Ashcroft is a small ghost 12 miles down Castle Creek Rd from Aspen. There are few buildings to walk around and some nice mountain backdrops.
Ashcroft, originally Castle Forks City, was larger than Aspen at one point. It boasted a bowling allye, two newspapers, six hotels, and 20 saloons. What little ore that was there was quickly depleted, however, and the town folded by 1885. Much of the infrastructure was moved to Aspen.
Showing posts with label Aspens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aspens. Show all posts
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Kenosha Pass-East
Distance: 8 miles round trip
Elevation: 10,000 ft to 10, 418 ft
Elevation Gain: 418 ft (net), 836 cumulative
The east side of Kenosha Pass is a wonderful fall hike. Within a half mile it traverses one of the largest Aspen groves I have seen (although certainly not the largest in the state). Additionally, the earth tones of the distant South Park combined with the crisp air will make you want to rush out and buy a pumpkin pie. Note I did not say bake one. I am not that domestique!
It is actually the Continental Divide Trail that transects Kenosha Pass so you can walk in either direction for literally hundreds of miles. We only walked 4 miles however, before turning around. The last time I walked this trail, I turned around at 2.8 miles because I has just returned France and was still suffering from a wicked virus. You can read about that trip on my Aspen Gauntlet post. It was one of my first blog posts. Tha post has a couple of pictures.
The east side of the pass contains bathrooms, albeit not very clean ones, and a small parking area. During prime leaf peeping, this lot will fill up by 9am and then cars will begin to back up all the way to the road.
On our route, the east-side trail hits the Aspen grove at 0.5 miles, views of South Park appear at 1.76 miles, and the trail starts to descend at 2.89 miles. The trail is rocky in places with occasional nooks with stellar views. It winds in and out of coniferous forest, open meadows, and Aspen groves (some large, some small). I found the trail very easy to walk on and we made very good time.
There were a lot of mountain bikers on the trail, which got annoying, particulalry near the trailhead on the return. The Aspen grove was mobbed with toddlers and their parents and the bikers, kids, and dogs made for a gaggle we were happy to escape from.
This trail also makes great snowshoeing, but acheives true glory when the Aspens turn. Just get an early start or be emotionally prepared to mingle with the herd.
Elevation: 10,000 ft to 10, 418 ft
Elevation Gain: 418 ft (net), 836 cumulative
The east side of Kenosha Pass is a wonderful fall hike. Within a half mile it traverses one of the largest Aspen groves I have seen (although certainly not the largest in the state). Additionally, the earth tones of the distant South Park combined with the crisp air will make you want to rush out and buy a pumpkin pie. Note I did not say bake one. I am not that domestique!
It is actually the Continental Divide Trail that transects Kenosha Pass so you can walk in either direction for literally hundreds of miles. We only walked 4 miles however, before turning around. The last time I walked this trail, I turned around at 2.8 miles because I has just returned France and was still suffering from a wicked virus. You can read about that trip on my Aspen Gauntlet post. It was one of my first blog posts. Tha post has a couple of pictures.
The east side of the pass contains bathrooms, albeit not very clean ones, and a small parking area. During prime leaf peeping, this lot will fill up by 9am and then cars will begin to back up all the way to the road.
On our route, the east-side trail hits the Aspen grove at 0.5 miles, views of South Park appear at 1.76 miles, and the trail starts to descend at 2.89 miles. The trail is rocky in places with occasional nooks with stellar views. It winds in and out of coniferous forest, open meadows, and Aspen groves (some large, some small). I found the trail very easy to walk on and we made very good time.
There were a lot of mountain bikers on the trail, which got annoying, particulalry near the trailhead on the return. The Aspen grove was mobbed with toddlers and their parents and the bikers, kids, and dogs made for a gaggle we were happy to escape from.
This trail also makes great snowshoeing, but acheives true glory when the Aspens turn. Just get an early start or be emotionally prepared to mingle with the herd.
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