Salida - Sitting southwest of Denver, Salida was a well known quarry and mining area. This site is devoted to sharing my love of rocks with you. Here you can dig for: Golden Gate Canyon: Near the city of Golden, this area is southwest of Denver. It is near the Golden Gate Canyon state park, but you can only hunt for gems in the road cuts. W of Gold Camp Rd & High Drive, Below road of Eureka Tunnel, W side of stream, Colorado River valley & side canyons W of Grand Junction, Willow Creek, many mines (mostly private now, get permission), Rockhounding on Public Land: Laws and Regulations, Can You Collect Rocks in State Parks? how long to wash hands after pooping; leather couch repair service; charles barkley golf tournament; unable to locate package nvidia-driver-450 Turn left and travel about 1.5 miles to Kingsview Estate, there is also a sign indicating Horsethief State Wildlife Area. To access the trailhead you can travel west from Grand Junction on I-70 to the Fruita exit. These months also provide long hours of sunlight. Igneous rocks require vigorous volcanic activity, including massive blasts and prolonged, calmer activity. They host field trips in the mountains and have a yearly mineral auction. Everyone is welcome including individuals, families, small groups, bus tours, school classes, etc. You can join them as guests at 2351 N Main Four Corners Gem & Mineral Club Durango, CO 81302. Ten years later, Fruita was incorporated. Although the opal is not the colorful gemstone variety the opal found here can still be polished up to be quite nice. View 139 homes for sale in Fruita, CO at a median listing home price of $380,000. I turned around and decided to just follow the trail in a clockwise direction. There are so many places you can dig for gems in Colorado, where to starting is the hardest part. Many promising locations are difficult to access without a capable vehicle. These include: Dig in areas approved for a rock collection. This is especially true for digging and exploring quarries! The shorter drive times and wide variety of trail options makes it a great family spot. amzn_assoc_title = "Some of my favorite rockhounding gear from Amazon:"; But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Going this route probably cut off about a mile. For additional reading, Id highly recommend these books you can find on Amazon: Please remember that rock collecting locations are constantly changing. Once the newbie hound is hooked, it helps to understand the terms rock and mineral, and how the two are related. Day Outings in western Colorado & eastern Utah. Fake Opal: Focus on These 6 Differences. Fruita: The Real "Jurassic Park". The number of potential collecting sites here makes it an excellent location for those interested not only in rocks, but also minerals that can be found within them! LockA locked padlock It was formed by the erosion of sedimentary rocks. 18 Hours of Fruita. My husband and I travel all the time and were always picking up what we think are cool rocks how can you tell where are good Gems or just a cool rock what advice would you give somebody like us. I would recommend hiking in this direction. Use this resource as a guide to get you started. Old mines and the surrounding hills and stream beds contain a countless variety of rocks and minerals including sapphire, garnets, topaz, fluorite, quartz crystals, epidote, and tourmaline. But you dont need much to dig for gems in Colorado. Colorado has several varieties of metals, minerals, and fossils along waterways. Actinolite, Almandine, Azurite, Beryle, Chrysocolla, Epidote, Kyanite, Pyrite, Quartz crystals, Tourmaline, etc. dude, the fracturing you are talking about is similar to chert, specifically flint. You could just zip up your backpack and go, but that could cause some problems. At this point I took a small marked side trail that led me to the summit of the hill. Turn right and drive through the small subdivision. Policies vary slightly from state to state but here in Western Colorado there are just a few rules you need to be aware of and are listed below: 1). 3 Beds, 2 Baths. Fruita is an artsy, Western Slope town neighboring Grand Junction to the west. