Crystal Mill
CRYSTAL MILL
Near Marble, CO
This old rustic mill, placed on the Crystal River with its jagged rocks, waterfall and colorful aspens makes one of the most beautiful, most picturesque spots in Colorado.
The old mill is actually a powerhouse built in 1892 (and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985) and stands along the Crystal River about 5 miles east of the small town of Marble, CO. The location is only accessible with a high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle, horseback or on foot. A very, very tough trip to get there, but worth every moment. This very special place is is like no other place is Colorado.
The Crystal Mill is one private property and as of Fall 2022 the owners were charging $10 - $50 per person (based on your photography setup) to photograph inside the rope boundary.
Reports from Sept 2023 - is the owners of the Crystal Mill have decided to close the trail that leads down toward the water’s edge.
Images and location summary by Tim Wier
Trail Difficulty - EXTREME
I would rate the difficulty of this trail as a 5 on a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being most difficult). Although the location of this shot is an easy 50 yd. walk from the parking lot of the Crystal Mill, the road (if you can call it a road) is one of the more difficult you will ever travel. THIS LOCATION IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.
There are several ways to get to the Crystal Mill: 1) walk the 5.6 miles each way, 2) drive your vehicle, 3) rent an ATV/ Polaris or 4) take a Jeep tour. If you are going to drive, be aware – that a serious 4-wheel off road vehicle is a must and I would suggest a spotter to help navigate the several deadly drop-offs, many high points, and large rocks on this severely narrow road. Watch this video before driving the road to the Crystal Mill (to see what you are in for)
Unless you have the right vehicle and are an experienced 4-wheel drive enthusiast, I would strongly suggest renting an ATV/ Polaris or taking a jeep tour. In the little town of Marble, CO you can either rent an ATV/ Polaris or take a Jeep tour at:
Crystal River Jeep Tours
(970) 963-1991
Marble, Colorado
RPS ATV RENTALS/ RPS Rentals
(970) 963-3747
112 East Main Street, Marble CO
GPS Coordinates & Elevation
8,897 Ft. Elevation
Downloads
View In Google earth
Directions
CLICK HERE to get driving directions the Crystal Mill parking lot.
PLEASE NOTE: you will loose your cell service once you leave Carbondale, CO. There are no gas stations in Marble! The closest gas is in either Carbondale or Delta. Make sure you fill up before going to Marble/Crystal Mill.
From Carbondale, CO - travel south on CO-133 S for 21 miles. Turn east on CO Rd 3 and drive 6 miles to the nice little town of Marble. Go through Marble on CO Rd 3 toward Beaver Lake. At Beaver Lake the paved road turns to a dirt road. About 1/2 mile past Beaver Lake the road gets real serious.
Once you pass Beaver Lake travel on the CO Rd 3 dirt road for 1.2 miles – you will come to a fork in the road: TAKE THE FORK TO THE RIGHT.
Once you have taken the right fork in the road you should pass a small lake (called Lizard Lake) on the left about ¼ up the road. If you haven’t seen this small lake after ½ mile you most likely have taken the wrong turn.
After the small lake, you will travel approx. 3.3 miles on a very narrow (1 lane), extremely difficult road with large boulders, steep 200 ft. deadly drops-offs. In fact, there are several places along the way that are simply impassable for an oncoming vehicle. If you come up on another vehicle, one of you will have to back up until you can find a pull out. The total distance from Marble to the Crystal Mill is approx. 5.6 miles, but the trip will take about 45 minutes each way.
At the end of this “white knuckle” drive, you will be rewarded with unbelievable location known as the Crystal Mill.
Photography Tips
There are several ways to shoot the Crystal Mill - 1) directly in front of the mill, 2) from the side of the mill (on the trail down to the water) and 3) down on the water.
In Front of the Mill
I have seen many of images from this location - and my favorite shot from directly in front of the mill. However, this a dangerous and very difficult shot to pull off for the following reasons: 1) to eliminate the foreground, you have to sit on a small ridge directly above the Crystal river (falling in the river from this spot would be disastrous/deadly), 2) the distance from the small ridge above the river to the mill is very short, which requires an extreme wide angle lens, 3) the mill is higher than the small ridge where you are, and when pointing up to the mill you get a keystone effect, and 4) to get the silky look for the water movement, you need a slower shutter speed (1/2 second or longer), but the Aspen trees behind the mill are usually blowing pretty hard from the rapid water flow.
You may have to take 2 images (the 1st with a slower shutter speed and a 2nd with a faster shutter speed) and blend them together.
