Crystal Mill
Rocky Mountains - Colorado
Here are the GPX files of our drive to Crystal Mill
Our visits: So far 1 visit in October 2014
Crystal Mill - Drive
The Crystal Mill, one of the most popular fall photo motifs in Colorado, can be reached from Marbel, via a very rough jeep road. Since we would never ever dare to drive this route in a normal rental SUV, we took a tour with a commercial provider on site. When we visited the Mill in the fall of 2014, we also had more than bad weather.
The tour lasted 3 hours, with a 20-minute stay each at Crystal and at the Mill. Since we were not interested in the small Ghosttown, we could extend the stay at the Mill accordingly in consultation with our driver.
Distance: The drive is about 5.6mi long. So you could theoretically also hike, if you want to save the cost of the tour. We can only advise against attempting the drive with your rental car.
Unfortunately, we could not cancel the pre-booked tour on site. The jeeps drive in all weathers and so we were provided with rain capes and a tarp was stretched over the open car. That this became a very wet affair does not need to be mentioned. But since we did not want to forfeit the already booked tour, we bit the bullet. All in all it was a very cool experience, nevertheless we will try to come here again in better weather. In any case, it wasn't suitable weather for decent photos. Even though the drive seems relatively short, it takes more than an hour for the 5.6mi because of the disastrous road condition. It is very stony, there are puddles of water everywhere, you drive along steep slopes, an adventure, and we are glad that we do not have to drive ourselves.
The Crystal Mill is not a mill in the usual sense. It is an air compressor that was driven by a water turbine and produced compressed air, which was then used to ventilate silver mines. In addition, the compressed air was used to power machinery. The Crystal Mill has been part of the National Register of Historic Places since 1985.
Note: For some time now, due to the high number of visitors, there has been a barrier at the viewpoint of the mill. The owner is there to make sure that you don't cross it. If you want to go down to the river, you have to pay 10$. (As of September 2020). Because there are obviously a lot of people who don't know how to behave, this option has no longer been available since 2023. We would recommend asking about the exact conditions on site to avoid disappointment at the mill afterwards.
Our rating: An absolutely worth seeing place, apart from the difficult drive. In autumn for us more interesting than in other seasons. With our experience, we would only book a tour spontaneously. In the fall, the weather in the mountains is so unstable that pre-booking is too uncertain for us. Especially since, as we experienced ourselves, you can no longer withdraw from a booking at short notice.