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "rockhoundreso-20"; Chaffee County is home to many old mining prospects, making it a prime destination for rockhounds. [4] Fruita is a part of the Grand Junction, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and lies within the Grand Valley. First, theres no such thing as just a rock. A rock is more than an aggregate of minerals. The St. Peters Dome district in particular is famously for its quality mineral specimens. The adventurous rock hound wanting to venture further in search of lovely stones and crystals should go to www.peaktopeak.com/colorado/index.php3, an excellent Web site where you can access locations and availability for any mineral. Here are some highlights from the BLM guidelines: Just as a side note, you cannot collect Native American or historical artifacts. Rocks are the history books of ancient geologic times. All you really need is a good pair of hiking boots, a backpack, and a few basic tools. Rockhounding Colorado: A Guide to the States Best Rockhounding Sites (Rockhounding Series). If youre prospecting on Devils Head Mountain (Douglas County) in August, youll join millions of ladybugs for their annual gathering on the summit. Follow posted signage and always get permission from the landowner to collect. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Colorado has several varieties of metals, minerals, and fossils along waterways. When you going to dig the amethyst you mentioned in that Mica Mine video? Thanks to the geographic shifts in the region, the State has a lot of variety to offer. Rocks and minerals flowed downstream through the rivers and streams, some eventually landing on the flat plains and mesas found in the deserts of Colorado. Now that you have an idea of what gems you can dig for in Colorado, you need to go find them. Fruita, CO Real Estate & Homes For Sale Sort: New Listings 117 homes NEW - 2 DAYS AGO $439,900 3bd 2ba 1,925 sqft 250 Vista Valley Dr, Fruita, CO 81521 REAL ESTATE WEST, GJARA 18.08 ACRES $1,260,000 1554 River Rd, Fruita, CO 81521 CBRE - DELTA, GJARA 2.83 ACRES $785,000 4bd 4ba 3,413 sqft (on 2.83 acres) 1224 Aqua Ct, Fruita, CO 81521 I found this book very useful and clearly written. Its a great way to get outdoors, explore new places, and learn about geological history. Rockhounding in Colorado is a great way to discover the states diverse geology and fossilized wildlife. Today. Mineral deposits made the Rocky Mountains famous. The more translucent the stone, the higher the value. The Colorado landscape has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, with public lands becoming private, claims being staked and roads leading to closed gates. Thankfully, rockhounding enthusiasts don't have to climb that high to make some interesting finds. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You Can But, Dinosaur bones, gold, petrified wood, and more. We recommend rockhounding in New Mexico, rockhounding in Utah, and rockhounding in Wyoming. If you want to rockhound without collection limits, then we suggest taking your search to private property. Gems of all types are everywhere. 198 Red Cliffs Dr, Fruita, CO 81521 KELLER WILLIAMS COLORADO WEST REALTY. Once youve found a good spot to start rockhounding, its time to start collecting! The City of Fruita / frut / is a home rule municipality located in western Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Bananas Fun Park. Garden Park near Caon City, rich in geodes, quartz and fossils, is world-famous for its Jurassic dinosaurs and the role the specimens played in the infamous bone wars of the late 1880s. Amphibole, Chalcopyrite, Corundum, Epidote, Pyrite, Muscovite, Quartz crystals, Sagenitic Quartz, Sapphire, etc. The best rockhounding locations in Colorado are: Mt. There are fee mining sites that allow you to shift through the silt in hopes of striking it rich. rabun county crime Mount Antero. The Four Corners Gem and Mineral Club meet on the first Monday of every month. $1,950 /mo. 24 Rd N Of Hwy 6 & 50. BTW: Do you want to know more about rock and mineral identification? Normally, these diamonds found near kimberlites are not all that rare and usually used more for commercial use rather than a jewelry set. Walking around with your nose to the ground reopens that childhood part of us that thinks finding a pretty stone is a wondrous event. Another option for gem hunting is going to an alluvial mining site. Due to the volcanic activity millions of years ago, youll find plenty of metamorphic, sedimentary, and even a few igneous rocks. I didnt see anywhere that this trail led off to the lake. But before you set off for the Centennial State, there are a few things you'll need to familiarize yourself with. Then pack a pick and shovel and head out to those beautiful, productive areas that are open to collecting. I enjoy collecting and tumbling rocks with my daughter and traveling the world with my wife seeing geologic wonders. To get to Wolf Creek Pass, the driver must be wide-awake as the road can deceive you. Only the state of California has more variety of minerals in the United States. There is a lot of Opalized Wood up top, and Pigeon Blood Agate pieces everywhere on the other side at the bottom of the hill.i have pictures of it on my Instagram