Hello, I'm a highschool student that is very interested in Mineralogy and plan to be in the Denver and Golden area of Colorado around June the 24th-28th to visit the Colorado School of Mines. Are there any open mines or collecting sites that I could take advantage of while I'm out there that people would recomend. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks, -Zach http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,261486#msg-261486 Thu, 23 May 2013 09:24:52 +0000 Phorum 5.2.15a http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,267211#msg-267211 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,267211#msg-267211 -------------------------------------------------------
> Hey Dean,
>
> I hiked up to the Yule Quarry back in the early
> 90's when you could. It's all private property up
> there now. I have almost given up mineral
> collecting in the Front Range area because of the
> same reason. When I first got to Colorado 31 years
> ago, you could go just about anywhere and not deal
> with PP issues. It seems now every backroad leads
> to some mountain mansion. It's a frustrating
> situation for us mineral collectors, especially
> when you drive a long way to a locality, only to
> find that dreaded sign.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Too bad what you say. During my HS days in Lakewood in the 60's I'd spend hours on Table Top Mt collecting zeolites, and all night in a mine or two in Idaho Springs looking for stuff. Did Lagarita Pass and Red Feather Lakes for quartz, Stoneham for blue baryte and other back roads near Fairplay and Leadville as well as all those good places for smoky quartz and amazonite in Teller Co. Those were the days and it is really a bummer to think that if I come back to Colorado to look for some stuff, it is now all housing developments and private roads leading to some of my "old spots" Do we really call this progress?]]> Bill Morgenstern Rockhounds Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:45:23 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,266009#msg-266009 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,266009#msg-266009
Mark]]> Mark & Linda Mahlum Rockhounds Sun, 15 Jul 2012 22:18:11 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265873#msg-265873 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265873#msg-265873
I'd love it if you could put your name at the ends of your posts so that I knew how to address you. I always am assuming it is Mark that I am talking to, but that could get me in trouble fast! :-S

Anyways, Silverton is my second favorite town in CO after Creede. It is such a great collecting location. My trip there last year ended up with an exploration leg (for the amethyst) that left me barreling away full bore with my little rental car trying to get more traction on a ascent up near the snow patch area. We ended up parking the car at the switchback and doing some sulphide picking instead in some old tailings.

For anyone heading out to CO; The old Mayflower Mill museum east of Silverton is one of the finest complete mill museums that I've ever seen. It shut down after proccessing the last of the Sunnyside material in the 80's(?) and the county now has ownership and operates it as a very nice museum of mill machinery (no minerals to see).]]> David Zimmerman (2) Rockhounds Sat, 14 Jul 2012 12:14:37 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265759#msg-265759 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265759#msg-265759
Tourism is on the decline in that community and yet a large number of residents resist any revival of mining. Tourism based jobs are minimum wage while the extraction industry pays several times that amount. I read that the average tourist drives some 800 miles each way to visit here. That's environmentally friendly? A remote area like SW Colorado is inevitably going to see declines in the numbers of tourists as the war on American mobility (fossil fuels) grows. Resurrection of mining would be a vastly superior alternative.

I know I'm off topic but just think of the Colorado specimens that would come onto the market if such a revival happened, of course assuming attention was paid to saving said specimens. An old miner at the Idorado who isn't prone to embellishment told me of lustrous, hoppered quartz crystals the diameter of his chest and several feet long in a vug that was never touched.]]> Mark & Linda Mahlum Rockhounds Thu, 12 Jul 2012 22:10:40 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265750#msg-265750 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265750#msg-265750
I hiked up to the Yule Quarry back in the early 90's when you could. It's all private property up there now. I have almost given up mineral collecting in the Front Range area because of the same reason. When I first got to Colorado 31 years ago, you could go just about anywhere and not deal with PP issues. It seems now every backroad leads to some mountain mansion. It's a frustrating situation for us mineral collectors, especially when you drive a long way to a locality, only to find that dreaded sign.]]> Rudy Bolona Rockhounds Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:35:36 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265749#msg-265749 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265749#msg-265749
No, I haven't made it to that most photogenic site yet. I did make it to the quarry though...maybe 5 years ago on the trail that starts at a cabin and follows Crystal Creek up a bit, then dips into the woods for a while, and finally spills you out into the marble block rejects slope. Walking on the the marked trail which turned into a quarry road for a bit then allowed one to get that classic view of the Yule Marble Mine through the old portal. The trail was small, but well marked 5 years ago. That would be another great site lost if you are correct. The town of Marble and Redstone were two of my favorite small towns in CO. I highly recommend staying in the hotel on the river in Redstone and walking the city during the evenings.]]> David Zimmerman (2) Rockhounds Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:35:18 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265741#msg-265741 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265741#msg-265741
Have you ever been to the mill building overlooking the crystal river near Marble Colorado? I took a wrong turn last month when I tried to find it.

I was in that area hoping to see the Yule Marble quarry, but some new private property owners have closed the path which had been used by the public for years to view the quarry and marble dump. We can probably thank trial lawyers for that closure.

-Dean Allum]]> Dean Allum Rockhounds Thu, 12 Jul 2012 19:12:53 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265726#msg-265726 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265726#msg-265726 Rudy Bolona Rockhounds Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:52:55 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265693#msg-265693 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265693#msg-265693 Mark & Linda Mahlum Rockhounds Thu, 12 Jul 2012 02:49:06 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265688#msg-265688 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265688#msg-265688
I wish I could say your story only related to CO, but that's happening everywhere and at a fast pace. Up here in QC we just lost access to about 90% of the operating quarries last year.]]> David Zimmerman (2) Rockhounds Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:50:30 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265683#msg-265683 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265683#msg-265683 Mark & Linda Mahlum Rockhounds Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:43:37 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265522#msg-265522 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265522#msg-265522 David Zimmerman (2) Rockhounds Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:34:51 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265493#msg-265493 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265493#msg-265493 Mark & Linda Mahlum Rockhounds Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:58:55 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265491#msg-265491 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265491#msg-265491
The Book Cliffs barite locality is still open and actually covers a very large area. It has been hit hard for a long time but if you're willing to work, quality crystals can be had. There is one small area that I have collected which produced terminated golden brown crystals but I'm unwilling to disclose it here. They are slightly darker than the Elk Creek crystals. Only a few concretions have these and it would be exhausted in no time. I hope to go back to that locality some day.

