Pine Creek Cookhouse
The Pine Creek Cookhouse is located in the mountains outside of Aspen near the ghost town of Ashcroft in the Castle Creek Valley. The famed cookhouse is open year-round but getting there in the winter requires snowshoes, skis or a sleigh ride. (Courtesy Pine Creek Cookhouse)

Just over the hill from the glitz of Aspen, is a cookhouse where you can slow down and soak in the neverending views of Castle Creek Valley. At the end of the paved road past the historic Ashcroft ghost town, the cookhouse opened in 1971 and remains popular year-round (calling ahead is advised). It’s not as easy to get to in the winter when the road closes at Ashcroft, which serves as a cross-country skiing hub, when a mile trek (or sleigh ride) along the groomed trail is required to get to the restaurant, which sits at around 9,700 feet.

Pine Creek Cookhouse

12500 Castle Creek Rd, Aspen, CO 81611 (39.0381701056468, -106.808526459064)
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