Crested Butte’s 22nd annual Wildflower Festival runs July 7-13 and offers plenty to do with nearly 200 events for wildflower fans of every skill and fitness level. Among the offerings are photography classes, 50 guided hikes and walks, jeep excursions, cooking classes, arts and crafts classes, and a series of gardening and landscaping workshops. Details at crestedbuttewildflower .
The Denver Botanic Gardens offers free guided wildflower hikes on Mount Goliath, 8:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, through Aug. 7, plus July 5, 26 and Aug. 2. Reservations are required, and you will need to pay the $10 fee to access the Mountain Evans Scenic Byway. 720-865-3539 or .
Naturalist Kristen Brumfield leads weekend interpretive nature walks that focus heavily on the wildflowers, all summer long at Colorado State Forest State Park near Gould. Call the Moose Visitor Center for dates and times. 970-723-8366.
So you’ve learned your lessons. What now? Pick up Pamela Irwin and David Irwin’s “Colorado’s Best Wildflower Hikes,” a two-volume set of guides to 100 hikes and the flowers that make them pop. Vol. 1 covers the Front Range; Vol. 2 hits the high country.
