点评: It is not as easy as social media says it is to find the road to the Mill from the town of Marble. There are no obvious signs in town with directions or arrows to guide you. We stopped and asked one of the local residents for exact directions. A lot of folks rented ATV's and Side x Sides and they looked like they were having a lot of fun! A few brave souls attempted mountain bikes - I don't know if they made it or not. We observed that the only vehicles that successfully made it to the top were 4-wheel drive, HIGH CLEARANCE Toyota trucks and 4-Runners, and jeeps. We decided to brave it and hike. Whatever you do, drive PAST Beaver Lake west of town. Note the last chance you have for restrooms are the portable restrooms at Beaver Lake. You CANNOT park at the lake to hike, however. Drive past and around the lake. You will find parking at the bottom of the ascending Crystal Mill Road for maybe 8 cars. There is a vacant house on the left and also across the road. The actual journey starts up the road a bit further and to the LEFT of you that begins with a tough grade and lots of rock. (The first mile is one of the most challenging.) We were told to keep walking/driving until you come to a RED house on the right. Sure enough, there is a RED house. There is also additional parking there for 4-5 cars if you want to hike the rest of the way up. There is a sign where the road forks that reads: "Extra Spicy and Spicy". Select the "spicy" meal on the menu and fork to the RIGHT. Approximately 75 percent of the drive/hike both up and down is ascending. There are smoother more level areas as you go, but a lot of rock and holes in the road. It happened to rain and washed out part of the road two days before our hike which left lakes of water across the road which we either walked around or through. You will see lovely scenery along the road as it follows the Crystal River you miss driving. Stop and listen to the sound of the crystal clear water as it bubbles over the rocks. It's so refreshing! One fellow hiker said they even saw a bear. We saw a few wild flowers and butterflies. You will pass Lizard Lake early into your climb past the RED house. When you do reach the Crystal Mill it will be on the RIGHT side of the road. We thought for sure there would be a sign at the Mill that read "Crystal Mill" or "Congratulations! You Made It!" but no signs. The mill is just there, peeking at you from behind the trees. The only thing you see to indicate you arrived is a picnic table at the edge of the site. Words can't describe how stunning the view is! Take your time and imagine what it would have been like when the existing mill was a power plant with a horizontal moving water wheel that compressed air for miners that worked in the nearby silver mines. You can see the scraps that remain for a 3-stamp mill used for crushing ore adjacent to the mill. It was originally called the Sheep Mountain Power House built in 1893 by promoters of the Sheep Mountain Tunnel and Mining Company. We would rather have viewed the mill when the aspen turned in the fall, but it was a great experience even in the summer. I took several videos to capture the sounds of the Crystal River and cascading waterfall that posted nicely on Facebook and Instagram. It is a challenging hike up and down to say the least, but worth it if you want those photos of the most iconic historic structure in the state! If you HIKE, BE PREPARED! Sturdy, water-proof hiking shoes, hiking poles if you are unsteady descending on loose rock, waterproof sunblock. (Folks don't realize you fry in high altitudes in Colorado especially when it's cloudy. Reapply as needed.) It rains in the Colorado mountains June-October so pack a rain jacket in your pack unless you enjoy getting soaked. If you do, that's cool. Two bottles of water with electrolytes, high energy bars, fruit such as red grapes or apples are good snacks. Yes, the rumors that the Crystal River has been roped off are true. You can no longer walk down to the edge of the river for close-up photos, but you can still get wonderful photos. ( That would not have been necessary had entitled people who have no respect for our state or our historic treasures - not abused it by chipping off pieces of the mill for souvenirs and entering the historic mill. The owner was forced to destroy the trail to the river and barricade the entrance to protect the Mill according to an article in The Denver Post in July 2023). We started our journey at 8:30, ate lunch at the Mill and spent 45 minutes resting and taking photos. We took our time hiking down as going up we concentrated on the road before us and we wanted to enjoy the scenery we missed going up. We got back to our car around 4:30. If you haven't seen the Crystal Mill, add it to your bucket list!
