The Crystal River is a tributary of the

Roaring Fork River Roaring Fork River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in west central Colorado in the United States. The river drains a populated and economically vital area of the Colorado Western Slope called the Roaring Fork Valley or ...

. It is approximately long and is located in Gunnison, Pitkin and

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...

counties in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, United States. The river is a popular

fly fishing Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is in ...

and outdoor tourism destination.DIY Fly Fishing, "DIY Guide to Fly Fishing the Crystal River in Colorado"; retrieved July 10, 2023
/ref> The Crystal River remains one of the few rivers in Colorado that is undammed along its length, making the segments that are upstream of large ranching irrigation diversions outside of Carbondale eligible for federal Wild and Scenic River protection. The Crystal Valley historically was a seasonal home and hunting ground of the Parianuche and Yampa bands of the

Ute people Ute () are an Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin, Indigenous people of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau in present-day Utah, western Colorado, and northern New Mexico.Pritkzer''A Native American Encyclopedia'' p. 242 Historically, their t ...

Description

The watershed includes a series of prehistorically glaciated valleys on the west side of the Elk Mountains such as Avalanche Creek, Silver Creek, Yule Creek and the North and South Forks of the Crystal. It also drains southern portions of the east side of the Thompson Divide via Coal Basin, Perham Creek, and Thompson Creek. The village of Redstone and Coal Basin was historically a center of

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

, while quarrying for Yule Marble in

Marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

continues presently. It rises in northern Gunnison County on the north side of Schofield Pass near the Maroon Bells and passes through the

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

of Crystal City, still inhabited by a few summer residents and known for the Crystal Mill photographic attraction. It then flows north past

into

Pitkin County Pitkin County is a county in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,358. The county seat and largest city is Aspen, Colorado, Aspen. The county is named for Colorado Governor Frederi ...

and past Redstone. It joins the Roaring Fork below Carbondale in Garfield County. State Highway 133 follows the river along much of its route from Carbondale until several miles below Marble, where 133 turns southwest and crosses McClure Pass towards Paonia and

Delta, Colorado Delta is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Delta County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 9,035 at the 2020 United States census. The United States Forest Service headqua ...

. From Crystal City to Marble the river flows through the Crystal River Canyon, a narrow valley with numerous snowslide runs, rockfalls, and other hazardous terrain. Although it is locally known as a fishing and hiking attraction the unpaved and largely un-maintained mining road, designated Gunnison County Road 3 on Mapquest, is nearly impassable to vehicles other than ATVs and off-road motorcycles. A four-wheel-drive

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

tour is operated out of Marble, but only operates during the summer when the road is not blocked by snow, mud, or rock slides.

References

External links

{{authority control Rivers of Gunnison County, Colorado Rivers of Pitkin County, Colorado Rivers of Colorado Roaring Fork Valley Tributaries of the Colorado River in Colorado

Description

See also

References

External links