pitkin

We stopped here in '14 for an excellent lunch and plan on doing so again in '15. They offer fuel as well, which comes in very handy if you're riding the trails and single-tracks.

Loved this little town . We stopped here on our way up the mountain to have a picnic and it was great. Everyone was so friendly and the little general store was so fun to go to.

We visited friends who have a cabin up the mountain right off Pitkin. Great views once you've managed the ride up. Down in Pitkin, go see the fish hatchery and check out souvenirs at Silver Plume General Store. Or just grab a coffee and sit outside the store - you'll get to know a lot of very friendly people. Definitely recommendable and not too far from Gunnison either, which has a little airport too - just in case.

With each turn on the road from Route 50 at Parlin to the quaint historic town of Pitkin, one realizes what a treasure has been discovered! the scenery is jaw dropping and the opportunities for wildlife watching are tremendous. Many of the historic buildings have been lovingly restored. Quartz Creek runs through the town. The Silver Plume General Store has a surprising supply of interesting souvenirs. One can drive along the narrow roads up to the museum at the Alpine Tunnel, once the highest tunnel pass in the United States. Or choose to drive up Middle Quartz Creek and look for Beaver dams and moose. Elk and deer abound. Continue driving over the pass into Tin Cup and spend an afternoon rafting the Taylor River, drive back through Gunnison and return the loop up the Quartz Creek Valley back to Pitkin Paradise.

Pitkin is one of very few towns left where everyone knows everyone. It is far from a ghost town, especially in the summer. A restaurant and general store provide limited provisions, and Gunnison is only a forty minute drive. The streets of Pitkin hustle and bustle with atvs and vactioners offering friendly smiles and waves. It's a wonderful place to visit!

We drove through Pitkin on our way to Tin Cup. There are old buildings, a couple of general stores and quite a few residences. Lots of people were on ATVs and dirt bikes.

always like to travel to Pitkin just to look around..only one store there so don't leave highway with little gas..great scenery..

CUMBERLAND PASS (12,010),8 mls from Tincup. Looking North, the picks are the Elk Mountain near Aspen. Continues on 765 S, still unpaved, still wide, in good shape, all the way to Pitkin, where 765 becomes 76S, paved, going to 50 at Parlin. Shortly after Cumberland Pass, at Quartz Creek, are the hopper, the waste dump and the ruins of three cabins of the Bon Ton Mine. QUARTZ – silver in 1879 & 1880, also freight depot where cargo was transferred from trains to wagons heading over Cumberland Pass. Nothing remains of the town today. PITKIN – founded in 1879, as Quartzville, but changed soon to honor Frederick W. Pitkin, the state’s second governor. Silver and Gold was found along the Quartz Creek Valley. Ore transportation was a major problem which did not get resolved until 1882 when Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad reached Pitkin. When the Sherman Act of 1893 demonetized silver, the gold claims became vital to Pitkin’s survival. That lasted till 1916. Then the town became a timber town, but by the 1970s the population was down to a couple of dozen. About a dozen old buildings on Main street, including a Stage Stop. Now it’s mostly summer residents, too many new cabins built too close to old structures, it’s practically impossible to take good pictures because of the closeness of new buildings. OHIO CITY – about 6 mls further South on 765, which becomes 76 in Pitkin. The 1906 Ohio City Hall is a classic false-front building with pressed tin siding and about the only one you might isolate for photos. It is very photogenic. The rest of the old structures are, similarly to Pitkin, too close to new buildings and thus unattractive. Just like in Tincup, gold was found here in 1860 but development did not start until 1879, when silver was also discovered. The 1893 silver crash dealt the town a blow, but production still continued, until WW II, when mining of non-strategic minerals was prohibited. At Parlin, we took 50 W to Gunnison, where, once again, we took 135 North, this time driving all the way to Crested Butte. Sleep in The Inn at Crested Butte, boutique hotel and spa, very pleasant, only 4 years old. Diner at the Wooden Nickel, excellent trout, lousy service and prices.

Stopped in Pitkin for ice cream. Stop at the second ice cream shop!! Super friendly employees and cute little store. Loved this little town.