The second photo is one of my favorites. It's a flattened calcite rhomb and a water clear barite crystal on a brown barite crystal. It measures 6 cm. x 4.5 cm. x 4 cm. The crystal in the first photo is 4 cm. long.]]> Mark & Linda Mahlum Rockhounds Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:54:03 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265365#msg-265365 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,265365#msg-265365
Also, don't forget to check out the Miner Museum in town. Last time I was there they had a great local topaz collection on display.

If I were doing my first trip to CO, the first book I would get would be Colorado Rockhounding by Stephen Voynick. Loads of locations and maps. It's my favorite CO book and I have over 40 from CO. They might even have it at the gift shop at the Denver Natural History Museum, which I'm sure is one of your first stops in town.]]> David Zimmerman (2) Rockhounds Sun, 08 Jul 2012 02:04:19 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,264381#msg-264381 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,264381#msg-264381 -Zach]]> Zach Berghorst Rockhounds Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:35:47 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,264077#msg-264077 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,264077#msg-264077 Does anyone know where in Leadville there are good mine dumps open to collectors? And is Crystal Peak still available to the public?
Thanks again,
-Zach]]> Zach Berghorst Rockhounds Tue, 19 Jun 2012 18:21:12 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263935#msg-263935 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263935#msg-263935
James]]> James Pool Rockhounds Sun, 17 Jun 2012 21:29:35 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263933#msg-263933 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263933#msg-263933
I suspect Stonehill isn't open, but maybe Grand Junction is.

Bart]]> Bart Cannon Rockhounds Sun, 17 Jun 2012 20:46:07 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263919#msg-263919 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263919#msg-263919 The western side of Ruby Mountain, which produces the garnets and topaz is now closed to collecting. The land was purchased a few years ago and the owner forbids any collecting. A shame since this site has been popular since pioneer days and a great and easy place to introduce kids to field collecting. I can't believe Chaffee County allowed this. I guess anything for more money.]]> Rudy Bolona Rockhounds Sun, 17 Jun 2012 15:37:10 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263918#msg-263918 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263918#msg-263918 Rudy Bolona Rockhounds Sun, 17 Jun 2012 15:27:43 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263913#msg-263913 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263913#msg-263913 Dave Owen Rockhounds Sun, 17 Jun 2012 13:48:58 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263911#msg-263911 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263911#msg-263911 Dave Owen Rockhounds Sun, 17 Jun 2012 13:37:37 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263901#msg-263901 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263901#msg-263901 James Christopher Rockhounds Sun, 17 Jun 2012 04:22:31 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263900#msg-263900 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263900#msg-263900
Start your Colorado mineral collecting library with Richard M. Pearl's "Colorado Gem Trails and Mineral Guide".

Some access details are far out of date, but the localities are still there.

Bart]]> Bart Cannon Rockhounds Sun, 17 Jun 2012 04:14:03 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263883#msg-263883 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263883#msg-263883 How is Pike's Peak for collecting? Is it against park policy or claimed?
Thanks again,
-Zach]]> Zach Berghorst Rockhounds Sun, 17 Jun 2012 01:25:54 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263869#msg-263869 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263869#msg-263869 Calumet Iron Mine. TONS of epidote, actinolite/tremolite, calcite, magnetite crystals and possibly more. You can't help but find good stuff there. The GPS coordinates are correct. You have to hike up from the lower road, the upper is closed.]]> James Christopher Rockhounds Sat, 16 Jun 2012 22:38:33 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263868#msg-263868 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263868#msg-263868 James Christopher Rockhounds Sat, 16 Jun 2012 22:32:31 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263810#msg-263810 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,263810#msg-263810 I noticed that there are a lot of interesting pieces to be found in Mt. Antero, is this location open to the public, or must someone have a permit to search there?
-Zach]]> Zach Berghorst Rockhounds Sat, 16 Jun 2012 04:42:09 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,262410#msg-262410 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,261486,262410#msg-262410
North Table Mountain is fun - a pretty steep climb up and down, but worth it. You can see the Coors Brewery from up there, but since you're just a high schooler, better stick to Mountain Dew!

Lots of pyrite up on the dumps outside Leadville - I was last there in 2006, don't know if everything is all claimed and posted now, with metal prices so high. Word of warning there or anywhere up high in Colorado: watch out for sudden afternoon thunder/lightning storms. We were up on the Adelaide Mine dumps in Leadville after a light drizzle, collected for a couple hours, and were just getting ready to leave when BOOM! It was one of those bolts where you see the flash and hear/feel the noise at the same time, indicating a VERY close strike. Standing on wet ground with lots of metallic minerals in it, and holding hammers & chisels, ought to make you nervous. Plus, the torrential rain makes the steep dirt roads very slick and treacherous on the way down.

This is no joke! Colorado leads the US in lightning fatalities by a large margin. Collect up high in the mornings and keep a weather eye on the sky. Then come down, have lunch and collect at lower elevations in the afternoon. You'll live to be one of those old rock collectors who slowly petrify...

Goog luck, have fun, and tell us all what you find.

Cheers,
Bill]]> Bill Baker Barr Rockhounds Sat, 02 Jun 2012 05:44:08 +0000