Howes Gulch Mines: Gold Prospecting in Larimer County, Colorado

Plan your visit

Permission required before collecting

County

Larimer County

State

Colorado

Nearest road

Clear Ridge Road

Postcode

80837

Coordinates

40.59111, -105.22500

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

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

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 Howes Gulch Mines

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 81°F in midsummer and 43°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 23°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, BUCKHORN MTN 1E station (4 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Howes Gulch Mines

This spot sits on Hornblende gneiss and amphibolite, mapped as gneiss and amphibolite that formed roughly 2500 to 1600 million years ago. Gold in metamorphic belts like this is typically tied to quartz veins and shear zones, with placer color in the creeks that cut them.

Mapped unit

Hornblende gneiss and amphibolite

Age

2500–1600 Ma (Paleoproterozoic)

Rock types

gneiss and amphibolite

Elevation

6,810 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