Anthracite Pass Trail

Anthracite Pass is the 10,295-foot saddle south of Marble that the Anthracite Pass trail climbs from the edge of town, 3.4 miles and 2,200 feet through aspen, spruce, and meadow into the Raggeds Wilderness, with the Ragged peaks and the Marble valley in view from the top. The trail continues over the pass into Anthracite Creek and the Dark Canyon for a long point-to-point, but the pass is the day.

From the small lot on Marble Quarry Road, a quarter mile past the bridge over the Crystal River at the east end of Marble, the trail climbs south through aspen at once, steep from the start, and enters the Raggeds Wilderness within the first mile. The aspen give way to spruce and fir as the trail switchbacks up the drainage, with occasional openings that look back over Marble and the Crystal River valley.

The last mile crosses meadows below the pass that are thick with wildflowers in late July, and the trail reaches the saddle at 10,295 feet with the Raggeds' broken ridges to the south and the peaks of the Elk Range to the east. The trail drops south from the pass as the North Anthracite trail toward Anthracite Creek and the Dark Canyon trail, a long through-hike to the Horse Ranch Park trailhead on Kebler Pass Road that needs a car shuttle; the shorter alternative from the pass is the descent to the Yule Creek trailhead and a walk back to Marble on the Quarry Road. Return the same way for 6.8 miles.

Marble is 6 miles east of Colorado 133 on County Road 3, about 25 miles south of Carbondale; in town, turn onto the Quarry Road at the fire station and park in the small lot a quarter mile past the bridge, or at Mill Park if it is full. Drive through town to its east end, where the trailhead is signed near the road toward Beaver Lake and the Lead King Basin road; parking is limited to the pullouts and the town asks visitors not to block the road. No fee or permit for day use. Marble has a general store and a couple of restaurants in summer.

Dogs are allowed; keep them under control, and camp at least 100 feet from the trail and streams, a Forest Service rule here. The steady steep grade is why the trail is not marked kid-friendly; older kids who hike do fine. Carry two liters; the creek is below the trail for most of the climb. The Marble quarry above town, where the stone for the Lincoln Memorial was cut, is the other reason to be here. Carbondale, 45 minutes, has the grocery. The White River region page has the Aspen and Glenwood trails, and the Maroon Bells-Snowmass page covers the Elk Range across the valley.