翻译: 找到从马布尔镇到磨坊的路并不像社交媒体所说的那么容易。镇上没有明显的指示牌或箭头来引导您。我们停下来向一位当地居民询问确切的方向。很多人租了全地形车和 Side x Sides,他们看起来玩得很开心!一些勇敢的人尝试了山地自行车——我不知道他们是否成功了。我们观察到,成功登顶的唯一车辆是四轮驱动、高间隙丰田卡车和 4-Runner 以及吉普车。我们决定勇敢地徒步旅行。无论您做什么,开车经过镇西的海狸湖 (Beaver Lake)。请注意,您最后一次使用卫生间的机会是海狸湖 (Beaver Lake) 的便携式卫生间。但是,您不能将车停在湖边徒步旅行。开车经过并绕湖行驶。水晶磨坊路 (Crystal Mill Road) 向上延伸的底部设有大约可停放 8 辆车的停车场。左边和马路对面有一所空房子。实际的旅程从更远的地方开始,从你左边开始,有一个艰难的坡度和很多岩石。 (第一英里是最具挑战性的一英里。)我们被告知继续步行/开车,直到您到达右侧的红色房子。果然,有一座红房子。如果您想徒步走完剩下的路,那里还设有可停放 4-5 辆汽车的额外停车场。岔路口有一个牌子,上面写着:“特辣特辣”。选择菜单上的“辣”餐,然后将叉子放在右侧。大约 75% 的上下行驶/徒步旅行都是上坡路。一路上有更平坦、更平坦的区域,但路上有很多岩石和洞。在我们徒步旅行的前两天,碰巧下了雨,冲毁了部分道路,导致道路上留下了水湖,我们要么绕着走,要么穿过道路。沿着水晶河行驶,您会看到沿途美丽的风景。停下来聆听清澈的水流过岩石时发出的声音。真是太清爽了!一位徒步旅行者说他们甚至看到了一只熊。我们看到了一些野花和蝴蝶。在攀爬红房子之前,您将首先经过蜥蜴湖。当您到达水晶磨坊时,它将位于路的右侧。我们确信磨坊里会有一个标牌,上面写着“水晶磨坊”或“恭喜!你成功了!”但没有迹象。磨坊就在那里,从树后偷看你。你看到的唯一表明你已经到达的东西是场地边缘的一张野餐桌。言语无法形容这景色有多么令人惊叹!花点时间想象一下,如果现有的磨坊是一座发电厂,配有水平移动的水轮,为在附近银矿工作的矿工压缩空气,那会是什么样子。您可以看到磨机附近用于破碎矿石的 3 冲压磨机留下的废料。它最初被称为羊山发电厂,由羊山隧道和采矿公司的发起人于 1893 年建造。我们宁愿在秋天白杨树变黄时参观磨坊,但即使在夏天,这也是一次很棒的经历。我拍了几段视频来捕捉水晶河和瀑布的声音,这些视频很好地发布在 Facebook 和 Instagram 上。至少可以说,这是一次具有挑战性的徒步旅行,但如果您想拍摄该州最具标志性的历史建筑的照片,那么这是值得的!如果您徒步旅行,请做好准备!坚固、防水的登山鞋、登山杖(如果您在松散的岩石上不稳定时)、防水防晒霜。 (人们没有意识到你在科罗拉多州的高海拔地区煎炸,尤其是在多云的时候。根据需要重新涂抹。) 6 月至 10 月,科罗拉多山区会下雨,因此请在背包中携带一件雨衣,除非你喜欢被淋湿。如果你这样做,那就太酷了。两瓶电解质水、高能量棒、红葡萄或苹果等水果都是不错的零食。是的,水晶河已被围起来的传言是真的。你不能再走到河边近距离拍照,但仍然可以拍到精彩的照片。 (如果那些不尊重我们的国家或我们的历史宝藏的人有权利——不滥用它,砍下磨坊的碎片作为纪念品并进入历史悠久的磨坊,那就没有必要了。业主被迫毁坏了通往磨坊的小路。根据 2023 年 7 月《丹佛邮报》的一篇文章,在河流和入口处设置路障以保护磨坊)。我们于8:30开始旅程,在磨坊吃了午餐,并花了45分钟休息和拍照。我们慢慢地下山,上山时我们把注意力集中在前面的路上,我们想欣赏我们错过的上山风景。 4点30分左右我们回到车上。如果您还没有见过水晶磨坊,请将其添加到您的愿望清单中!