Colorado Mine Tours & Gold Rush Towns
Colorado
mines tell the stories of early explorers, fur trappers and prospectors
who came here in search of treasure after hearing tales of rivers
overflowing with gold rocks free for the taking!
In fact, early gold discoveries were relatively meager, but to
Americans on the East Coast eyeing the frontier, each report added
impetus to head west. Soon, the Colorado gold rush was on, with covered
wagons crossing the Great Plains to cries of “Pikes Peak or Bust!”
Today, you can visit many of these historic Colorado towns and ride our historic railroads to see remnants of gold rush past.
Many of these fortune seekers turned around once they saw what they were up against in Colorado — expansive prairie followed by high mountains and the rugged wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. Although the first “bonanza” of gold may have been little more than an exaggeration, prospectors hit paying lodes in 1859.
Visitors can follow the Colorado Gold Trail, a scenic tour of gold rush towns and gold and silver mines that flourished in the boom of the late 1850s. Towns on the trail include Boulder, Black Hawk, Central City, Idaho Springs, Breckenridge, Fairplay, Alma, Como and Leadville.
Of note is how these cities survived after the rush, avoiding the
fate of so many towns that disappeared once the boom passed. Each now
has its own character, legends and bragging rights, making them perfect
destinations for a historic good time.Many of these fortune seekers turned around once they saw what they were up against in Colorado — expansive prairie followed by high mountains and the rugged wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. Although the first “bonanza” of gold may have been little more than an exaggeration, prospectors hit paying lodes in 1859.
Visitors can follow the Colorado Gold Trail, a scenic tour of gold rush towns and gold and silver mines that flourished in the boom of the late 1850s. Towns on the trail include Boulder, Black Hawk, Central City, Idaho Springs, Breckenridge, Fairplay, Alma, Como and Leadville.
Colorado Mine Tours
Check out these popular mine tours for a look below the surface into Colorado history: see how the mining equipment worked, spot gold and silver veins, do some of your own gold panning and learn about Colorado mining characters.Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine Tour
Tours of the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Co. operations are held daily (except Thursdays) Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. The tours start at the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum and include a historical overview of the Gold Rush, as well as a guided tour of the modern gold mine. All proceeds from the tours are donated to the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum.
Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour
Named after the first woman to strike gold in Colorado, this 1,000-foot-deep tunnel in Cripple Creek is America’s only vertical mineshaft. Veins of gold still course through the walls, and at the end of every tour, visitors are given their own gold nugget.
Hidee Gold Mine Tour
Not many attractions pay you in gold to participate, but here’s one that does. Visitors are invited to chip away at a gold vein and keep what they find, giving them a hands-on understanding of the grueling work undertaken by the hard-rock miners who toiled underground in Central City.
Country Boy Mine Tour
Get your picture taken with a burro, slide down a 55-foot-long ore chute, pan for glittering gold and tour a 100-plus-year-old mineshaft cut 1,000 feet into the earth below Breckenridge. A tour of the mine also involves interactive demonstrations portraying various aspects of miners’ lives.
Lebanon Silver Mine Tour
An option mine tour offered to riders of the Georgetown Loop Railroad that runs between Georgetown and Silver Plume, this mine takes you 500 feet below in a tunnel bored in the 1870s to see veins of silver and other mining treasures. (Learn about more historic trains in Colorado.)
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Part of the Denver museum’s first floor has been transformed into a replica mineshaft. Precious stones glitter from its walls and stalactites hang heavy from ceilings in an immersive learning experience.
More Colorado Mine Tours
- Bachelor Syracuse Mine, Ouray- Old Hundred Gold Mine, Silverton
- Hard Tack Mine, Lake City
- Argo Gold Mine and Mill, Idaho Springs
- Phoenix Gold Mine, Idaho Springs
Colorado Mining Museums
- Creede Underground Mining Museum- National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, Leadville
- Western Museum of Mining & Industry, Colorado Springs– Victor Lowell Thomas Museum, Victor
See our Colorado mine-tours listings.
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