Off the Beaten Path: Unique Summer Festivals in Rural Colorado

Colorado is one of the most picturesque places to spend summer, but sometimes the hustle and bustle of city life can get in the way of appreciating nature’s beauty. For those who need an excuse to venture out of Denver and the Front Range next summer, we have come up with a list of some of the funkiest festivals that Colorado has to offer. These festivals will take you to far-flung corners of the state and expose you to true Colorado culture, and they are a blast to boot.

Crested Butte Wildflower Festival
This festival occurs every year during July, which is the peak of wildflower season in Colorado. Our state is home to an astounding amount of native flora, and Crested Butte is one of the best places to see it all. During the festival, you can sign up for guided hikes where you learn about flowers and edible plants, take classes on a variety of topics, including birds and bugs, geology, and mountain stewardship, and go on 4×4 Jeep tours. If you are more of a lone wolf, they also provide lists of the best walks for spotting flowers and have field guides available on their site.

Hot Air Balloon Rodeo
Not to be confused with more traditional rodeos, this event pits hot air balloon pilots against each other in a series of fun competitions. Events include the balloon launch, a balloon-dipping contest into Eagle Lake, and a night balloon glow. There is also a rodeo and an arts festival that is timed to fall on the same weekend. This unique festival occurs in beautiful Steamboat Springs during mid-July and has been going on for nearly 40 years.

Mountain Fair
Mountain Fair is a Carbondale-based arts festival that was founded in 1972. Right in the heart of the Roaring Fork Valley, this tiny mountain town prides itself as being the arts hub for this part of the state. The festival, which goes down at the end of July, features over 145 vendors selling crafts, art, and food. There is also live entertainment in the form of music and performance art. It is truly a wonderful time and a great excuse to explore somewhere new.

Palisade Peach Festival
August in Colorado means peaches, and nowhere is this truer than in Palisade, where most of these peaches are grown. Although the exact number of years that the Peach Festival has been going on is not known, it is generally accepted that it began sometime during the late 1800s, which makes this festival well over 100 years old. Occurring in mid-August, the festival boasts a wide variety of events, including peach orchard tours, a peach eating contest, and a peach cuisine cook-off.