Fodor's Expert Review Roaring Fork

Roaring Fork was settled by Europeans beginning in the 1830s. At its height, around the turn of the 20th century, there were about two dozen families in the area. Most lived a hardscrabble existence, trying to scrape out a living from the rough mountain land. The Noah "Bud" Ogle Self-Guided Nature Trail, on Orchard Road just before entering the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, offers a walking tour of a farmstead and the surrounding forest. Highlights include a log cabin, barn, streamside mill, and a wooden flume system designed to bring water to the farm. Among the historic structures on the Motor Nature Trail are the Jim Bales Cabin, the Ephraim Bales Cabin, and the Alfred Reagan House, one of the more "upscale" residences at Roaring Fork.