Aspen Mountain Trail to Richmond Hill & Express Creek Trails - Fall 2013

Overview:  Aspen Mountain Trail climbs through the heart of the Aspen Ski Area providing beautiful views of the town & Red Mountain.  At the summit is the gondola station & The Sundeck
Restaurant with panoramic views of the Aspen Highland Ski Area and Castle Creek Valley.
We continued on with a backcountry drive along remote Richmond Ridge passing through dense forest on a rocky, steep & narrow road.   After exiting the woods, the trail goes up and down until it reaches a high point of 12,000 ft. looking out at Taylor Pass & Taylor Park.  Driving downhill we descend to Taylor Lake, an attractive alpine lake near the summit & the intersection of

Express Creek Road

Taylor Pass Trail & Express Creek Road.  Taylor Pass Trail continues to Crested Butte, while Express Creek leads to Ashcroft & Castle Creek Road.  The initial descent of Express Creek Road is a steep, very narrow shelf road with magnificent views.  At the timberline, the road enters a dense aspen forest as it continues to descend to Castle Creek Road, about one-quarter of a mile north of the ghost town of Ashcroft. 

Rocky & narrow Richmond Hill Rd.

Taylor Lake

Richmond Hill Road

Rating:  Moderate.  Steepness & rocks require 4-wheel drive.
Stats:  Length 21.2 miles.  Time: 3.5 hours

Woody Creek Road & Lenado - Sept. 2013

For several years we have made a fall sojourn to Aspen, exploring the many trails in the area both on foot and bicycle.  The one activity that eluded us was "jeeping" - which basically means having a vehicle that is off road ready and capable of handling the challenges of backroads & 4-wheel-drive trails.  After renting a jeep last year & exploring a couple of the trails, we were hooked.
This year we arrived in Aspen in our Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara - ready to begin a new adventure - "Jeeping in the Rockies & Beyond".

Ghost town of Lenado

Woody Creek Road

Woody Creek Trail

Overview:  Just 7 miles downvalley from Aspen lies the small community of Woody Creek, longtime hangout for Hunter S. Thompson & other notables.  At the base of Woody Creek Road lies a favorite local watering hole, The Woody Creek Tavern. The road winds its way through the White River National Forest and 7 miles up passes through the ghost town of Lenado.  In 1889, a rich vein of lead and zinc ore was found here and at its peak about 300 people inhabited the community.  Approximately 3/4 mile past Lenado the road crosses Woody Creek where we accessed the Woody Creek Trail for a hike with the dogs. 
Rating:  Easy.  Combination of paved & dirt road. 
 Stats:  Length: 15 miles.  Time: 2 1/2 hours.