Gunnison County is the fifth-largest county by area in Colorado with 3,260 square miles. Both the county seat and the largest city is Gunnison. The population was estimated to be 16,918 in 2020.
The county was named for United States Army officer John W. Gunnison, a surveyor for the transcontinental railroad in 1853. In 2007, Gunnison provided the backdrop for the science fiction thriller “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.”
National forests and wilderness areas are plentiful, including Gunnison and White River national forests, Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, and Powderhorn Wilderness.
Visit the Gunnison County Government website.
County Towns
- Almont
- Crested Butte
- Crystal
- Gunnison
- Marble
- Mount Crested Butte
- Ohio City
- Parlin
- Pitkin
- Pittsburg
- Powderhorn
- Sapinero
- Somerset
- Tincup
Adjacent Counties
- Chaffee – east
- Delta – west
- Hinsdale – south
- Mesa – northwest
- Montrose – west
- Ouray – southwest
- Pitkin – north
- Saguache – southeast
Special Events

