My sweet, sweet dad and step-mom rented a gorgeous house in the mountains to host all of my siblings, Ryne & I, and our circus of children for a fun-filled family getaway. We each came and stayed throughout the week as we could make it work with our jobs. Ryne and I were so fortunate to be able to take the whole week off. It’s the first real break we’ve had since Covid hit. And it felt like a breath of fresh air to get away (literally). We took the kids hiking, rode ATV’s, made s’mores, and drank tons of coffee on the porch. As all good vacations should be.
Where we stayed:
This stunning home, called Alpine Vista, was 5 beds/5 baths with plenty of room for our huge family. Ryne and I have the largest core family so we stayed in the mother-in-law style suite over the garage. It had a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, family room, and a loft space for the kids to sleep in (complete with a ladder!). I wish I had snapped a picture of the kids in the loft space. They had so much fun climbing up there! And to top it all off- our room had it’s own massive private balcony with sweeping views. The main home had literally everything we needed, from coffee and spices to extra blankets and even freaking a pack-n-play! Bonus points for having a hot tub and it was only a short drive away from Main Street. Highly recommend!
Where we played:
- Judd Falls
- Judd Falls is a sweet little hike we took with the kids. It was a nice wide trail with lots of shade and a stunning view at the end. Pro-tip: when you think you’ve made it to the parking lot, keep driving. We hiked an extra two miles round trip by parking in the wrong lot.
- Peanut Lake
- Lake is a generous name for this fishing hole. It was very small, but again with the killer views! it had a relatively flat grassy patch to pitch some chairs for the afternoon while the kids (and Ryne) cast their lines.
- Gunsight Pass
- My dad took us and the kids ATV-ing on this trail. We had to pass through a small stream and wind up a mountain and finally came to an impasse where a large boulder was completely blocking the path to vehicles. We walked the remainder of the path to a few old mines and a freezing cold waterfall. The kids touched snow, took home rocks, and memories were made by all.
Where we ate:
- Secret Stash Pizza
- This place came highly recommended by my friends on Instagram. Ryne absolutely loved it. I thought it was just so-so but, at the risk of sounding snobbish, pizza is always like a 5 for me unless it’s served in a piazza in Italy.
- The Slogar
- Southern food (fried chicken, pot pie, so much yum!). My step-mom is from the south and the woman knows good food! So when she suggested we eat at the Southern food place in town, I knew we were in for a treat. We sat under umbrellas on picnic benches under string lights while a live grass roots band played. The bugs left us alone. All the good stuff.
- Nicky’s Mini Donuts
- Donuts are a fan fave in the Hammons’ household and I personally can’t travel without taste testing a good local donut shop for myself. On our last morning, I volunteered to drive into town first thing in the morning to pick up five dozen of these for the group. Main Street was very quiet. I strolled a book store and sipped my coffee while the shop made the donuts. It was dreamy.
Ryne and I have lived in CO our entire lives and neither of us had ever been to Crested Butte. So it was extra fun to explore a new place together! Crested Butte was gorgeous at every turn. We absolutely loved the charm of the town. But there were so many activities and restaurants recommended by friends that we didn’t have time to go to (a local coffee place, lots of cute shops, and restaurants are still on our list)! So Ryne and I have decided we need to go back just the two us 🙂
