Italian Mountain: Lapis Lazuli & Grossular Garnet Rockhounding in Gunnison County, Colorado

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Gunnison County

State

Colorado

Coordinates

38.94425, -106.76242

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Generally open to casual rockhounding

Most public-tagged spots sit on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, or other federal land where reasonable hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed. Confirm posted rules and active mining claims before you dig.

Access note: This is a remote high-alpine site above 12,000 feet in the Elk Mountains, reached only by rough four-wheel-drive roads and off-trail scrambling. The richest lapis ground was the historic Blue Wrinkle claim, so verify current mining-claim status before collecting.

Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.

Best time to visit Italian Mountain

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: May to October. Typical highs run 64°F in midsummer and 20°F in midwinter, with winter lows near -17°F. At about 11,650 ft, snow can block access from late fall well into spring, so check conditions outside of summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, TAYLOR PARK station (12 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Italian Mountain

This spot sits on Minturn and Belden Fms, mapped as sandstone and shale that formed roughly 325 to 300 million years ago. Sedimentary rock like this erodes unevenly, so the most productive collecting is typically along fresh cuts, badland slopes, and active drainages.

Mapped unit

Minturn and Belden Fms

Age

325–300 Ma (Pennsylvanian)

Rock types

sandstone and shale

Elevation

11,650 ft

Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.

Sources & verification

Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.

• BLM Colorado rockhounding rules
• Colorado Geological Survey
• Pike and San Isabel National Forests
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules