Have more questions about the geology of the Royal Gorge Region? Visit the Cañon City Geology Club’s website or the Gold Mine Rock Shop. Minerals: Pink or orange marble and agate, jasper, and selenite. That being said, while you hunt for rocks, dinosaur bones are not to be collected. Garden Park area, approximately nine miles north of Cañon City is famous for its paleontological discoveries. Minerals: Orange and pink feldspar, rose and clear quartz, biotite, and tourmaline Texas Creek is on US highway 50 between Salida and the Royal Gorge In the rugged hills north of Texas Creek are some pegmatites that contain good rose quartz. Please Note: Most pegmatites are privately owned Other notable minerals include columbite-tantalite and quartz. Some of them were as large as eight feet. In fact, huge books of mica were found by early miners. They have a durable outer wall that is more resistant to weathering than the surrounding bedrock. There is possibly some orange and pink feldspar, and muscovite. Geodes are spherical to subspherical rock structures with an internal cavity lined with mineral materials.

Pink, lilac and green elbaite tourmaline crystals were found in this area by early miners. Minerals: Very large greenish beryl crystals were mined from two quarries in this area. Many pegmatites, most of them commercially quarried, occur 8 miles west of Cañon City near the Royal Gorge. Minerals: White, clear, yellow or orange calcite crystals occurring within calcite veins in weathered limestone, and goethite after pyrite. The limestone falls apart easily, so it is easy to dig in. Two miles south of Penrose, you will find several gullies that contain seams of calcite in limestone. Please Note: This location’s collecting and accessibility status is currently unknown, so please as permission before digging or collecting Minerals: Fluorite with purplish botryoidal crystals. This area is one of the few localities known with true botryoidal fluorite specimens. Please Note: Private property must be crossed to get to BLM land Minerals: Geodes usually containing small crystals of clear quartz or whole calcite and agate Minerals: Banded blue or multicolored agate occurring in veins within limestone quartz in clear crystals an inch or so longįelch Creek area is made of bluffs and gullies east of Fourmile Creek and CT 9. Please Note: This location’s collecting and accessibility status is currently unknown, so please as permission before digging or collecting.Ĭurio Hill, south of Cañon City on CR 143, has been heavily collected for its beautiful agate and is open to collecting.

Minerals: orange and pink feldspar and muscovite in clean mica books in association with feldspar black tourmaline This is a commercial feldspar quarry near the Royal Gorge. The following are some of the region’s best places to find your next treasure.

Please note, the collection of any naturally occurring resource is illegal on State Trust Land. The Royal Gorge Region is famous for its geological wonders and a fantastic place to start-or continue-your rockhounding journey. Whether or not you come away with a good find, hunting for geological treasures is a great way to get outside and take in some beautiful scenery.

Geode rose quartz