Crystal River Valley Visitor Guide
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City of Glenwood Springs CRYSTAL RIVER VALLEY To Glenwood Springs Roaring Fork River Town of Town of RUEDI WATER & POWER AUTHORITY Carbondale 1 Basalt 2 Lewis Lake To Aspen & Snowmass Village North of Fork Thompson Creek Nettle Creek River Colorado River District Protecting Western Colorado Water Since 1937 Lake Ridge Lakes Thomas Lakes Stream Orchid Crystal 3 Mt. Sopris Avalanche 4 Coal Snowmass 5 Snowmass Creek Village Village of Village Redstone Creek 6 Crystal River Watershed Legend 7 Avalanche Lake Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep 10 Points of Interest River Geneva Lake Unpaved/4WD Road 8 Village of Marble Lizard Lake Local Road 10 Beaver Lake Paved Highway (133, 82) 9 Watershed Boundary Galena Lake Yule Lakes Campground Muddy Picnic Area Creek 0 5M 10 miles Fishing Bald Eagle Visit the RFC website the town was largely abandoned until the 1950s when the 1 TOWN OF CARBONDALE CARBONDALE: e Town of Carbondale (pop. 6,500) is located at mines reopened. By the time the mines closed again in 1991, the con uence of the Crystal and Roaring Fork Rivers. Redstone had established itself as an artist colony, second- HUB OF Founded in 1888, the town was named a er Carbondale, home resort, and tourist destination. Coal Creek Road RECREATION Pennsylvania, the birthplace of many of its original provides access to National Forest lands but please check local The Crystal River Valley settlers. Carbondale is the historic agricultural center maps to ensure respect for private property. Additionally, offers a host of recreational of the Roaring Fork Valley and annually celebrates Redstone Campground located one mile north of Redstone opportunities. Carbondale is a has 37 campsites that can be reserved in advance. Potato Days in honor of its most famous crop. In 2013, natural jumping off point for Carbondale was recognized by Outside Magazine as one REDSTONE CASTLE exploring Thompson Divide, of America’s best small towns. 6 Spring Gulch, Red Hill, Mt. Sopris Redstone Castle was built in 1897 by mining and steel and other backcountry areas not CRYSTAL RIVER HATCHERY magnate John Osgood, who also established the town 2 of Redstone and built the Redstone Inn to accommodate readily accessible from Highway e Crystal River Hatchery is a cold water facility 133. Check with the Carbondale operated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. e hatchery workers at his Coal Basin mines. Osgood’s Redstone Castle estate was named Cleveholm Manor and was the site Chamber of Commerce and the raises rainbow and cutthroat trout brood sh (mature sh Aspen-Sopris Ranger District used to produce and fertilize eggs) and harvests millions of lavish entertainment for prominent visitors Offi ce for information, maps of eggs for other sh rearing facilities. e hatchery is such as President eodore Roosevelt and John D. and directions. open to the public and features a self-guided tour. Public Rockefeller. For information about tours, please visit shing can be accessed near the hatchery along the east redstonecastle.us. side of the Crystal River. 7 MCCLURE PASS AVALANCHE CREEK McClure Pass divides the Roaring Fork watershed (of MOUNT SOPRIS 3 Although not among Colorado’s 100 highest peaks, Mt. Sopris A bridge over the Crystal River at mile marker 12 which the Crystal River is a tributary) and the Gunnison is one of the state’s most prominent and visible mountains. on Highway 133 provides access to the Avalanche Creek River watershed. Although the pass, at 8,763’, is low by Overlooking the Town of Carbondale and the confl uence Campground and trail. e campsite has 6 rst-come- rst- Colorado standards, it is known for treacherous winter of the Crystal River and the Roaring Fork River, Mt. Sopris served sites. e trail leads deep into the west side of the driving and frequent rockfalls. Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness and provides access to is visible throughout the valley and is a popular recreational Hell Roaring Creek, East Creek, Capital Lake, and Avalanche 8 MARBLE destination for hiking, skiing and snowmobiling. Both of the Lake. Check with the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District O ce for Marble was founded in the 1880s and became a mountain’s twin summits reach 12,953’, creating an iconic seasonal closures, as certain areas are closed in the winter to thriving community in the early 1900s with the development landmark for the Roaring Fork Valley. help protect the bighorn sheep population. of the Yule Marble Quarry. Quieter today, Marble is a gateway to National Forest and Wilderness Areas and is a popular starting point for four-wheel drive touring. 