Information for recreational gold prospectors, rockhounds, gem collectors, and treasure hunters! Gold prospecting in the Rocky Mountains a golden opportunity to saddle up and take the family exploring! Go Rockhounding, hunt for rare gems and mineral specimens. Colorado diamonds and aquamarines! Treasure hunting stories of lost caches of gold and stolen treasure. Links to clubs, Jeep tours, outfitters, resorts, and campground information. Find the finest hotels and motels near where you are prospecting in the Rocky Mountains and book your rooms online! HOME PAGE GOLD PROSPECTING GEM COLLECTING TREASURE HUNTING FIELD TRIPS COLORADO MINE TOURS COLORADO MINING MUSEUMS PROSPECTORS STORE GPAA MEMBERSHIP PROSPECTORS CODE OF ETHICS GOLD CONVERSION TABLE WEIGHT CONVERSION CHART MOH'S SCALE HERITAGE AND HISTORY FIND LODGING ROCKY MOUNTAIN AIR CHARTERS CARTOON ARCHIVES LINKS Today's Date is September 07, 2010 CONTACT US Updated 07/01/10

August 31st trip to the GPAA claims above Idaho Springs, Colorado Last Monday the wife and I grabbed our "adopted redheaded grandson", 4 year old Hayden, and a bucket full of implements of prospecting, then aimed the car west towards the magnificent Colorado Rockies. It's an hour from nearly anywhere in the Denver metro area, straight up I-70 to the west. Take the first exit into Idaho Springs, then veer left at the statue of newspaper comic hero Steve Canyon, and another left on Soda Creek Rd. For the first 1/4 mile or so south of the Interstate, you'll find Indian Hot Springs Resort is on both sides of the road so GO SLOW speed limit 15! The folks that own the hot springs also own and operate the famous Argo mine and mill, if you've got the time be sure to take the tour! The parking for the GPAA claims is clear at the end of Soda Springs Rd. Nice little parking lot and trailhead, easily accessed by the family sedan. Turns out the parking lot is in fact on the middle claim of the 3 adjacent claims one uphill and one down. This time of year there is nearly no water in the creek, especially on the upper claim, in the spring during the snow melt however, it can be a dangerous raging torrent. Of course this is actually a good thing since it re-classifies a lot of new gold bearing material for us. Be sure to keep an eye on your kids, the creeks and critters here can make it worthy of looking up once in a while! Might see Big Horn sheep, mule deer, black bear, or even a mountain lion, pay attention don't let an incident happen! If you plan ahead to have enough time, it's a worthy effort to take the Argo mine tour and note the material that was being found on the north side of the valley. Then go on up to the Phoenix Mine and take Al's tour, note how much different the material on the south side of the valley is. That difference will tell the observant prospector what, exactly we are looking for on the GPAA mine claims. Be sure to tell Al and Dave that Johnny Walker sent ya! Hayden was a natural, what little boy doesn't like to dig and play in the mud? In fact, what age do you have to be not to? It was a blast, we found a few flakes and some nice dust pay streaks in the bottom of our pan. We even came home with some concentrates to play with on the back porch. The sunshine was golden and the memories are priceless treasures! But I suppose the real treasure that fine day was getting to start another little prospector on the right trail! Happy Trails, Johnny & Laurie Walker The Rocky Mountain Adventure Guides! Home | Gold Prospecting | Learn the Basics | Separate Gold from Concentrates Prospecting Tips and Tricks: Locating Gold | Stanton Arizona 2005 Outing Research | Placer Gold Locations | Arizona Placer Gold | Gem Collecting Diamond Fields Hoax | Placer Diamonds | Gem Collecting | Treasure Hunting Jack Slade and the Virginia Dale stage robbery | Colorado Mine Tours The Alferd Packer story | How to use a Sluice | Placer Gold Locations How to Talk like a Miner | Arizona Gold Nugget of Unusual Size Crystal Mountain Pegmatites | The Reynolds Gang stolen treasure Prospector's Code of Ethics We accept Paypal, MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express, Checks and Money Orders. Copyright © 2010 - Rocky Mountain Tourism LLC - All Rights Reserved

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