feels more like being hosted by a family friend who cooks for you than ordering from a waiter in a restaurant—a very relaxing way to start the day. Other amenities include a saltwater pool, steam room, sauna, rooftop hot tub, and in-room steam showers (in-room massages are available for an additional charge).
Eleven also offers summer barbecues and water activities at Lake Irwin from its Movie Cabin, (named such because it was used as part of the set for a movie back in the ’70s), which serves as a winter skiing hub, and now a sought-after wedding venue. Crested Butte is a wedding hotspot (we spotted five weddings over the long weekend), with Scarp Ridge Lodge and neighboring Sopris House, both owned by Eleven, hosting a full buyout wedding celebration the weekend before we arrived.
There’s really no bad time to visit. Come in the summer for the wildflowers that bloom from June through September, when the season transitions into vibrant fall foliage. Kebler Pass, close by, is renowned as one of the best leaf-peeping spots in the state, but aspen groves dot the surrounding mountains, offering plenty of colors closer to town. And of course, you can’t beat private winter cat skiing. Scarp Ridge Lodge isn’t just a place to stay; it’s an experience that strikes all the right chords, no matter the season.
Eat & Drink
For a remote mountain town, Crested Butte has an amazing culinary scene offering a little bit of everything—all with outdoor seating to take in the setting. Secret Stash is a great lunch spot with delicious pizzas, fun cocktails and alcoholic slushies, and a Himalayan hippie vibe with prayer flags and dreamcatchers decorating the space. The NOTORIOUS F.I.G. with bleu cheese crumble base, asiago, mozzarella, prosciutto, black mission figs, and truffle oil is a local favorite, as are the Crack Wings. Secret Stash is also our first meal in town, where over-ordering is the rule of thumb—leaving you with delicious leftovers to savor throughout your trip. At Izakaya Cabin, enjoy unexpectedly great sushi like the CB Roll with fresh salmon sashimi, masago arare, chili threads over shrimp tempura, avocado, wasabi ponzu, and chili crisp or the Red Lady Roll with ahi tuna sashimi, wasabi tobiko over spicy tuna, jalapeno, cucumber, crispy onion, and wasabi ponzu. Cooked appetizers like karaage chicken and wagyu skewer are tasty, filling, and a great option for those hesitant to swim on the fishy side of the menu. Public House serves great local beers on tap from Irwin Brewing and locally inspired pub food like elk meatloaf. After dinner, head downstairs for live music in the intimate vintage-poster-adorned space where the impressive acoustics allow you to keep up conversation with your table and rock out to the music at the same time.
Explore
A playground for outdoor enthusiasts and artists alike, Crested Butte offers great wilderness activities and artistic endeavors. Irwin Guides partners with Eleven to provide guests with exceptional guiding services like fishing, rock climbing, rafting, and mountain biking.
“A lot of people don’t think about getting a guide to go mountain biking, especially if they have done it before,” our guide Billy, who was employee #3 with Eleven and knows both the company and Crested Butte inside and out, said as we set out on our ride. “That’s why we infuse our rides with mini skills clinics and interesting information about the trails and wilderness you are riding through.” And we found that booking with Irwin Guides really did enrich the entire experience for us from the technical clinic before the ride to personalized trail selection to enlightening nature talks about the nearby blue heeren rookery to local wetland restoration efforts. If that sounds a little on the academic side to you, you might be surprised just how interesting some of it is! And how welcome the break is during the ride. My fiancé and I had both done a bit of mountain biking and are in good hiking shape but this route, which Billy described as “more cross country than some more hardcore mountain biking but still has some technical steeps and little stinger uphills,” kicked our butts.
It couldn’t have been more fun in that distinct Type II way where our lungs were burning and ankles bleeding but we couldn’t stop smiling. And the setting couldn’t have been more beautiful. We rode the Lower Loop in Gunsight Bridge and the Woods Walk where the trails weave through aspen groves and wildflower fields, offering vistas of the gorgeous snow-capped peaks around every turn. During our visit in late June, lavender lupins, indigo larkspur, light blue columbine, and yellow arrowleaf balsamroot rose as high as our waist on either side of the single track.
For those with an artistic eye, Eric Phillips, an adventure photographer and guide with Colorado Backcountry, leads fantastic photography workshops. What sets Eric apart from the crowd of other local photographers offering similar experiences is his official permit from the United States Forest Service, allowing him to lead tours on public lands—a credential not all local photographers possess. Moreover, Eric is trained in backcountry rescue and can provide medical assistance for anything that might happen while in the wilderness.
He also knows the place like the back of his hand—and he has many hands in the scene from taking part in local government to promote affordable housing to parking in backcountry search and rescue operations to guiding tours and teaching photography workshops to volunteering to build trails. And we saw just how valuable that trail maintenance was as we photographed a super bloom on a hill that would otherwise lure unwary photographers off-trail and into its beauty—something Eric is vigilant about. He is devoted to staying on the trail and his expertise includes knowing which sections of the trail are wider, accommodating both tripods and the diverse mix of mountain bikers, dogs, and hikers who frequent the area. Eric is great at guiding photographers of all levels, from iPhone users and beginners to what my fiancé jokingly calls me—amateur plus—to professionals carrying $20,000 worth of meticulously chosen gear. We delved into techniques like focus stacking, meticulously capturing foreground, midground, and background elements crisply. Constantly adjusting settings and angles, we explored some of the valley’s most breathtaking viewpoints, culminating in sunset shots at Snodgrass wildflower fields. There, under a vibrant pink sky, we were treated to a spectacular scene of a double rainbow, graceful horses, and curious deer.
