Welcome to the West Elk Loop - We treasure the natural resources along our Byway!
CRYSTAL VALLEY
CARBONDALE
Carbondale stands on an alluvial plain created by the Crystal and Roaring Fork Rivers. The People, the Nuche, husbanded these valleys for 15,000 yrs. They may have even followed the sloths and mastodons into Snowmass, in early times. Nuche are part of the same People who were known for their Clovis Point technology.
Carbondale’s economy includes a focus on a healthy lifestyle, the arts and festivals such as Potato Day and Mountain Fair, held yearly.
In 2016, Carbondale became a Colorado Creative District. Be sure to visit the Carbondale Museum, the old jail, and the Thompson House Museum, a National Registered Historic Property, located across Highway 133. The ranch estate, dating from 1896, seems frozen in time.
FUN NOTE
In 1860, Captain Richard Sopris, for whom the landmark peak, Mt. Sopris (12,953 ft.), is named, explored unsuccessfully for gold. Later, he became Governor of Colorado. He had good taste in mountains.
REDSTONE
Between Carbondale and Redstone on Highway 133, the Crystal River cascades through a granite gap. Across the river Filoha Meadows is a well-known elk and bighorn sheep refuge in the winter. Redstone is a National Historic District between the tall red cliffs of the Crystal River Valley.
John Osgood built the town of Redstone modeling it on European architecture. Just up river, Cleveholm Manor, also known as the Redstone Castle, was Osgood’s palatial home.
A depot in Redstone’s Elk Park provides a welcome to the town with historical and regional information for visitors, with ample parking and garden areas along the river. Redstone is a walking town, with shops, galleries, and restaurants along the
mile-long boulevard.
FUN NOTE:
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife built the Crystal River Hatchery in 1941, which is the largest broodfish unit in Colorado. For the past 25 years, the unit has produced an average of over 14 million rainbow trout eggs per year. Fish from the Crystal River unit are stocked all over Colorado.
MCCLURE PASS
Between Carbondale and Redstone on Highway 133, the Crystal River cascades through a granite gap. Across the river Filoha Meadows is a well-known elk and bighorn sheep refuge in the winter. Redstone is a National Historic District between the tall red cliffs of the Crystal River Valley.
John Osgood built the town of Redstone modeling it on European architecture. Just up river, Cleveholm Manor, also known as the Redstone Castle, was Osgood’s palatial home.
A depot in Redstone’s Elk Park provides a welcome to the town with historical and regional information for visitors, with ample parking and garden areas along the river. Redstone is a walking town, with shops, galleries, and restaurants along the
mile-long boulevard.
Marble home of the yule marble company:
Marble is home to the Yule Marble Company (est. 1906) a quarry operated by the Colorado Stone Quarries The pure white stone cut from this quarry was used in numerous monuments and buildings across the USA, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, the facade for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, and the state capitol buildings in Denver. During its heyday, it was the largest marble mill in the world, and was served by the Crystal River Railroad from Carbondale.