Entry No. 28 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: history
Ashcroft Ghost Town
Eleven miles up Castle Creek Road from Aspen, Ashcroft once outpaced its neighbor. Silver was struck in 1880, and within three years the town held roughly 2,000 residents, two newspapers, a school, and 20 saloons. The Tam O'Shanter Mine pulled ore so rich — up to 14,000 ounces of silver per ton — that silver baron Horace "Haw" Tabor bought in and threw a party. When the railroads stopped at Aspen in 1887–88 and the shallow veins ran out, the town emptied fast. Today the Aspen Historical Society maintains the preserved townsite on behalf of the Forest Service: a hotel shell, a saloon, a post office, interpretive signs, and almost nothing else — just wind, willows, and the Elk Mountains rising straight up behind it.
The story
In 1880, Ashcroft wasn't a quiet collection of weathered log frames—it was briefly outpacing Aspen. Silver strikes dragged prospectors up Castle Creek Valley, and within three years, roughly 2,000 people inhabited a high-alpine grid holding two newspapers, a schoolhouse, and a staggering 20 saloons. The frenzy peaked at the Tam O'Shanter Mine, which pulled ore assaying up to 14,000 ounces of silver per ton. That was rich enough to bring silver baron Horace "Haw" Tabor riding into camp to buy a stake and throw a massive party high in the mountains.
The crash was as swift as the climb. The shallow veins emptied out almost as quickly as they were blasted open, and when the Denver & Rio Grande and Colorado Midland railroads bypassed Castle Creek to terminate in Aspen in 1887 and 1888, Ashcroft's fate was sealed. Miners didn't just pack bags—some literally dragged their wooden cabins off their stone footings and hauled them down Castle Creek Road on sleds to set up shop in the new boomtown down-valley.
Today, the Aspen Historical Society maintains the remnant structures on Forest Service land: a hotel shell, a post office, a saloon stripped of its bar top, and interpretive signs anchored against the mountain wind. The Cathedral-Hayden peaks rise directly behind the meadow, framing the willows and empty doorways. What makes the place stick with you isn't a ghost story—it's how rapidly a town of two thousand people can collapse back into an empty alpine clearing.
What it's like
You follow Castle Creek Road south out of Aspen for 11 paved miles until the road reaches the townsite. Between June and September, a $5 bill gets you past the welcome kiosk where docents walk you through the boom-and-bust cycle; during the off-season, it's free-roam and completely quiet. You walk a flat, short loop past hollow doorframes while high-altitude wind whistles through the log walls. Leave your dog behind—they aren't allowed inside the townsite boundary. If you're coming from Grand Junction, budget roughly 2.5 hours each way via CO-82 through Glenwood Canyon, and keep in mind that once winter hits, the road gates shut above town, turning the final stretch into a cross-country ski or snowshoe trip until mid-May.
The move: Pack a picnic and walk the short loop through the preserved buildings with a docent narrating the boom-and-bust arc. The surrounding meadow and the Cathedral-Hayden peaks looming overhead make the ghost town feel genuinely remote, even though pavement runs the whole way.
📍 Before you go Admission is $5 for adults; children 18 and under are free. Docents are on site June through September; the rest of the year it is self-guided and free-roam. No dogs are allowed inside the townsite. Castle Creek Road is paved and drivable to the site in summer, but the gate closes just above Ashcroft in winter — access then requires skis or snowshoes. The road typically reopens around May 15. From Grand Junction, budget roughly 2.5 hours each way via CO-82 through Glenwood Canyon.
- 📍 Aspen
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 11000 Castle Creek Road, Ashcroft, CO 81611 — approximately 11 miles south of Aspen on Castle Creek Road
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Smuggler Mine Tour — Follow the silver trail from Castle Creek into Aspen proper to see the underground mine that ultimately pulled Ashcroft's workforce down the mountain.
- Independence Ghost Town — Compare Ashcroft's silver decline with another high-altitude mining settlement frozen in the 1880s off Independence Pass.
- Woody Creek Tavern — Head down-valley after wandering Ashcroft's defunct 1880s saloons to get a drink at a classic local watering hole.
- Ute Cemetery — Visit the quiet 1880 burial grounds on the edge of Aspen where early miners from the era's regional rush were laid to rest.
Good to know
How much does it cost to visit Ashcroft Ghost Town?
Admission is $5 for adults, while kids 18 and under get in free. When docents are off-site outside the June–September season, visiting is free-roam.
Are dogs allowed at the site?
No, dogs are strictly prohibited inside the preserved ghost town site.
How do I get to Ashcroft from Grand Junction?
Drive east on CO-82 through Glenwood Canyon toward Aspen, then turn south onto Castle Creek Road for about 11 miles; the full trip takes about 2.5 hours each way.
Can I visit Ashcroft in the winter?
Yes, but Castle Creek Road closes to cars just above the townsite in winter. Access requires cross-country skis or snowshoes until the road reopens around May 15.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: aspenhistory.org · coloradoencyclopedia.org · Atlas Obscura · Tripadvisor
last checked: 2026-06-11