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Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour

Closed for the season , opening may 4th , 10am to 4pm daily , weather permitting .

You can Be Part of This Gold Mining Adventure!

Descend 1000 feet in america's   only vertical shaft gold mine tour.

Experience the "Old West" as it was for hard rock gold miners of "The World’s Greatest Gold Camp," Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Really get into Colorado on this 1 hour tour

•  Vertically descend 100 stories into the earth.  
•  Witness the evolution of underground mining.
•  View gold veins in their natural state.
•  Ride an underground tram air locomotive.
•  Experience the sights and sounds of mining  equipment.  
• Less then a quarter mile of flat and level walking required.

Free Gold Ore

Receive With Your Tour

FREE GOLD ORE SAMPLE

 See What Our Visitors are Saying on TripAdvisor 

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Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour – Cripple Creek

Mollie Kathleen Mine is one of the most unique gold mine tours in the U.S. The mine was constructed in 1891 in “The World’s Greatest Gold Camp”, Cripple Creek. For over seventy years, tours have been given of the mine.

The tour begins with a 1,000-foot vertical descent down the gold mine shaft. From 100 stories beneath the earth’s surface, visitors will learn about the history of underground mining from 1891 to the present day.

Summer Mine Tour

Modern air-powered mining equipment will be used by actual miners. Gold veins are visible inside the mine. Guests will also take a ride on an air-powered man trip train. As a bonus, everyone on the tour gets a free gold ore specimen from the actual mine. Tours last an hour.

In addition to the mine, tour members receive a 10% discount on food at the Hard Rock Diner. Nothing too fancy is served, just good burgers, chicken fingers, and other quick bites to eat. A gift shop offers a number of souvenirs, from mining books to gem specimens.

Stop by the Cripple Creek Heritage Center for more about Cripple Creek’s mining past.

Address: 9388 Colorado 67, Cripple Creek , CO 80813

Phone: 719-689-2465

Season: early April-late October

Pets: Not permitted on the tour

Website: goldminetours.com

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Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine

• Directions 9388 HWY 67, Cripple Creek, Colorado 80813M
• Call 719.689.2466
• Website www.goldminetours.com

Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine (0:46)

No other attraction in the Pikes Peak region captures the fascinating history of Colorado’s Gold Rush days like the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour in Cripple Creek.

What you can do

• Tour the Mine
• Learn the History

Get into the details

Step into a true marvel of human engineering as you enter the mine and descend 1,000 feet underground to get a close-up look at how miners once pried precious gold ore from deep beneath the Rocky Mountains.

Discovered in 1891 , the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine was the first claim to be struck by a woman in the Cripple Creek and Victor gold camp — a true rarity in those days. Named for its discoverer, the mine produced gold for decades, until a lack of ore processing methods in the region made mining too difficult. Today, the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine operates as a tour mine, allowing visitors to learn about mining, geology and Colorado’s early gold rush days.

Your exciting tour of this authentic gold mine begins with a 100-story man-skip elevator ride deep below the surface of the earth. You’ll be provided with a hard hat to ensure maximum safety as you are led through the mine by knowledgeable tour guides who will tell you all about the history of the gold mine and the early gold rush years in Colorado.

As part of the tour you’ll get to view real gold veins in their natural state, check out a mineral display and examine mining equipment from many different eras. The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine operated for decades and adapted with the evolution of many mining processes, which means there are lots of different artifacts on display. You’ll also get to ride in an underground tram air locomotive!

Above ground, you’ll find even more historic equipment and outbuildings to explore, plus a cool gift shop with fun souvenirs and — for the rock hound in your life — a variety of minerals, jewelry, and, of course, gold!

The next time you make your way to  Cripple Creek , take a (literal) deep dive into Colorado gold rush history at the unique and fascinating  Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine .

Things to know

• Reservations are recommended for groups of 25 or more.
• State required hardhats are provided. Good walking shoes are suggested.

$30 / Adult

Child (3-12): $18

2 & under: $2

Closed for season | Re-opens May 4, 2024

Exertion level, attraction type.

• Family, Indoors, Historic, Western Heritage

Climate is of dry high altitude. Meaning when it’s sunny it is mild, when it’s cloudy it’s cool. This is true year around. The Cripple Creek area averages 340 days of sunny weather with average temperatures 10 to 15 degrees cooler than Colorado Springs and 15 to 20 degrees cooler than Canon City, Making Cripple Creek, Colorado the BEST PLACE TO BE ON A HOT SUMMER DAY!

Reservations are recommended for groups of 25 or more. Discounts are only available with pre-payment. For Group rates visit: – Underground Temperature: 50 degrees F / 10 degrees C – How long do tours last?: About 1 hour.

