Pitkin, Colorado rests at 9,242 feet, deep in the belly of the rugged Gunnison National Forest near Wauneta Pass. In downtown, visitors can browse a collectibles shop or old general store, and explore remnants of the old quartz-mining days. Lodging is available at the local hostel, or in area cabins, lodges and campgrounds.
Four-wheel driving tours are especially popular in this mountain community near the Continental Divide. One of the area's most acclaimed roads is the historic Alpine Tunnel, which narrows at the Divide, making for a cliff-hugging lurch around a man-made terrace known as the "Palisades."
The historic district here, open in the summer only, encompasses 13 miles of the old Denver, South Park and Pacific rail bed from the town site of Quartz (Gunnison County) to Hancock (Chaffee County). To the north, interesting ghost towns dot popular four-wheel-drive stretches on Tin Cup and Cottonwood Passes.
Waunita Hot Springs is another attraction near Pitkin. The healing waters at Waunita, one of hundreds of area springs, were supposedly named after an Indian maiden who cried tears that turned to hot springs when they hit the ground. Today the hot springs operate as a private dude ranch, complete with lodging and horseback riding.
Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association
221 N. Wisconsin
Suite E
Gunnison, CO 81230
800-852-2859
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