4 PENNY HOT SPRINGS/FILOHA MEADOWS Open year round, Penny Hot Springs is located FISHING IN THE at mile marker 13.5 on Highway 133. Across the Crystal 9 YULE MARBLE QUARRY CRYSTAL RIVER VALLEY River is Filoha Meadows, a thermal wetland that is home First developed in the late 1870s, the quarry sits on a There are abundant opportunities to fi sh the Crystal to some of Colorado’s rarest plants and animals (including sleep slope at 9,500’ in elevation. e quarry’s high quality River along Highway 133 with most public access points orchids and re ies). Roaring Fork Conservancy marble, considered to be on par with Carrara Marble from upstream of the confl uence with Nettle Creek. Public (roaringfork.org) leads tours of Filoha during the Italy, was used to build many well-known buildings and fi shing access opportunities also exist throughout summer months or one can access by way of a public trail memorials including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Carbondale, Redstone and Marble. High-elevation lake the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. e mine is originating in Redstone. Filoha Meadows is only open fi shing in the Crystal River Valley is predominantly currently owned and operated by an Italian company and is from July 1-September 30. Both properties are owned by accessible by foot. It is an angler’s responsibility to know closed to the public. Pitkin County Open Space and Trails. public access points. Please contact the local Colorado CRYSTAL MILL Parks and Wildlife Offi ce for maps, regulations, and 5 REDSTONE/COAL BASIN 10 additional information. e Coal Basin mines were developed in the late e Crystal Mill was built in 1883 and produced 19th and early 20th century to provide high-grade coal to power for the silver-mining town of Crystal City for many the Pueblo steel mills. The restored coke ovens along years. It was structurally stabilized over the years through Highway 133 were used in Redstone’s early mining community e orts and remains one of the area’s most days to convert coal to lighter and more energy- popular scenic attractions. e Mill is located 5 miles east of efficient coke. In 1909, the mines went into disuse and Marble and can be reached via Gunnison County Road #3 (four-wheel drive, hike, horseback or mountain bike only). Welcome to the Crystal River Valley Crystal River Valley Visitor’s Guide Redstone Castle by Eugene Priebe RESOURCES Carbondale Chamber of Commerce (970) 963-1890 carbondale.com Colorado Parks and Wildlife (970) 947-2920 cpw.state.co.us Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association cvepa.org Roaring Fork Conservancy (970) 927-1290 roaringfork.org Ruedi Water and Power Authority rwapa.org White River National Forest: Aspen-Sopris Ranger District Offi ce (970) 963-2266 fs.usda.gov/whiteriver e Crystal River is one of Colorado’s most scenic and historic areas, o ering an abundance Special thank you to: of recreational variety and natural beauty. e Oscar McCollum and Mount Sopris Historical Society Crystal River Valley connects the communities of mtsoprishistoricalsociety.org Carbondale, Redstone and Marble, each with its own unique history. e area is renowned for its Redstone Historical Society ranching heritage, red rock cli s, abundant wildlife, redstonecolorado.com/living_history.html rare plant and animal communities, recreational Photo Credits: Mark Fuller, Oscar McCollum, Christina Medved, Mount Sopris opportunities and the free- owing river that gives Historical Society, Eugene Priebe, Jeremy Swanson, Richard Wampler the valley its name. Enjoy visiting the Crystal River Map: Colorado River District Valley and come back soon! Supported by: Roaring Fork Conservancy, Ruedi Water and Power Authority Crystal Mill by Jeremy Swanson Crystal River and Chair Mountain by Richard Wampler remains free- owing. owing. free- remains as a Wild and Scenic River, which would help ensure that it it that ensure help would which River, Scenic and Wild a as valley throughout its history. Present day rockfalls and mudslides close Highway 133 occasionally. occasionally. 133 Highway close mudslides and rockfalls day Present history. its throughout valley ompson Creek con uence is eligible for federal designation designation federal for eligible is uence con Creek ompson that color the valley are subject to sudden erosion events, and landslides have impacted and shaped the the shaped and impacted have landslides and events, erosion sudden to subject are valley the color that lack of community support. e Crystal River upstream of the the of upstream River Crystal e support. community of lack wealth and development, also contributes to present-day hazards. e sedimentary sandstones and shales shales and sandstones sedimentary e hazards. present-day to contributes also development, and wealth proposals have never gone beyond the planning stages due to to due stages planning the beyond gone never have proposals e Crystal River Valley’s geology, while creating the coal and marble resources that brought the valley valley the brought that resources marble and coal the creating while geology, Valley’s River Crystal e major dams or transbasin diversions. Water storage project project storage Water diversions. transbasin or dams major Crystal River Valley River Crystal e Crystal River is one of Colorado’s few rivers una ected by by ected una rivers few Colorado’s of one is River Crystal e former coal train route.