Yes, the mine is as-real-as it gets. The Mollie Kathleen is documented by the National Geological Survey as a gold production mine.

State required hardhats are provided. Jackets and good walking shoes are suggested.

No, the mine is not claustrophobic. In order to mine underground, one must haul equipment in and gold out. Therefore, a hard rock mine is made to work in, not crawl through.

No, the Mollie Kathleen is a real gold mine and is not ADA accessible.

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Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tours

This seasonal attraction opens to the public each Spring. The tour descends about 100ft down into the shaft and has different displays of mining methods from the early 1890's. You can hear the air powered mining equipment and discover gold veins. After the tour, you'll receive a free gold ore specimen.

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The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine In Cripple Creek, Colorado

Published By Jennifer Bourn on September 13, 2018

At the Mollie Kathleen Goldmine, you can descend 1,000 feet underground into a vertical shaft gold mine tour, ride an underground tram air locomotive, and view gold veins in their natural state.

Oh. My. Gosh. We all agree, the Mollie Kathleen Goldmine tour is the best goldmine tour we have ever done — and living in northern California means we have done a lot of gold mine tours. Our tour guide Kelly was fantastic and we got to experience things on this tour that we’ve never done or seen before.

The awesome one hour Mollie Kathleen Goldmine gives you the opportunity to experience the Old West as it was for early hard rock gold miners of Cripple Creek, Colorado.

This Cripple Creek gold mine tour includes:

• A two-minute mine elevator ride descending 1,000 feet underground. Holy Moly.
• A quarter mile of flat, level walking through the goldmine. This is one of the largest and longest gold mine tours we have ever done.
• Demonstrations of real mining equipment from different eras of mining. No we didn’t just look at the equipment and talk about how it worked. Kelly actually drilled into the walls of the mine! Plug your ears! It was loud!
• A short ride on an underground tram air locomotive. This was like a ride at Disneyland!
• Views of real gold veins in the walls of the mine. Wow!
• A mineral display and ore museum that showcases gold ore samples from the historic mines of the Cripple Creek District. We even got free ore samples to take home.

Our Gold Mine Experience

We arrived at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine early and had about a half hour before our tour. The weather was sunny and beautiful, so we poked around the mining site above ground, explored the old mining equipment on display, took in the spectacular sweeping views, and wandered through the gift shop that had a cool replica mine entrance for kids to play in.

When it was time for your tour, our small group of only about 14 people gathered near the entrance to get our hardhats and get prepped for our tour and 1,000 foot descent to the bottom of the mine. The staff member that delivered the introduction was friendly and fun and answered our questions — and even tolerated our laughing about the farting sign near the elevator entrance!

Then it was time to step into the elevator, which was more like a small steel cage.

We were carefully selected and arranged tightly in the elevator cars based on size and no personal space boundaries were respected. When the elevator cage started falling, we could watch the timber and rocks passing by us in the vertical shaft and at only 400 feet below the surface, we passed a red light indicating the elevation of the town of Cripple Creek. After that the elevator cage we were in began banging about a bit against the wood timbers in the shaft — it was a wild experience!

At the bottom, we exited the elevator and were able to able to look around a bit and take photos before the official tour began. Then Kelly lead us through the mine tunnels, teaching us about the mine, the miners and how they lived, and the different pieces of equipment that were used over the years to mine for gold.

The tour was perfectly paced and interactive, we were able to take photos and ask questions at any time, and we never felt rushed. The whole laid back experience was so appreciated and refreshing after being rushed through the cavern at breakneck speed at Cave of the Winds.

The best parts of this tour, beside the elevator ride, are the equipment demonstrations and the underground train ride!

The regulations must be different in Colorado than they are in California, because we’ve visited a lot of gold mining sites and few let you go into the mine, fewer let you see and do as much as this tour, and none actually demonstrate working mining equipment within a few feet of you! We also have never had the chance to ride an underground train! Natalie and Carter sat in the very front and as we traveled through the mining tunnels, they were so excited — it felt like we were on a ride at Disneyland!

Eventually, it was time to board the elevator for the ride back up. As we banged around on the way up, none of would have guessed what greeted us on the surface. When we exited the elevator it was dark, cloudy, and pouring rain!

Overall, this tour was so cool and we all highly recommend it.

We all left feeling lucky to have visited the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine. Big thanks to Kelly for an unforgettable experience.

The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Story

In the spring of 1891, Mollie’s son Perry arrived in Cripple Creek to survey and map the mining claims. Soon after, Mollie joined him in the booming gold rush town.

