A while back, I had a friend from China and her husband come visit. They wanted to spend a day as gold prospectors, so we visited Arapahoe Bar to dig (see my post about that site here). We dug the bottom of an existing hole and did very well, so they got to take home a nice souvenir vial of Colorado gold. We also made a visit to the Phoenix Mine. You can easily learn about the mine visit schedule, location and fees here: http://www.phoenixmine.com
We were lucky enough to hear the intro and history talk from the owner himself, local legend Al Mosch. Here he is in front of the west portal of the mine on the day we visited. Nice of him to pose for me right!?
Al told a lot of great stories, and he was charming around my guests.
1/14/2019 Update: RIP Al Mosch. The mining community of Colorado lost a lot with the recent passing of this iconic miner. I am thrilled to say his family have been able to carry on his legacy; his son Dave is at the mine most days and Becky Mosch does a lot of their marketing. I know his many guests will hold fond memories of their time with him in the years to come…as will I!
If you ask folks who know, many will say the Phoenix should be your first underground mine tour. It’s a fairly short tour, has good walking surfaces so it’s accessible regardless of your physical condition, the tours are led by real hard rock miners and most importantly…there’s a VISIBLE GOLD SEAM you can reach out and touch! Most mines have microscopic gold or gold bound up in complex ores- still great tours but this one should be your first. The mine goes about 500 feet underground into a hillside, but it’s all horizontal so it’s easy for almost anyone. It also helps that it’s just a 30-minute drive west of Denver on I-70 then 6 miles up a good dirt road.
Inside the mine you can also see some cool ore processing equipment. Outside the mine you can pan in Trail Creek which runs across the property. After your tour, your tour guide will be happy to loan you a pan and teach you to use it. You can also see another collection of commercial mining gear:
If you go, I hope you get a blue-sky day like we did but maybe with less snow in the panning area 😉 Tell them Kevin from Finding Gold in Colorado sent you!
Gold Panning Tips:
As far as the panning goes, experienced miners will patiently teach you to pan in the chunk of Trail Creek owned by the mine. However, to find much, you will need to bring your own shovel since shovels aren’t provided – do this and bring a snuffer bottle too or just buy one at the mine giftshop. Without a shovel, you are stuck panning the same loose material every other tourist has panned – no thanks! The staff at the mine told me folks also pan and sluice the creek just downstream of the mine where it follows along next to the road (so it’s on Phoenix Mine property, not private!!) with some success. IF you do this, be very cautious about private property boundaries.
There are lots more places to gold prospect in this general area. In fact, Chapter D of my book is devoted to this county! What? You haven’t heard about my guidebook to Colorado gold prospecting? Check it out here.
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One thought on “Gold Tourism – The Phoenix Mine Tour”
My girlfriend, our one year old daughter and I, recently visited and toured this mine over the summer – we learned a lot and had a great time! I’d definitely recommend checking it out on a nice day when you’re looking for something to do with the family. The volunteers there are very knowledgeable and engaging with those touring the mine. As a bonus, the mine is closely located to Colorado’s iconic Beau Jo’s Pizza – always a great place to stop by for some delicious grub!