I first want to start off by saying thank you, I am a newbie in every sense of the word when it comes to mining, but a buddy brought it to my attention that all the time I enjoy spending in the woods I could be hunting for some pretty cool art.

So I have been looking at claims in the Divide, CO area but I have Zero Geology skills and would like to see what are some indicators. I enjoy spending time with my kids in the woods and if I can pass something else on to them, then I am all about it. I know this is not a skill mastered overnight or even in years. My buddy and I are both prior military and I think it is the challenge we are looking for, but I know any information shared on indicators or tips to use once we are onsite would be greatly appreciated. We are going to be doing recreational mining and I have read most of the regulations, however, if there is a cheat sheet anyone has again, please and thank you.

I used to live between florissant and divide up towards cedar Mtn road and I know that forest really well. I spent a lot of time out there on dirt bikes and hiking, and digging of course. We go back and dig amazonite and smokies in the summer.
That area has alot of pegmatites so id start there. That forest is full of minerals and they are pretty easy to spot in some places.
We've picked up nice crystals from the surface but the nicest ones are still buried although I've never had to dig very deep to find good stuff. That's a really good area.
Gold luck and have fun!

Welcome!

Being new, I wouldn't be in a hurry to file a claim; there are millions of acres of FREE land, YOUR land to prospect on. Spend time in the field, learn what to look for along with your son. The club has many club member get togethers throughout the year where you can meet up with experienced prospectors, either on their claims or while out prospecting. Great opportunity to link up with folks who know their stuff to learn in the field! Then if you happen to find a spot that produces quality material, you may consider filing a claim.

I would love the chance to link up some time and see how the pros do it. I am trying to talk to this guy and get as much information possible, I highly doubt we will be buy this year. I have been looking at some of the free spots just hard to know for sure. I am in Colorado Springs so if anyone knows of areas close I can get my feet wet please let me know. Thanks

Hi rentascout!

Welcome to the forums and thank you and your buddy for your service.
There is no cheat sheet to do it right but you made it to the right place! In my opinion there is no need to buy a claim or stake one if you wish to do "recreational" prospecting. A claim is usually staked or bought for the purpose of selling the mineral goods from it. A claim limits you to like 20 acres when there is millions of acres to explore in just Colorado alone. You don't have to spend a dime or ask permission. The key is to know how to do it right.

Some of the Colorado Prospector Members like myself offer invites to fellow members to dig on our claims. I also like to invite members on my prospecting adventures when I can(last weekend and this coming one). I don't know if I qualify as a "pro" but if you would like the opportunity to join in on Club adventures then you should consider a CP Club Membership.

Last weekend we found some cool Barite.

"this guy" being someone trying to sell you a claim? Lots of folks out there looking to "mine miners" by selling them claims. Be sure and do your homework before you buy. Read the How to Avoid Claim Jumping thread. Get the info on the claim youre looking at and do the research to verify it is a valid claim. Then go to the location and do some prospecting to ensure it is a viable claim. If the seller won't allow any of this, RUN away!

Take it slow, get to know what you're looking for and where to look and then if you want to get more serious, maybe look in to finding a claim... but until then, no need to make that kind of investment.

Thank you very much for the information, I am really glad to hear it from others.

The current claim for lease is the 20 acres you are mentioning and I am glad I joined this board. Again, before I found this board I was driving out to talk to whomever who put up me. I did finally took the steps to learn as much as I could on the LR2000, which I think it needs its own 40 hour block of instruction.

I looked at all the areas and confirmed with BLM, so I have to give myself a pat on the back for that. I have seen division op operations orders read quicker and better than that system. I hope nobody in this forum created it, but with time I have learned enough just to be a little dumber, lol.

So again if someone could be a little less Lawyerish when talking about where I can freely walk around and dig, again with all rules and regulations in applied, I love to hunt and fish and I do understand conservation and preservation, and I believe this could be something awesome to share with my kids.

Okay so I am not crying, but do to some injuries sustained in wartime, I am not able to walk the same distance I was able to back then. Just a little slower, like driving with a flat tire I guess, that is one reason I was looking at the claim for possible rental because I could drive up and not have to beat brush for hours.

I know that is part of the game, and I am down I just have to pay more attention, and I was attempting to work smarter not harder.





I would also like to thank all the Veterans on this forum, remember looking at your feet during a sunset only means you just missed the next awe in life, keep pushing forward and never let anything stop you!

Was pursuing this site looking for exactly what you are talking about. Sounds more like what I thought. When you read Joe Dorris' pages, he makes you feel like an outsider from another country and taking money out of his pocket if you don't run down whomever might own a particular piece of land to dig around on and either pay them or ask them. I knew there had to be places where I could legally just go and dig around and not take out truckloads but a backpack with a few specimens out. Thank you so much for this information! I'm making a solo trip out in May and look forward to it!

Howdy Silky & rentascout - and welcome!

I totally agree with Crusty and Mike S., however - and not to scare you off - you would be well served if you take time to establish the land status of the area you are planning to dig. Yes, public lands are, in general, open to casual exploration. But in many respects, Dorris is right: even if you are just collecting a few specimens, asking permission from land and claim owners will keep you out of a lot of trouble. Claim owners invest money and a lot of time establishing, filing, and developing their claims and they can understandably get quite unhappy when casual treasure-hunters wander in and start digging around uninvited. At best, you might be politely asked to leave; at worst, you could be looking at a costly lawsuit. Not common unless you're a repeat offender, but it has happened.

Look at topo maps, Forest Service maps, LR2000 (lots of information on this site) and any other map which can provide initial information on whether your chosen spot is Forest Service, BLM, private, state leased, etc., and do your due diligence in establishing where existing claims are. When I say "due diligence", I mean a visit to the County Clerk/Records office equipped with Range, Township, and Section information to find out the locations and descriptions of existing claims. The more research you do, the better. And NEVER, EVER go into old mine tunnels and structures! I just got an emphatically delivered lecture from an extremely knowledgeable research and title coordinator at the El Paso Assessor's Office on how many bodies were retrieved from old tunnels near Colorado Springs in 2015. Very bad stuff, resist the temptation.

That said - Good luck, stay safe, and have fun!

RhodoRose