In September that same year, while surveying upper Poverty Gulch, Perry saw a huge herd of elk and told Mollie about it. Mollie set out on foot to see the elk and eventually stopped to rest. When she looked down she noticed a rock formation that winked back at her — it was pure gold laced in quartz!

Because there were other prospectors in the area that had overlooked her find for more than a dozen years, she stayed calm and hid gold samples in her clothing. Mollie Kathleen Gortner’s level-headed thinking ensured that she became the first woman in the Gold Camp to discover gold and strike a claim in her own name.

It was very uncommon at the time to let a woman claim something of such value. In fact, after her mine was in production, it was visited by the National Geological Survey whose authors reported the mine being “Discovered by Mr. M.C. Gortner”

Mollie Kathleen Gortner died in 1917 and her husband Henry died one year later of a broken heart. Mollie’s son Perry Gortner was left 1/3 interest in his mother’s gold discovery and was managing operator of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine until his death in 1949.

The Longest Continually Operated Gold Mine Tour

From the very beginning, the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine attracted tourists. Visitors rode an open ore skip 1,000 feet down into the mine and miners took turns leading tours by candle light so they could see other miners extracting gold ore.

News of the mine tours spread and soon they were so popular that eventually they became disruptive to mining operations. But instead of stopping the tours, the decision was made to conduct mine tours during the day and continue mining operations at night.

Gold production halted for all working mines of the Cripple Creek District in 1961 when the Carlton Mill closed. But while the mining stopped, tours of the Mollie Kathleen continued and the revenue was used to maintain the mine.

During this time, improvements to the mine were made that included a new steel gallows (head) frame, hoist house, and man-skip. A gift shop, mining displays, and lighting were also added.

An Additional Gold Discovery

In the mid 1970s, blasting just six feet from previous workings, Cripple Creek miners Nick Cox, Steve Robb, and Lawence Myers, uncovered a new ore body assaying 1.5 troy ounces of gold to-the-ton. That exploration caused the connection of earlier underground crosscut tunnels and drifts. This created a new tour area that continued to grow in popularity.

In 1988, new operators took over the mine, which meant an all new tour that introduces visitors to all mining phases of the Mollie Kathleen’s evolving past and the restoration of the the Last Tram-Air-Locomotive manufactured in Cripple Creek built for the Mollie Kathleen Mine in 1951.

Know Before You Go

• The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine is located at 9388 Highway 67, Cripple Creek , Colorado 80813 in Teller County just 1.0 mile north of historic Cripple Creek.
• The gold mine is 45 minutes from Garden Of The Gods , Manitou Cliff Dwellings , and Cave Of The Winds Mountain Park .
• Admission fees are $25/adult, $15.00/child 3-12, and $2.00/children 2 and under.
• The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine is open daily from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, one hour tours depart at least every 30 minutes between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm. During the remainder of the year, tours depart on the hour from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily.
• The one hour tour includes about a quarter mile of flat and level walking and a short ride on an underground rail car. You are on your feet for most of the tour.
• If you’re claustrophobic, know that the descent in the elevator shaft is very tight and you’re packed in, but it’s super short. The descent/ascent only lasts two minutes and travels at a speed of 500 feet per minute (roughly 5 mph).
• Bring a sweatshirt or jacket on your tour, wear comfortable shoes, and don’t forget a camera. But leave the backpacks, purses, strollers, food, and drinks, in the car. Front baby carriers are allowed.
• No pets are allowed underground or on the tour. Pets are allowed above ground but must be leashed at all times.
• The Mollie Kathleen is an authentic 1890s gold mine and is not ADA accessible.
• The Cripple Creek area averages 340 days of sunny weather with average temperatures 10 to 15 degrees cooler than Colorado Springs and 15 to 20 degrees cooler than Canon City. The underground temperature is 50 degrees.
• There are restrooms above ground in the Gift Shop, so go before your tour because there are no restrooms underground.
• The Gift Shop has a miniature mine for kids to play in and sells kids’ hard hats with headlamps, mineral rocks, geodes, and jewelry.

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Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour

Review Highlights

“ It provides adults and kids alike with a unique experience about mining from the late 19th century to today. ” in 14 reviews

“ There's a fun ride down the shaft 1000 feet below ground and then live demonstrations of how the mine works. ” in 6 reviews

“ But the on top of that it is set up so that the guides actually turn on and run the equipment so you see and hear it. ” in 8 reviews

Location & Hours

Suggest an edit

9388 Hwy 67

Cripple Creek, CO 80813

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One of the coolest experiences I've had. Definitely recommend taking the tour. It is a one of a kind experience.

