| Difficulty: | Number: | Miles: | Altitude: | Obstacles: | Time: |
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| Moderate 6 | FR317, FR314 | 15.30 | 7,956 to 10,707 ft. | Ledge - 2 | 2-3 hours |
White River National Forest, Sopris Ranger District
620 Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623
970-963-2266
Closure:
July - Snow may still block sections
August - Best
September - Best
October - Be aware of early season snows
Accessed:
From Crested Butte, CO head north on Colorado 135 North toward Sopris Ave. After 0.1 miles turn right onto 6th Street. Go 0.3 miles and continue onto County and Forest Service Rd 317 / Gothic Road. Continue to follow FR 317 for 7.7 miles to the turn off to Gothic. Continue on FR 317. This is the start of the Schofield Pass.
After the massacre of agent Nathan Meeker and seven employees at the White River agency in northwestern Colorado on September 9, 1879, and the near total loss of Major T. T. Thornburgh's relief force of 150 men, the Ute Indians were removed from their Colorado reservation to the desert Uintah reservation in northwestern Utah. One year after the removal of the Utes the federal government opened the Colorado reservation to settlement.
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Sidebar The Crystal Mill, or the Old Mill, is a 1893 wooden powerhouse located on an outcrop above the Crystal River near Crystal, Colorado, on the way to Schofield Pass. Although called a mill, it is more correctly denoted as a compressor station, which used a water turbine to drive an air compressor. The compressed air was then used to power other machinery or tools.
Today it stands as a Colorado icon, and is reputed to be the most photographed site in the state. In the 21st century, the mill is usually called the Crystal Mill or the Old Crystal Mill. Many decades ago, when the mill was still in use, it was called the Sheep Mountain Power House at the Lost Horse Millsite, or simply the Lost Horse Mill. Sometimes it is erroneously called the Dead Horse Mill. The mill was constructed in 1893 by George C. Eaton and B.S. Phillips, promoters of the Sheep Mountain Tunnel and Mining Company. It was built as a power plant for the Sheep Mountain Tunnel. Originally it had a horizontal waterwheel which generated compressed air for miners in the nearby silver mines. It fell into disuse in 1917 when the Sheep Mountain Mine closed. The mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 1985. |
In 1930 Carvel McWilliams was elected Mayor of Marble. He was a graduate of Gunnison High School and the towns people had hopes of fostering a better relationship between Gunnison and Marble. In April McWilliams went to Gunnison and presented a proposal to the Commissioners to replace the old wagon road over Schofield Pass with a road three miles to the north crossing the headwaters of Silver Creek above the Lead King mine. They favored the idea and passed a resolution recommending the extension to the State Highway Commission.
In 1936 the Governor of Colorado, Ed Johnson, borrowed $25,000,000 to improve roads throught Colorado assigning $50,000 to Gunnison County to build the road from Gothic to Marble. This was part of the "Park to Park Road", a network of roads connecting the nations National Parks. In July of 1938, under county commissioner Bill Whalen, twelve men, two bulldozers and a compressor were working on the road. On September 1, 1938 the Gunnison Courier announced that the long awaited road was within one and a half miles of being completed. It ran from Gothic through Gothic Park, around Emerald Lake and on up Schofield Pass and over to the town of Crystal, five miles from Marble. It was expected that the road would be open 5 months out of the year. As the Gunnison Courier reported "It will be a narrow road but there will be adequate turnouts. It follows the old wagon road as far as possible, when bull trains and mule teams were the means of locomotion." With this new road Marble would be 54 miles from Gunnison instead of 240 miles.
In September work was halted due to early snowstorms. In June of 1939 work resumed, but slowed as the drilling near the Devil's Punchbowl hit solid rock. This, with the heavy rains in the summer and early fall, slowed progress. The gravel surfacing was to take place in 1940, but the delays kept the workers from completing the road. As they worked people would drive down to the top of the Devil's Punchbowl and watch the progress. In the end it took until 1958 for the road to be completed so that vehicles could connect between Marble and Gunnison.
In September, 1928, Jake Baumli Jr. took Charles Orlosky, his wife, and mother to the top of Schofield Pass from Marble. Slides closed the road there after until 1958. On August 5, 1958 four jeeps with fourteen passengers made a round trip from Marble to Crested Butte. The road had been impassable to vehicles due to boulders, rock slides and washed out bridges. Gunnison County had cleared the road and built the bridges to open the road, but the 27 percent grade at the Devil's Punchbowl kept the road in the domain of four wheel drives.
July of 1970 brought the first of more modern accidents to Schofield Pass. A recently purchased vehicle from Illinois with twelve passengers heading to Crested Butte from Marble plunged into the Crystal River from the side of the Devil's Punchbowl. The vehicle slipped out of gear in a driving rainstorm and fell the 200 feet down to the river. A year later in August of 1971, on Friday the 13th, a family from New Orleans rented a jeep and were coming down the pass into Crystal. The jeep went off the road on a thirty percent grade with three members of the family in it.
