It was this weekend last year, that I was able to cross something off my bucketlist….seeing the Crystal Mill. One of the most photographed abandoned buildings in Colorado.
I attempted this journey on my own when I first moved to Colorado. The vague directions I found online were sort of good enough, but as I started to climb the first really rough road, I turned around disappointed. I was from an urban area with limited experience driving on such a steep, narrow and pot-hole road. Sure, I’ve been off pavement many times, but this road, there is a reason they suggest a jeep or other 4×4 with clearance.
I chose to do this in July thinking I’d see a lot of wildflowers, and booked in March ensuring I would get a jeep tour on the day I wanted and a room nearby since there aren’t many. I booked an airbnb in near McClure Pass that had two bedrooms, so we invited some friends along. I also booked a half day Jeep tour to the Crystal Mill and neighboring Crystal City (which I think used to be a ghost town).
Since we were 4, we had our own jeep, which made the journey more enjoyable. The jeep went slow over these roads, and we had time to take in the remote nature of our surroundings. The lush forest, the river, the quiet. Although, what you don’t see in any picture is the line of jeeps and cars driving to get there. They tried to keep some distance between the cars – but really this did take away from the remoteness of the place.
We finally arrived and had about 15 minutes to walk around and take pictures. There was a preservation society there where you can pay a few dollars to go down the hill to the riverbed to take photos of the Crystal Mill from across the river but we elected to stay up top and take a few photos. If we had more than 15 minutes – maybe it would have been worth it.
Other than taking a few photos, there was nothing to do here. I was worried that 15 minutes wouldn’t be enough time when I booked the tour and if we had drove ourselves wouldn’t have been locked for time – but it was enough for me and with all the other people there getting a clear shot wasn’t so easy.
Our drive continued about 5 minutes to Crystal City. There are a few cabins, a general store with art and maps, and a pit bathroom. The former “ghost town” is occupied by camps or wilderness explorers now.
Here our jeep guide gave us about 20 minutes of free time. We took out our water and snacks that we packed and sat at a picnic table. Aside from popping into the general store for 3 minutes and using the toilet, there wasn’t much to see since the buildings weren’t abandoned.
We hoped back into the jeep, changing seats so we all had a turn in different places, and headed back to the small town of Marble. We were famished – and with very few choices of restaurants, we ended up at Slow Groovin BBQ for a late lunch and a beer sitting on their patio.
I am so glad that I ended up doing the Jeep tour as a way to see this historic site. I didn’t have to worry about driving, but to look around and enjoy the drive. I didn’t have to worry about any damage to my car from the potholes, rocks, and brush. And I didn’t have windows so I was in the outside during the drive. Also, I saw plenty of people doing this road as a hike – no thankyou!
While I didn’t see wildflowers, I made a note to try someplace else the following year.
For those of you considering visiting the Crystal Mill…the fall is also an amazing time to go with the yellow aspen trees mixed with the green pine and the river.
Smith Family Jeep Tours Website
In June 2019 the rates were as follow for the 3 hour tour we took:
$135.00 per person (1 passenger) $110.00 per person (2 passengers) $85.00 per person (3 or more passengers)
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