The most fascinating tour we've ever taken. The guide was excellent being informative, patient and fun. Just a few tips to those of you who are going to venture down 1000 feet into the earth: do not wear anything you don't want ruined! I stupidly wore a white jacket that got severely dripped on with rust from overhead drippings. Also, if you are unsteady and use a cane to ambulate, think twice about doing the tour as the trail is narrow and lumpy. Thirdly, leave hats and sunglasses up above as you may need two hands to balance at times and it is cool and dark down below. However, the tour was amazing! I just wish I didn't wear my favorite white jacket!

We were there in 2019 but apparently I forgot to write my review! I'm not sure if much has changed with the way they do the tour since the changes 2020 brought about but it was a really awesome experience when we went! Our tour guide worked as a miner so she was very knowledgeable and it's just a really neat experience to go down 1,000' bellow the earth. Worth the stop for sure!

We had the best time here, and it was totally because my daughter wanted to see a real gold mine. You have no idea how extensive the Mollie Kathleen is until you take the mining elevator down 1,000 feet into the earth. As the tour guide will inform you, there are more than 1,800 MILES of mining tunnels down underneath Cripple Creek. They will show you exactly how the mining tools work, how the miners set charges, you will ride in a mining car and on "The Bosses Bike" -- and I guarantee you will see a smile all over your child's face, and your face, too. Remember to bring a light jacket, cos it gets COLD down under the earth. And remember to tip your tour guide. You will want to when you see how happy your kid will be. Awesome place, best part of our time in the otherwise rusty, haunted town of Cripple Creek, with its half-finished casinos and biker bars. Take a walk on the wild side and witness the Mollie Kathleen!!!

Me and my Mining Pal. As happy as a father and daughter could be.

Near the historic gambling town of Cripple Creek lies the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine. An awesome experience if you ask me! Do you want to travel 1,000 feet underground? Well, this is THE place to do it. I went on a tour with about 20 people and yes, they pack you in like sardines to go down the mine shaft. The ride was pitch black, but was pretty freaking cool. As you descend, you feel the air getting colder and colder, so bring a small jacket or long sleeve shirt. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and even demonstrated the use of different tools and ways that miners would mine for gold. It was interesting to hear the stories that have happened in the mine and how it has come to be one of the most well-known gold mines in Colorado.

This is a very good experience, starting on an authentically cramped lift system and seeing the evolution of tools used with live demonstrations of most. It's not a scenic tour, the rock walls never look very interesting, and even the gold vein is awfully unimpressive -- but it helps understand what the process is really like vs what you might envision. All the staff were friendly. We visited on the second day after COVID reopening. Masks are strictly required throughout the tour.

Working the lift bell at the end of the tour

This was a great tour. My family enjoyed the tour. Brian our guide was so great. He had so much knowledge of mining and has done it for years and it is in his bones. Someone stated tourist trap and they are Completely WRONG. I know tourist trap and this is NOT one. This is going to see a working mine and learn about it's history.

Brian showing us the mode of transport that the mechanics in the mine would build for miners to move about on the rail.

Excellent experience. Wonderful tour guide and overall neat time. Cannot be claustrophobic if you're going in the mine!

This was my first experience on a gold mine tour. I have been on many other geological tours and always love them. This one was no exception. From reading other reviews, they said you had to arrive early in order to get on the first tour of the day, or you would have to wait for the next tour. We had a tight schedule and had to keep our schedule. We arrived about a half hour before they opened and there was one other car in the parking lot. We took in the breathtaking sites surrounding us, and then promptly stood in line as the lot was filling up fast and people were getting out of their cars. The tours are limited because you can only hold so many people, strategically placed, in a double elevator going down to the mine. I want to say only 25 are allowed on the tour. Space is limited, literally. We had Leash as our tour guide. She has lived in Cripple Creek and the surrounding areas her entire life. She was exceptionally knowledgeable and passionate about the area and mining. She was fantastic. I won't give too much away about the tour, you'll have to see for yourself. After the tour, visit the gift shop because you'll find really fun and unique items that I have not seen anywhere else.

See all photos from Nikki G. for Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour

Not normally something I would enjoy too much, but Benji did a great job in making this fun for just about anyone and not cheesy and outdated like it seemed like it was going to be right before. He was able to call out parts that were incorrect like the misspellings near the end rather than try to ignore those mistakes.

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Cripple Creek is a must see mountain town for our attractions!

