Hiking Crystal Mill Marble Colorado

The crystal mill is a long drive but a short hike.

Hiking crystal mill marble colorado.

The compressor house the gear house and the penstock. It is reachable only in the summer and fall months by a rough one lane 4 wheel drive road. There are definitely a few things to note before taking off on an overlanding trip to crystal mill and beyond you can either drive it yourself or take the jeep tour to crystal mill with crystal river jeep tours. The trail is primarily used for hiking and ohv off road driving and is best used from june until october.

It s possible to drive to crystal mill with a high clearance 4x4 but hiking there is definitely recommended. The building has a dramatic location on a rock outcrop on the crystal river in mountainous terrain near marble colorado. If you are not interested in driving or your vehicle does not have generous ground clearance the trip to crystal and the mill can be reached by foot mountain. We decided to hike up to crystal mill from the park point in marble just past beaver lake.

The crystal mill reputed to be one of the most photographed sites in colorado is historically known as the sheep mountain power house or lost horse mill built in 1893 the mill harnessed the power of the crystal river to run its massive air compressor which in turn drove power to drills in the sheep mountain and bear mountain silver mines. Marble 7 956 ft is an authentic unpretentious hamlet nestled in the upper crystal river valley surrounded by the tall peaks of the maroon bells snowmass and raggeds wilderness areas. You can hike mountain bike utv or four wheel drive from the town of marble to the crystal mill site about a 5 mile trek. It is a straight up incline for the first two miles.

Once you reach the sign that tells you four miles to crystal town you will have a very rocky trail with more inclines. The tiny town is a reminder of what colorado use to be a place of quiet natural beauty unspoiled by ski and condo developments. While traditionally accessed through marble this hidden gem deep in the elk mountains can be accessed from crested butte as well. The hike is located in the small town of marble about 40 minutes east of carbondale on highway 133.

Drive through the town and past beautiful beaver lake and find a place to park before the road turns into a smaller 4x4 road. The crystal mill is a log and frame structure built in 1892 originally as a powerhouse. Know before you go to crystal mill marble colorado. The mill is composed of three parts.

It s a challenging drive so a high clearance 4 4 is virtually a. The crystal mill is located 6 miles east of marble just before the ghost town of crystal. Follow the south fork crystal river to the historic mining town of crystal. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.