Ashcroft Ghost Town is a silver-mining camp frozen in time, scattered across a high meadow 11 miles up Castle Creek Road from Aspen. Weathered log cabins, a false-front hotel and the old post office stand against the peaks of the Elk Mountains, making it one of the most photogenic places in the Roaring Fork Valley.

The Aspen Historical Society tells how prospectors Charles B. Culver and W. F. Coxhead came over from Leadville and struck silver here in the spring of 1880. The camp, first called Castle Forks City, quickly grew into Ashcroft, but its fortunes faded as nearby Aspen boomed, and residents were already moving down the valley by 1883. By 1912 fewer than 50 people remained. Ashcroft found new life in the 1930s, when the Highland Bavarian Lodge brought ski dreams to the valley and soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division trained nearby. In 1948 Stuart Mace built the Toklat Lodge, famous for its sled dogs. The Aspen Historical Society has cared for the townsite under a U.S. Forest Service permit since 1974, and Ashcroft is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stroll the dirt paths between the buildings and look for the Kinney Mercantile and the Post Office, an original building still standing in its original spot. In summer, docents greet visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a small gift shop is open, while the rest of the year the site is self-guided. Admission is $5 per adult on the honor system, with free entry for those 18 and under with an adult and for active military. Dogs are not allowed in the townsite. Combine your trip with the high-alpine drive over Independence Pass or a gondola ride up Aspen Mountain.

Aspen Historical Society docents are on site daily during the summer season, and fall brings golden aspens to the Castle Creek Valley. Check aspenhistory.org for current tours and programs.