Beautiful pleace. Old little wood buildings with Aspens everywhere. The drive into Ashcroft is awesome during fall season. Highly recommend checking out if your in the Aspen area
Worth the drive!
This might be the best example of a maintained Ghost Town in Colorado!
It is a very well-ran site with passionate, informed hosts and many educational placards with photos and stories of the real people who lived in Ashcroft.
The remaining original buildings are maintained and reinforced in a way that doesn't take away from the original building, but focuses on waterproofing and load-bearing, which will help keep these fantastic relics of the past visible and interactive for many years to come.
It's easy to tell that a lot of hard work, time, resources, and love has gone into maintaining this piece of Colorado history. ❤️
I liked it, it was a beautiful drive from Aspen, and interesting how the townspeople in 1883 thought iAshcroft would outlast Aspen. But, in 1886, the high grade silver ore ran out, the price of silver dropped, and without a railroad, it just wasn't worth it to haul the low grade ore by mule.
Throughout the town are posters from the preservation effort explaining what a fail it was, ending up with a few old alcoholic men wasting out their last days until there was no one.
There are seven buildings left over from the original town, and a mile long gravel path you walk down reading the posters of how it was, and what happened. There is a clean outhouse bathroom and a small gift shop manned by two nice young preservation society girls.
Really neat place and the hike up River Run Trail, oh my. What a beautiful place filled with wildlife. On one evening alone, driving up, I saw deer, elk, a moose, a bear and a fox!! Just amazing! Pics for proof ?
What a cool stop! I rode my bike up Castle Creek Road with friends and we stopped to explore Ashcroft. As you walk down the path, there are several thoughtfully restored buildings, some which you can go inside. Placards provide historical stories of the town. There’s a bathroom at the parking lot. A finely crushed gravel path makes it accessible. It’s a short walk and fitting for young kids.
Recently took a trip to Aspen and while we were there drove out to Ashcroft. Very pleased to see how well the ghost town has been taken care of. Definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something new to do.
Visited here on the off season. Not a huge amount to see of this old silver mining town. I felt the Aspen Historical Society were really struggling to find some stories to tell from this old town. It’s great it’s there and worth a quick stop if you’re looking for something to do.
The site itself is not really exciting, but when you come at right time, the background of the site is very beautiful, the additional history and culture make it very interesting. I even saw people taking wedding pictures here. The nearby Castle Creek is also nice.
When we arrived we were greeted by a friendly guide named Aryana, she gave us a brief history of Ashcroft and was more than happy to field any questions we had. It’s a short walk along a path to see the buildings, there are 9 in total and you can go in 6 (I think!) There are small plaques dotted around giving some insight into the history of the town. It was interesting for us to go and see the buildings and the beautiful scenery that surrounds them. We spent about 30 minutes exploring the buildings. Ashcroft is around 20 minutes by car from Aspen, the road up is a little windy but it’s tarmaced so it’s accessible with any vehicle. There are plenty of parking spaces once you get there and also a toilet! We drove 1hr20 from Glenwood Springs and would say it was worth the drive. It’s free to get in but they do ask for a $5 donation.
It’s also worth continuing up the road for another couple of miles (suggested to us by Aryana). The road doesn’t lead anywhere but the scenery is spectacular!
I went to Aspen for the changing Aspen leaves. I was a couple of weeks early, but enjoyed walking around Ashcroft and exploring both the Ghost Town, and the beauty of the river and surrounding area.
Maybe not the best stop for everyone, but it is easy to access, the info booth had knowledgeable staff, the area was quiet & well kept & you could definitely explore the area. Check the weather before going ? -- we did get rained on... but honestly, it was just fine!
Looking for a place to see old Colorado history, the mining town of Ashcroft Colorado is a neat place to explore. Just 12 miles from Aspen and the ride takes you through to the back country.
Excellent little hike down the river side! We had our 3 year old and 9 year old and they loved every minute of it! This is a must!!! Bring some snacks and have a picnic!
I like this ghost town. Beautiful under the snow. You can go inside some building. Something to go take a look at in Colorado. The building are 5min away from the road.
Lovely to check an end-of-the -19th-century-Colorado mining ghost town. If you paid the $5 to get in, you'll see around a dozen of restored typical houses from the time, a lot of history and why Ashcroft didn't take off as Aspen did. You'll be able to check even the saloon!
A forgotten and abandoned mining town which has been recently transformed into a tourist attraction. The best time to visit and capture mind-blowing photos of Ashcroft is from late September until October.
This historic setting of an old ghost town with a number of restored old buildings is worth a trip anytime... But when the Aspens are in full color in the fall it is superb!
Blink and you'll miss it as you swoop down off the mountain. But see it if you can, a well restored authentic mining pueblo set high in the Rockies, enthusiastic staff and accessible history from the bike/car park. The smell of wood and tools inside the restored timber buildings is a joy!
What a cool abandoned, historic silver mining town. We enjoyed walking around the trail and through the houses. A lot of them have been restored at this point, so please leave donations to keep up on maintenance, for other visitors to enjoy!
Visited Sep 16, amazing color in the little town. Definitely worth visiting. Love the view. And the mining and ski development history and sites there!
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