Woody Creek is an unincorporated community in Pitkin County, Colorado.
It is located in the valley of the Roaring Fork River northwest of Aspen, along Colorado State Highway 82, where Woody Creek exits a canyon and joins the Roaring Fork. It is situated at the northwest (and least developed) end of a small valley that stretches southeast along the Roaring Fork to Aspen.
The community is centered around the Woody Creek Tavern, a well-known landmark that sits along a county road, somewhat concealed from State Highway 82. Adjacent to the tavern is a trailer park and several homes, ranging from modest older ones to newer upscale structures.
At one time the Woody Creek Tavern sponsored a legal defense fund for the CEO of Enron, Kenneth Lay; specifically, a jar on the top of the bar, in which patrons could drop their donations. The jar contained items such as screws, condoms, toothpicks, a small toy figure of a man with broken legs, string, rubber bands and pennies.
Woody Creek was the residence of noted author Hunter S. Thompson at the time of his death. It also has been the home of several other notable popular celebrities and musicians including Don Henley of the Eagles, John Oates, and actor Don Johnson.
In many ways, Woody Creek is considered more elite and exclusive than Aspen. Residents must pass a period of acceptance and rite of passage into a strange form of what is considered reverse-snobbiness.
|
