The perlite can be broken apart into iridescent botryoidal spheres of black obsidian known as marekanite. Turn right onto Spiral Drive. content ©1998-2020 Salida.com and Monty Holmes-monty@salida.com. To get to Wolf Creek Pass, the driver must be wide-awake as the road can deceive you. Some of the links on our website are affiliate links. Not to worry, we have just the “prescription” for these aches and pains, a soak in our natural hot springs. About sixty members, several field trips per year Road 194 (Hecla Junction Road) passes four old fluorspar mine sites. Feb 25, 2013 - Colorado Rockhounding This sites looks interesting for having locations but I have not been to any of them yet. Extensive lava flows cover much of the southwestern Mineral County. save. Thus, rockhounders may want to stay on the public lands of this mountain. There are regulations but NFS and BLM allow removal of rocks for personal collecting. 8 Mine is located on Hwys 24-285 5.9 miles east of the intersection of Hwys 24/285. Smoky quartz and sanadine crystals have been found in pegmatites in these areas. The area is remarkable for those searching for rocks. Sudden, dramatic weather changes and thunderstorms are common. Leadville, CO  80461 Find out more. By using our website you agree to our use of these cookies. Read "Rockhounding Colorado A Guide to the State's Best Rockhounding Sites" by William A. Kappele available from Rakuten Kobo. Selling is limited. Visitors have the opportunity to split open chunks of shale to search for fossils of the more than 1,700 species of plants and animals that were entombed in the muddy bottom of a lake that covered this area 34 million years ago. Garnet and topaz specimens can be found by sorting the talus rock at the base of the cliffs. Rockhounding Colorado takes you to 100 of the best rockhounding sites in the state. report. Turn immediately right following the road along tracks past two farmhouses. 94% Upvoted. There is a campground at the north end of Ruby Mountain; branch roads go in various directions. Minerals to be found in the area around the mines and dumps include: smithsonite and cerrusite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, rhodochrosite, rhodonite, and quartz. Veer east and then south on the main road past Sugarloaf Mountain and dry gullies (5.3 mi.). It is located near Nathrop, six miles south of Buena Vista, and produces small crystals of spessartite garnet (sometimes called mandarin garnet), yellow topaz, and obsidian in perlite. Some people think it's a downside that these deposits tend to be small and scattered. Within Colorado, one of… Skip to content. Turn left through gate and close it. Antero road at an intersection in the saddle between Mt. And don’t miss Tom’s Baby, an eight-pound gold nugget found in Breckenridge in the late 1800s. The 20 mines in the district produced over $5 million in fluorspar. Access: From Nathrop Post Office go south to CO162 (follows Chalk Creek west). This thread is archived. This stone was used in many important buildings throughout the country including the Dept. The Clara May Mine is located one mile east of the Crystal Mine. A locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Discover Trip Planning Deep Desert Expeditions. Visit at your own risk! Bonus: If you continue another six or so miles up the road, you’ll reach Golden Gate Canyon State Park, one of the region’s best areas for viewing fall foliage. National parks, monuments and state park don't allow the removal of rocks. And regardless of whether you’re a novice or a serious collector, you’re sure to enjoy the gem and mineral display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, which includes blocky, crimson-colored rhodochrosite and sky-blue aquamarine from Mount Antero.