Ashcroft, historic ghost town in Colorado, United States
Ashcroft is a ghost town in Pitkin County, Colorado, situated in a narrow mountain valley at the end of Castle Creek Road, south of Aspen. Several original wooden structures remain standing on the site, including a former hotel, storage buildings, and simple cabins from the silver mining period.
Ashcroft was founded in 1880 after prospectors from Leadville found silver deposits in the valley, and within months a full town had taken shape around the mines. Larger finds near Aspen in the early 1880s pulled most residents away, and the town emptied out over just a few years.
The wooden buildings that remain at Ashcroft still show how the town was organized, with commercial and residential structures standing close together along what was once the main street. Walking through the site, visitors can read the layout of a working community built entirely around silver mining.
The site is reached by turning off CO-82 onto Castle Creek Road, which runs south from near Aspen and is generally passable from spring through fall. There are no restrooms or services on site, so it is worth arriving prepared with water and sturdy footwear.
During World War II, the U.S. Army considered Ashcroft as a training site for mountain troops before choosing a location closer to Aspen instead. This overlooked chapter explains why the valley appears in early accounts of organized skiing in Colorado.
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