cripple creek & victor gold mining company

We hit this along the drive and walked around town. You can stop for a beer and shop for gold I suppose. Take a picture with the moose.

The Drive to Cripple Creek from Colorado Springs is beautiful. Lots of mountain scenery. Fall color glistened - The mountains looked as if they were on fire with the gold, yellow, orange and red colors scattered on the mountain sides. - a drive not to miss.

Gold was found in 1891 in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Whereas it began with miners digging hard-scrabble mines on their own, the gold rush led to numerous communities and large mines in the area around Cripple Creek and Victor. Mining continued in the area on a much-smaller scale into the 1960s. The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company has been mining gold in the district since 1976,Tours of the mine are available daily through the summer and on weekends during the winter months. After a short safety film, visitors board a small bus at the Cripple Creek & Victor Visitor Center in Victor for the mine itself. Perhaps the first gasp moment comes when the bus stops at the first "truck Crossing" to stop, look, and listen for the monster haul trucks that pass by constantly. The bus then follows a zig-zag course to the bottom of the mine, where you can watch the trucks being filled. You get an amazing geology lesson as you descend through the various strata of rock.Having seen the trucks being loaded, you then move on to see them being dumped into the milling process, when the rocks are crushed and moved along conveyors for sorting. The tour ends with a stop at a retired haul truck, where everyone is invited to climb up into the cab or pose for photos next to the monster tires.Children six and older are allowed on the tour; everyone is outfitted in hard hat and safety glasses. For a view of early mining days, you can drive yourself up to the American Eagles Overlook where there is a large display of a late 19th-early 20th century head frame and outbuildings associated with mining operations. The overlook also offers views of the "back" side of Pike's Peak and vast views of the modern mine.I think a mine tour is worth a dedicated trip to the Cripple Creek-Victor area, but it is a must-see for folks staying in the area. The mine itself dominates so much of the country that is worthwhile to take the time to see how it really operates.

Just an hours drive away from Colorado Springs you will find this great town of Cripple Creek. There's a coal operated train to ride on the mountain and see the sights and scenery as well as learn about the mining that was and still is being done. There's also the museums to visit and learn about the town and people. Took tons of photos with mining equipment for props. My family loved it! The train depot has a nice souvenir store and the town has a few hotel and casinos as well. You will love this town!

We drove about an hour from Colorado Springs and it was a very pretty drive there. The mine tour was excellent and very informative. Both of our kids really enjoyed it. The little things you notice after the tour such as tools and rail pieces built into their fences and decor were very neat.

This was a very refreshing mine tour after the over priced scary one we did a few days earlier elsewhere. Since they only do 2 small tours a day, you will need to book it early. It's not likely that a walk-in can be accomodated. It's $7.50 for a 2 1/2 hour tour.Hard hats and safety glasses are required. Hats are sanitized between use. If you wear your own prescription glasses or sunglasses, you don't need to wear their glasses. Closed toe shoes are also required. Our driver and guide was Robin Nelson. She is very well spoken and interesting. Due to the threatening weather she knew how to adjust our schedule so we could see everything. We saw so many trucks at work. That part alone was fun to watch. We were able to climb up into one of the giant trucks which was great. Driving around was interesting as we saw deer, big rocks that sometimes fall off trucks making it clear why there are space requirements between vehicles, and even reclaimed areas of land. They don't just mine and leave the pits. It's all very educational to the open minded who are willing to listen. And it's interesting to hear and see. Time flew by. Guys would probably like it best but I wasn't at all bored by any means. We really had a good time. Safety is of great importance here and it shows. I was glad they allow us onto the property and to experience a little of what goes on here on a day to day basis. Real life tours are great. And this is a great tour. My only mistake - and a big tip for you. Do NOT sit in the front seats. You will have a lot of your view blocked by some of the bus metal framing. If you sit in any of the seats between the front and the back you will have the best panoramic views possible. Bring your camera. And remember to use it. I wish I had taken photos of the reclamation and of Robin.

We found this place by accident....however it was one of the most memorable places we had gone. Great trip for the entire family. Take the mine tour it was something that you may only get to do once in a life time !

it was a great time and a beautiful drive. They done ice sculpture carvings just walked around the town and just had a good time.

We decided to do a tour of the mine. Our tour guide, whose name was Dick, did an excellent job. He had a wealth of knowledge and made the tour very interesting. The tour is approximately 2 hours and takes you through a quick tour of the town of Victor followed by a tour of some historic structures around the mine and then a tour of the mine itself. Just being up close to a truck capable of hauling 300 tons is a site in of itself. We will go back and take the kids next time. They will have a blast. The tour fills up fast. We had to book 4 days out to get a spot for 6 of us so make sure you plan ahead. The tour was only $7.50/adult and was well worth it in our opinion.

We took our family of six (kids aged 18, 16 and 11-year-old twins) on the tour of CC & V in July 2013. We found the guide to be very informative and interesting. This tour could potentially be boring for younger children, but there were many very cool things to see. While driving out of Victor, the guide told us about the mining history and pointed out historic structures. We then went to the American Eagle Overlook and beyond the "Do Not Enter" signs to the actual open pit mine. We saw the equipment that is used in the mining process, including the haulers, the drills and the crushers used to reduce the size of the our. We also got to climb into one of the haulers. An interesting and worthwhile experience if you are in the area.

You never really think of where gold comes from or realize the process of how to get it. It's an interesting place to see and worth a stop.

The Cripple Creek Victor Gold Mining company is really Anglo Gold Ashanti, a South African firm that booked nearly a billion dollars in profit last year. If you really want to see the apocolyptic effects of open pit mining, this is the type locality. CC&V has to process over 100 tons of rock in order to produce only an ounce of gold, thus they have managed to destroy hundreds of acres in the area. Ever hear of Anaconda, Altman, and Elkton, Colorado? These are now buried, or about to be, under hundreds of feet of waste rock. The mining company, aside from destroying historical sites, has oblitered hundreds of acres of bristle cone pine and aspen forest. Victor--skip it.

This area has a nostalgic air. I was fascinated with the old machinery and ingenuity displayed. Be sure to visit the turn off display on the highway approaching Victor - it has some relics you can touch!

Wow I could not believe how large this mine is you can drive between to cities and see it from either one I can't wait to go back to see how they decorate for Christmas!

History comes alive and there is plenty of history, certainly worth the short drive from Colorado Spirngs - the kids will love it.