Colorado’s wildflower season is expected to arrive early this year due to warm and dry conditions across the state, but lucky for Front Range residents there’s a new floral event blooming closer to home this summer.
Breckenridge hosts its first from July 2 to 12, welcoming visitors for a series of guided hikes, flora-inspired art classes, live music and more. That is slightly earlier than — but partially overlaps with — this year’s Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, running July 10-19. Crested Butte has been hosting that series for 40 years.
The Summit County town is leaning into its identity as a wildflower destination after launching a resource called the “wildflower watch” last year, intended to keep Coloradans up to date on whatap popping up across its meadows and mountains.
“Once we launched that tool, we realized we have a pretty spectacular wildflower season and thought it would be a great opportunity to invite people up, experience the wildflowers and celebrate,” said Kerry O’Connor, spokesperson for the Breckenridge Tourism Office, of the impetus for the inaugural Wildflower Week.
Breckenridge is about 80 miles from Denver, while Crested Butte is between 200 and 220, depending on your route.
The tourism office worked with to coordinate guided hikes through the most colorful areas, such as Horseshoe Bowl at Breckenridge Ski Resort, Black Powder Pass and Cucumber Gulch Wildlife Preserve. Hikes vary in terms of skill level and are free to attend, though they require registration in advance.
Additionally, art enthusiasts can use wildflowers as inspiration for projects at , which will host classes for making mosaics, stained glass bolo ties, watercolor paintings, glass blowing and more. For the 21-plus crowd, Breckenridge Distillery has cocktail classes and specialty wildflower-themed drinks. And folks looking to give back can join the on July 11 to help the native wildflowers thrive.
The timing of Wildflower Week was apt to coordinate with other events already happening around town, O’Connor added. For example, the National Repertory Orchestra has scheduled in public parks throughout Breckenridge during the festival dates. Wildflower Week is also an extra perk for folks visiting during the Fourth of July holiday.
Because of the uncharacteristically dry winter Colorado experienced, many varieties are blooming earlier than normal, said Maggie Gaddis, executive director of the Colorado Native Plant Society. So it’s unclear if the Breckenridge events take place during what she would typically call peak season.
“In most habitats, we’re finding everything is on the fast track. I’d normally say [that the] first week in July is the height of the season, but I think itap starting early this year. Based on my observations, plants are flowering now that don’t typically flower until July,” she said.
What that means is the possibility of fewer blooms, smaller blooms or more “imperfect” flowers, meaning they only have male parts which leads to more pollen, Gaddis said. Still, she doesn’t see this as cause for concern. “Imperfect flowers are still gorgeous,” she said.
In the high country, Gaddis said it’s possible north- and east-facing slopes may have more flowers because the snowpack had less sun exposure during the winter and therefore remained more moist for longer compared to south- and west-facing slopes. Plus, if the state sees more storms and precipitation, flowers are likely to last at higher elevations throughout the summer.
“I have already taken observations of hundreds of species of flowers this year,” Gaddis said. “Plants that set really early will potentially flower again, so thatap fun.”
David Kish, executive director of the , also isn’t worried about the outlook. That festival has ranging from guided hikes and Jeep tours to photography workshops and culinary classes.
A lower snow year does not necessarily mean a diminished wildflower season, Kish said, just a different one.
“Wildflowers are highly responsive to changing environmental conditions, and each season in Crested Butte offers its own unique progression,” he said by email. “Rather than a single peak, the summer provides a dynamic and evolving landscape of blooms that changes week by week, rewarding repeat visits and exploration across elevations.”
With back-to-back wildflower celebrations, Coloradans have ample opportunities to get outside and smell the wild roses. For more information, visit and .