Vandenbusche, Duane and Myers, Rex. Marble Colorado - City of Stone Denver, Colorado: Golden Bell Press, 1970. Print.
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Marble Mill photo by: Adam M |
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Marble Mill, 1914 |
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From here continue down hill to cross Lost Trail Creek and then to Lizard Lake. The road will skirt the very edge of the lake which sits in a valley between Hat Mountain and Sheep Mountain.
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Lizard Lake photo by: Adam M |
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Just past the lake you will follow a ledge road that drops down toward the Crystal River. The road will now follow the river for about 4 miles with a few rough sections to navigate. You will drive through forested sections and open areas with nice views of the Crystal River. There will be spots where avalanches have bent the the young aspen trees and rocky sections that cross talus slopes. You will come to one short spur road on the right that just goes down closer to the river.
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Avalanche area photo by: Adam M |
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Looking back down the Crystal River valley photo by: Adam M |
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Just before reaching the bridge that crosses the Crytal River and enters the old town of Crystal, you will pass by the Crystal Mill (correctly known as the Sheep Mountain Power Plant). This is one of the most photographed sites in Colorado.
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Crystal Mill, 2024 photo by: Adam M |
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Crystal Mill, 2012 photo by: Adam M |
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Crystal Mill, 1985 photo by: Adam M |
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The power house had a vertical shaft that ran in the square structure running up to the building. It connected to a horizontal water wheel that ran an air compressor in the power plant. Down river from the power house are the remains of a small stamp mill that was run by a belt from the power plant.
Continuing across the bridge over the Crystal River and you will drive down the main street of Crystal. It still has summer residents, so it is not a true ghost town.
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Crystal, 2024 photo by: Adam M |
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Crystal, 2024 photo by: Adam M |
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Crystal, 1985 photo by: Adam M |
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After leaving town you will come to an intersection at a hairpin turn. Continue left, up hill, to stay on the Schofield Pass Road. You will pass a big yellow sign warning you about the road ahead.
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Schofield Pass sign outside Crystal photo by: Adam M |
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You will climb the side of Mineral Point and do one switchback before connecting with the intersection of FR 315. This is the other end of Leadking Basin. Continue to the right to stay on FR 314, Schofield Pass.
The road will be high above the Crystal river as you continue up the canyon. This section is narrower with fewer places to turn out for oncoming traffic. Pay attention to the road ahead for oncoming traffic. As the canyon narrows the road will move closer to the Crystal River. The road will remain narrow as you cross more talus slopes and navigate a few obstacles.
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Ledge road photo by: Adam M |
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More ledge road photo by: Adam M |
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Closer to the river photo by: Adam M |
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More ledge road photo by: Adam M |
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Ledge road below the Devils Punch Bowl photo by: Adam M |
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Around a rocky outcrop you will come to the single lane bridge that crosses the Crystal River. The bridge is covered with rock instead of planking. Just above the bridge you will pass the Devils Punchbowl, a section of river between the two waterfalls which is a round deep pool.
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Devils Punch Bowl is between the two falls photo by: Adam M |
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Richard H crossing the bridge photo by: Larry M |
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Schofield Pass next to the punch bowl photo by: Larry M |
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Schofield Pass next to the punch bowl photo by: Adam M |
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Schofield Pass on a trip down to the punchbowl photo by: Adam M |
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Schofield Pass on a trip down to the punchbowl photo by: Adam M |
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Upper Schofield Pass photo by: Adam M |
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Schofield Pass at the top of the steep part photo by: Adam M |
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The road will continue to climb up the Crystal Canyon to a flatter open section where you will cross back to the other side of the Crystal River.
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Looking back after crossing the river photo by: Adam M |
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Brushy along the river photo by: Adam M |
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You will head through more forested area with small openings and then you will pass another small waterfall near a bridge.
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Forested section photo by: Adam M |
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Waterfall photo by: Adam M |
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Past the waterfall you will come out into an open area with a parking area.
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Road out of the parking area photo by: Adam M |
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This is the site of the town of Schofield. Nothing remains of the town. Following the road to the southeast, you will pass through Schofield Park which is private property.
Thr road will head through long Schofield Park passing driveways to private homes. At the south end of the park, just before entering the forest again, you will pass the West Maroon Trailhead on the left. After driving through the forest for a bit you will come to an intersection with a road going down to the right, Paradise Divide, FR 317. Just beyond this intersection is Schofield Pass. The road will change to FR317 as you are on the Gunnison Ranger District. Continue over the pass following FR317 past Emerald Lake. The road will be wider and better maintained all the way to old town of Gothic, north of Crested Butte. Continue on FR317/ County 317 to reach Crested Butte.