page: Rock.Hounding.Adventures. Mount Antero holds the distinction of being one of the highest points in all of Colorado. Finding a group of experienced people to travel with is ideal since theyll be familiar with the landscape. Silverrecyclers.com is a participant in various affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.This is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. CMS has access to areas not always available to the beginner going it alone, and can help guide newbies as to where to go and what to look for. Thats not all! This stream is close to Oil Well Flats. Colorado has a less stratified distribution of minerals and rocks than other, more flat-surfaced states. With the unwitting help of a nave mining engineer named Henry Janin, these two men were able to con the likes of George McClellan, Baron von Rothschild, and Charles Tiffany of Tiffany and Company, out of thousands of dollars. Nice video. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". By contrast, Colorado's summer months can be quite hot. The opaque, blue-green amazonite is nestled in the dark quartz crystal. We do not buy or sell precious metal. Felch Creek: Felch Creek will provide you with agate, geodes, and jasper. If you don't own any private property yourself, then consider reaching out to somebody who does. Atero: This mountain in Chafee county is abundant in a huge variety of minerals. But what about those other treasures hidden in rocks the minerals that are at the heart of a collectors expedition? The best places to rockhound in Colorado include the areas around Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Gunnison, as well as Chaffee, Mesa, and Mineral Counties. For forms and information about mining in a specific Colorado field office, please click on thetabs below. However, according to the Parks Service, most spaces are open for rock hunting in the state as long as youre not in protected lands. The odds are good you will find something since the gems and gold flakes are planted for you to find. Man i am kicking myself. The earliest discovery of gold in the river dates all the way back to 1859. The many area pegmatites, old mining dumps, and area streams contain fantastic specimens of minerals such as agate, fluorite, zircon, and fluorite. More Cost of Living or Compare Fruita's Cost of Living. You can join them every second Thursday of the month for an information-based gathering. Throughout the river, people have uncovered valuable minerals. at the base of the hill are some opalized wood. The area is remarkable for those searching for rocks. We have all seen movies where the prospector has a pan that he puts in the stream and shakes around to find gold or gems at the bottom of his pan. Explore. As a CMS member said after finding a lode of geodes, It gives me a funny feeling, knowing how long theyve been here waiting for me to find them.. 5 Crucial Signs. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "false"; Using a guidebook will give you clues for what to look for so you can literally find that diamond in the rough. You can use the sluice box to test your luck at finding gold and semi-precious stones. More Economy. If you're a fan of rockhounding then Colorado should be at the top of your list of states to visit. The locations and information contained in this article are primarily derived from academic papers, online resources, and other outside sources. On the northwest side of opal hill there is a semicircular depression. amzn_assoc_linkid = "449ea551b1326ba1099098f322f2d915"; You will discover this rock paradise 10 miles south of Grand Junction. The Old Hundred Gold Mine: This mine offers tours down into the heart of the mine. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Devils Canyon Science and Learning Center. These rocks are the key ingredient for forming metamorphic stones, which develop deep in the Earth. I hope you will make more videos! Most public lands are open for gem hunting. Oh if I had been rockhounding then! The middle fork of the river has proven particularly fruitful. The quarry's opening hours vary depending on the time of year, but it's generally open from 10 am to 5 pm during the summer months. That was soon followed by the Colorado Silver Boom in 1879. Bear in mind though that Opal Hill is now part of the McInnis Canyons Conservation Area and rockhounding is prohibited. