Ashcroft Nordic Ski Area

Located 11 miles outside Aspen at the base of the Elk Mountain range the Ashcroft Ski Touring cross-country area has over 35 km of groomed trails. At the heart of the area, the Pine Creek Cookhouse is the premier Aspen dining experience for cross-country skiers, snowshoers, nature lovers and gourmands. Originally built in 1971 and destroyed by fire in April 2003, the Pine Creek Cookhouse—spectacularly re-created as an authentic log cabin of native Colorado logs— once again delights diners with unique mountain gourmet cuisine. Guests leave their cars behind at the historic Ghost Town of Ashcroft to cross country ski, snowshoe, or ride the horse drawn sleigh to the Cookhouse.For lunch, skiers enjoy freshly made soup or wild game goulash along with the famous "Skier’s Banquet"—a fresh array of greens, grains, pastas, and seafood salads. At dinner, take a guided ski adventure by miner’s light or a romantic sleigh ride to the Cookhouse, then enjoy such legendary traditions as Porcini Dusted Elk or Jack Daniels Marinated Caribou. Wild game doesn’t appeal? The wild Alaskan Salmon, Rainbow Trout, and vegetarian specials will please the most finicky palette.Serving lunch daily noon to 2:00 p.m., and d inner nightly arrival time 6:30 p.m. to ski or sleigh to the Cookhouse Reservation Hotline: 970-925-1044; King Cabin Ski Hut:970- 925-1971 www.pinecreekcookhouse.com