"The Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, home to one of the state's two Goodwill moon rocks collected during the Apollo 17 mission, was started in 1874 and displays mineral, fossil, gemstone, meteorite and historic mining artifact exhibits on two floors.
The museum serves as the state repository for Colorado's mineral heritage and promotes its importance and understanding to the university community and the public. It aims to inspire scientific curiosity through education and research while encouraging appreciation of the earth and responsibility for its mineral, fossil, meteorite and historic mining treasures.
The main floor exhibits feature specimens from many Colorado mining districts, other global localities and an introductory video on area geology. The Special Exhibit Room hosts prominent precious metal and invited displays. The main gallery also showcases historic mining murals by Irwin Hoffman.
The basement contains numerous exhibits regarding radioactivity, fossils, basic geology, gemstones, meteorites, ultraviolet minerals and underground mining illumination. The outdoor geologic trail features seven outcrops with various geologic and paleontological points of interest, including fossilized dinosaur tracks, logs and leaves.
The Mines Geology Museum Gift Shop is on the lower level of the building. The shop features surplus mineral specimens, lapidary materials and equipment, fossils, books, fluorescent minerals, starter kits and related materials. Specimens range from “starter” pieces for less than $1, to fine specimens for the advanced collector.
I recorded the short animated tour of a working mine at (
visit link) .
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., closed on regular holidays and school holidays (though open during the summer months); Sunday 1-4 p.m. Identification of specimens is performed between 10 a.m. and noon, Tuesdays and Thursdays." (from (
visit link) )
Being a college campus, parking is always problematic. There is never any free parking in any of the lots
- Weekday vehicle parking (including handicap parking) on campus between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. requires permits available with payment of $1.50/hour in any of the campus parking kiosks. These kiosks accept cash or credit cards. Once obtained, permits should be displayed on the dashboard of your vehicle. The museum has a limited number of reserved parking spaces in the lot northwest of our building. Enter our lot via 13th Street.
- If our lot is full, please obtain a permit from a kiosk and park in a legal spot along Maple Street, south of 13th Street. You might also find parking along 13th Street east of Maple Street. If these street spaces are taken, please park west of the museum in lot Q.
- If you would rather park for free, limited spaces may be available along the north side of 11th Street, two blocks north of our building.