Slate River Road
Photo: Sheila Sund from Salem, United States, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 7.7 mi
- distance
- 675 ft
- climb
- 9,475 ft
- high point
- Jun–Aug
- best months
Slate River Road is a cross-country skiing route in Colorado, about 3 miles from the town of Mount Crested Butte. The road climbs from roughly 9,000 feet to about 9,500 feet over its 7.7-mile length, with a total elevation gain of 675 feet and a total loss of 1,016 feet. The steepest stretch comes at about 3.6 miles, where the grade reaches 19 percent. Winter is the natural season for this route. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Crested Butte show January highs around 26°F with lows near -7°F, while June runs about 70°F by day and 34°F at night. That station sits a few hundred feet lower than the road's high point, so temperatures on the road run a little cooler. Gunsight Pass Road 585 and the Coal Train Trail both start within a tenth of a mile of the road. Oh Be Joyful Campground is about 0.6 miles away, and the Slate River, a canoeing route, lies about 2 miles off.
Local outfitters
- SUP Marble15 mi away
- Hanging Lake Adventure Co-op47 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jun–Aug
Best time to visit Slate River Road
Best months: June–August. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
26° / -7°
12 wet
Feb
29° / -2°
11 wet
Mar
38° / 7°
10 wet
Apr
47° / 19°
9 wet
May
58° / 28°
8 wet
Jun
70° / 34°
7 wet
Jul
76° / 40°
10 wet
Aug
74° / 38°
12 wet
Sep
66° / 31°
9 wet
Oct
54° / 22°
8 wet
Nov
39° / 9°
9 wet
Dec
27° / -4°
11 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Crested Butte, CO, 3.5 mi away at 8,867 ft. The station sits about 600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more snow worth the drive
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Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
