"We ate here on a Wednesday in mid-December. The drive (from near Florissant) is beautiful, going both ways. Guffey sits in an ancient volcanic area, with great scenic surroundings. What 's best about it is that there isn 't much traffic and aren 't many people and mcmansions, unlike most of the Colorado mountains. Guffey would best be described as quaint but not quainte . The Freshwater is one of those unpretentious out-of-the-way places that has good food, beer, and coffee at a reasonable cost. I had a mushroom-Swiss burger and sweet-potato fries. It was the best burger I 've had in years--cooked to perfection and just the right size. The fries were also just right--I wasn 't stuffed when we went out to the car, but I was absolutely satisfied. The waitress was nice, too, and she wasn 't run ragged by too many customers but also didn 't bother us while we were sitting and talking with a friend for 2 hours. I recommend a drive to Guffey and a meal at the Freshwater if you 're visiting the Florissant Fossil Beds or Cripple Creek--it 's worth the drive and will give you a taste of the old Colorado, after the artificiality of Cripple Creek. For more central Colorado ambiance and scenery, continue to Hartsel on the back road from Guffey."