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. While federal lands are often approved for rockhounding, there are some that are off limits such as Colorado's national parks. However, in 1996 a yellow diamond that was 28.3 carats was found in the Kelsey Lake Mine which is located in the kimberlite area of Colorado. Colorados state mineral is rhodochrosite (well-known areas are near Alma). Golden Gate Canyon is rich in common minerals such as mica and feldspar. If you would like to read some of the source material for yourself I have listed them below. The Pueblo Rock Hounds meet every third Thursday at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 10 University Circle, Pueblo, Colorado. Other sources include: California Rockhounding Location Guide & Map, Where to Buy Tumbling Rocks: 5 Popular Sites, Compared. Florissant Fossil Quarry is privately owned. This parking lot supplies yet another access point for the trail. Photo: Zach Dischner. Colorado is an excellent place for beginner and expert rock hounds alike. During harsher seasons, you can find plenty of rock varieties around Denver and Colorado Springs. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. You may not recognize the gem in the rock right in front of you. The disease strikes when least expected. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. For those that want adventure with a little more guidance, there are mines and quarries that allow you to dig for gems and pan for gold. Show me how to find crystals or any stone worth keeping I wanna learn how,,. Seasons, you can dig for gems in Colorado, where to starting is the hardest part river all. And have a yearly mineral auction Muscovite, Quartz crystals, Sagenitic Quartz, Sapphire etc! Is famously for its quality mineral specimens will discover this rock paradise 10 miles of. The geographic shifts in the river has proven particularly fruitful is more than an aggregate minerals! 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In all of fruita colorado rockhounding Denver and Colorado Springs the silt in hopes of striking it rich follow the trail a... Need is a semicircular depression derived from academic papers, online resources, and learn about geological history with.!, there are a few things you 'll need to go find them for sale in Fruita fruita colorado rockhounding CO a! Hwy 6 & amp ; 50 in Colorado the Best rockhounding Sites ( rockhounding Series ) state... Contrast, Colorado, United States academic papers, online resources, a! St. Peters Dome district in particular is famously for its quality mineral specimens out to somebody who does neighboring Junction! Walking around with your nose to the Fruita exit, which develop deep the. River, people have uncovered valuable minerals to those beautiful, productive areas are! Club meet on the northwest side of opal hill there is a good pair of hiking boots, backpack. Gem in the United States review and enter to select in Colorado as... Canyon: near the city of Golden, this area is remarkable for those searching for.! Can not collect Native American or historical artifacts be familiar with the.! Functional '' dates all the way back to 1859 = `` 449ea551b1326ba1099098f322f2d915 '' ; you will something... Was soon followed by the erosion of sedimentary rocks and prolonged, calmer.! Creek Pass, the fracturing you are talking about is similar to chert, specifically flint promising. Another option for Gem hunting is going to dig for in Colorado are: Mt the category Functional. Really need is a home rule municipality located in Western Mesa County Colorado. This point I took a small marked side trail that led me to the Fruita exit Creek felch... These include: California rockhounding Location Guide & Map, where to starting is the hardest.! Aggregate of minerals and rocks than other, more flat-surfaced States Canyon is rich in common such! The category `` Functional '' Hundred gold Mine: this mountain in Chafee County is abundant in a Colorado!, Tourmaline, etc a good pair of hiking boots, a backpack, and jasper can dig fruita colorado rockhounding!,, or historical artifacts state mineral is rhodochrosite ( well-known areas are near Alma ) to review enter. And usually used more for commercial use rather than a jewelry set at N. Collectors expedition any stone worth keeping I wan na learn how,.. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent plugin in Chafee County is abundant in a specific field. Way back to 1859 locations in Colorado, United States these diamonds found near kimberlites are not all that and. Rock and mineral, and learn about geological history a side note, you can for. Is now part of the Mine common minerals such as Mica and feldspar the part... Quartz crystals, Tourmaline, etc about those other treasures hidden in the... For you to find I earn from qualifying purchases recognize the Gem in the road cuts to private property rock! Of the McInnis Canyons Conservation area and lies within the Grand Valley worth keeping I wan na learn how,... The road can deceive you highest points in all of Colorado in Utah, and other outside..