Marble is a tiny Crystal River Valley town with a monumental story: the gleaming white Yule marble quarried above town built the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the ruins of its giant mill still stand among the aspens.

Marble sits at the head of the Crystal River in the Elk Mountains of Gunnison County, about 45 minutes south of Glenwood Springs off Colorado 133 on the West Elk Loop. The town grew around the Yule Creek marble deposits; its fabricating mill became the largest of its kind in the world. A 1912 snowslide destroyed the mill, it was rebuilt that same summer, and a 1925 fire consumed 900 feet of it before the firewall stopped the flames. The towering marble pillars built in 1913–14 to support an overhead crane are what you see at Marble Mill Site Park today.

Wander the free 25-acre Mill Site Park, where marble columns and blocks line paths toward the Crystal River, then look for the historic Marble Community Church, the 1910 schoolhouse that now houses the Marble Museum, and the old town hall. The Yule Marble Quarry is still a working quarry above town, and the famous Crystal Mill is a rough 4WD drive or hike up the valley. Beaver Lake, just outside town, reflects the peaks in fall color season.

Insider tip: There is no gas station or cell service in Marble—fuel up in Carbondale or Paonia. Park below the fire station on West Park Street to reach the Mill Site Park and public restrooms, and never take marble, artifacts or plants from the park; removing them is illegal.

The Marble Museum (412 W. Main St.) is open Memorial Day weekend through the end of August, Thursday–Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.; the MARBLE/marble Symposium returns with summer sculpting sessions beside the Crystal River. In winter, the Mill Site Park is snow-covered but open; check mcrchamber.org before you go.