I seldom visit Aspen or Snowmass without  a meal at the Pine Creek Cookhouse, summer or winter. This is a destination restaurant well worth the short drive.
Legendary Mountain Dining 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.