Ashcroft Ghost Town

What could be more fun during spooky season than visiting a real life ghost town?

We recently had the chance to visit Ashcroft Ghost Town in the Rocky Mountains and it was such a delight to be able to do so at this time of year.

Ok, so Ashcroft Ghost Town isn't really all that spooky, but it's still a ghost town, and if you've been here a while you'll know that I'm a big fan of visiting historic sites, especially ruins and ghost towns.

Let's take a look at Ashcroft Ghost Town...

 

Ashcroft Ghost Town is located just a short drive from Aspen in an alpine meadow at the headwaters of Castle Creek. A former silver mining town, Ashcroft was founded in 1880, and by 1884 was home to around 2000 people. The mining boom turned to bust just as quickly as it started and by 1885 most residents had moved to Aspen, many taking their wooden homes with them. By 1912 the population had dwindled to less than 50, and with the death of the last resident in 1939 Ashcroft was officially a ghost town.

In 1975 Ashcroft, with its handful of remaining buildings, was added to the National Register of Historic Places and became a tourist attraction. Today Ashcroft sees more tourists per year than the number of people who ever called the small town home.

Today Ashcroft is home to just ten remaining buildings. These consist of cottages, a hotel and several saloons.

As you’ll see in the photos below, most of Ashcroft’s buildings have been left in a state of decay with dirt floors, rotted wood, and peeling walls. As such, most buildings are not accessible to visitors, however a few are safe to enter and visitors are encouraged to explore the inside. The Hotel View is one such building. The two story hotel has been restored with a new floors and staircase leading to the upper level where visitors can take in the views over the ghost town.

The Kinney Mercantile building has also been restored and is home to a small museum. Visitors will find artifacts from life in Ashcroft on display including a sled, a stove, cooking utensils, food tins, furniture and tools. Informative signs line the walls sharing the history of Ashcroft along with photographs.

Small trails connect the buildings of Ashcroft, but you'll also find trails that lead through the meadow and down to the picturesque Castle Creek and allocated picnic areas.

Ashcroft Ghost Town is located just 11 miles out of Aspen on Castle Creek Road.

Self guided tours are available every day with an honor system for admission.

Admission is $5 per adult (18+). Children are admitted free of charge.

A docent and gift shop is available on site from June to September. They were also on site when we visited in early October so there seems to be a little flexibility based on the weather. 

The main trails in Ashcroft are wide and wheelchair accessible, however the smaller trails are not. This includes the trails leading to the picnic areas and creek.

A restroom is available in the parking lot.

For more information visit https://aspenhistory.org/ashcroft-ghost-town/.