From the side of the mill (on the trail down to the water)
This is a fairly easy place to capture a great image of the mill (and is where I photographed the image above). There is a short (but dicey) walkway/trail from the road down to the water. Find your favorite composition and setup shop.
When shooting from the side, pay attention to the location of the pitch of the roof of the mill and the sky. The lower you walk down toward the water, the higher the roof will be in the sky. Secondly, notice the sub-structure of the mill and try to keep it straight. It is easy to mis-align this - but can be corrected in post-production. Finally, you may need to bracket your shot to keep the leaves on the Aspen trees from moving while having a shutter speed slow enough to provide the silky look of the water movement.
Down on the water
It would seem fairly obvious to shoot from the water to capture the Mill. However, I have never found this composition very appealing. With this in mind, walk down to the water and see if you like this angle.
EXIF Data
Focal Length – 75 mm
Exposure – 1 sec @ f 8.0
ISO – 100
Date – Sept 30th
Time – 2.45pm
Best Time of Day to Shoot
When considering the timing of this shot you need to take into account the 45 minutes it will take to get back to Marble. I would not suggest navigating the road back in the dark!!
For me, the best time to shoot is either on an overcast day or late afternoon on a sunny day, as the sun starts to falls behind the mountains. If you shoot too early in the afternoon on a sunny day, the shadows will be too harsh and it will be almost impossible to get a good
Best Time of Year
This is a stunning location and is great during the spring and summer. However, for me, the best time of year is during the fall color season (depending on the year, this ranges between the last week in September and the first week in October), as the Aspen trees behind the mill add great depth to the screen. The VERY BEST time to capture this spot would be: 1) late afternoon or on an overcast day, 2) during peak fall colors, 3) when the water flow is strong, and 4) after a recent snow.
In my opinion, the colorful Aspen trees and water flow are what makes this shot special, so you may want to call the Marble Chamber of Commerce or the local jeep tour group to check on the conditions.
The above shot was taken on September 30th.
Lens(es) Needed
There are several places to shoot the mill: either straight on or from the side. If you shoot straight on, you will need an extreme wide angle lens (11-20mm). If you are going to shoot from the side, you can use a 24-50mm lens.
The shot above was shot from the side of the mill with a 35mm lens.
Birds-Eye View
Permits
There are no permits needed to drive to the Crystal Mill. However, the Crystal Mill is one private property and as of Fall 2022 the owners were charging $10 - $50 per person (based on your photography setup) to photograph inside the rope boundary..
Direction of the Shot
The shot from directly in front of the mill is south by southeast @ 150°
The shot from the side of the mill is eastward @ 107°
Equipment Needed
You will need a tripod and a neutral density filter to reduce your shutter speed to ½ second or longer to create the silky water flow. You may also want use a tilt shift lens to compensate for the keystone effect if shooting directly in front of the mill. Finally, you may want to consider doing a panoramic shot from this location, which would require pano equipment.
Number of Other Photographers to Expect
This location is one of the most stunning places in Colorado. However, the difficulty of getting here helps to reduce the number of photographers. That being said, I have been to the mill when there were as few as 2 photographers and as many as 50 at one time. With a somewhat small area to shot from, this can cause frustration and rattled nerves. My suggestion is to arrive early and be patient.
Weather
The weather in Colorado is normally mild in the summer and cold (lows in the 20’s) in the spring and fall. Having never been to this location in the winter, I am not sure the road is open or maintained that time of year.
Cell Service
use Verizon and there was NO cell service in Marble on the drive to the Crystal mill.
Lodging & Camping
Marble is a very small town with limited camping and lodging. There is a campsite (Bogan Flats Campground) on the road from Marble back to CO-133.
Nearby camping and lodging
Camping - click on the campground for directions
Bogan Flats Campground just after the turnoff from CO-133 S
Meri Daes RV Park is in Marble.
Lodging - click on the lodging below for a TripAdvisor review
Beaver Lake Lodge & Cabins
(970) 963-2504
201 E Silver St, Marble, CO
There is also 2 hotels in Carbondale, CO, which is approx., 25 north from Marble.
Nearby Restaurants
As mentioned, Marble is a small town and as far as I know the only restaurant in town is the Slow Grooving BBQ at 101 West 1st St. I have eaten there several times and the food is good, the beer to be cold, and the service is friendly. It is a GREAT place to shot on the way back from the mill.
There are also many very good restaurants in Carbondale, CO, which is approx. 25 miles north of Marble.
Nearby Restaurants - click on the restaurant below for yelp review
Slow Grooving BBQ
(970) 963-4090
101 W 1st St, Marble, CO
Area Guides and Workshops
None