Cripple Creek and the surrounding region is one of the top places to visit in Colorado and boasts multiple museums, a local theatre company, a historic narrow gauge railway and the opportunity to visit an old-time mine (as well as a new, currently operating gold mine). For a bonus, take a side trip to the nearby town of Victor for a step back into the past of mining history.

Butte Theater

Since the town’s early days as a small mining camp, theater has always been a part of the rich heritage of Cripple Creek. Theaters and opera houses have come and gone over the years, but one historical venue that began in the heyday of the gold rush still features exciting and original live entertainment to this day: the Butte Theater. The “Butte Concert and Beer Hall” premiered in 1896, when proprietors Halbekann & Hertz featured nightly entertainment, including a Ladies’ Vienna Orchestra. Cripple Creek’s opera house went on to have many lives over its 100+ year history – it was a skating rink, a dance academy and an auto garage, to name a few. It even housed the Cripple Creek Fire Department! Today the Butte Theater is one of only a handful of theaters in the country still consistently producing Classic Melodramas.

Cripple Creek and Victor  Narrow Gauge Railroad

In 1967, the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad started taking passengers on a journey back into gold rush history and into the scenic heart of the Rocky Mountains. With its lovingly restored steam locomotives and historic 1894 station house, the railroad is one of the Gold Camp’s favorite family attractions. Trains leave the depot daily from mid-May through mid-October, taking visitors on an approximately 4 mile round-trip that includes stops at special points of interest with great photo opportunities.

Cripple Creek District Museum

Built in 1895 as the Midland Railroad Terminal, the Cripple Creek District Museum has worked to preserve the history of Cripple Creek since 1953. Visitors can browse through a number of historic buildings, including the 1893 Colorado Trading & Transfer building, the turn of the century Assay Office, two historic cabins and two Victorian apartments. A self-guided tour of the museum includes exhibits of railroad history, mining memorabilia, mineral displays, historic maps, furnishings and photos.

The Cripple Creek Donkeys

The Cripple Creek Donkeys can be found free roaming the city streets from mid-May through mid-October. The herd is cared for the The Two Mile High Club. The Club is made up of volunteers and all the care costs of the herd are donation based only. From mid-October through mid-May, you can find the herd in the winter pasture located off C street and Thurlow. We encourage you to only feed our donkeys healthy treats. Carrots, apples, and approved donkey nuggets can be found at the local museums, shops, and the local grocery store. PLEASE, no processed food or junk food. Visitors come from all over the country to visit our donkeys. If you are interested in supporting the Two Mile High Club with care costs, please see our website for donation options.

Cripple Creek Fire Station #3

The Cripple Creek Fire Station #3 was built in 1900 to provide added protection after the city’s two catastrophic fires in 1896, which burned 47 acres of the city and destroyed more than 400 buildings. On display are a number of historic photos displays of firefighting equipment including a 1909 Seagrave fire wagon, a 1903 hook and ladder wagon from neighboring Goldfield, and a hose cart used in fighting local fires. Fire Station #3 is owned and operated by the City of Cripple Creek to commemorate the service of our brave firefighters throughout the years.

Cripple Creek Heritage and Information Center

In the late 1800’s thousands of fortune-seekers made their way to Cripple Creek for America’s last great gold rush. The Cripple Creek Heritage Center will get you started on your Cripple Creek journey by using state of the art interactive technology offering a look into gold mining history of yesterday and today, geologic and human history and information to regional recreation, activities and attractions. Stop here before entering the town for a spectacular view of all there is to see and do in historic Cripple Creek and Victor.

Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum

Housed in the original Teller County Jail, the Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum is authentic right down to the 1901 jail cells. There was never a shortage of lawlessness in this rough mining camp, and those caught breaking the law, often did “time” right here in this building. Displays highlight early city ordinances, newspaper accounts of crimes large and small, mugshots of local criminals and even pictures of sheriffs never seen anywhere else.

Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine

This historic gold mine tour descends 1,000 feet below ground, where visitors learn about the workings of the 1890s hard rock gold miner. Guided tours allow visitors to explore the overlapping evolution of all four mining phases used to extract gold from the Mollie Kathleen, beginning with a ride on a skip to the lower working levels of the mine. Visitors witness the operation of numerous pieces of air-powered gold mining equipment and ride aboard the last air-powered Tram-Air Locomotive.

The Old Homestead House

The Homestead House, build in 1896, was once the most famous brothel in Cripple Creek. Originally owned and operated by Pearl DeVere, the opulent parlor bustled with activity and became known for impeccable service for high powered customers and glamorous ladies of the evening. At a time when $3 a day was considered a good wage for a miner, Pearl charged $250 a night for the girls in her house, and she got it. Today, the Homestead House is a museum that has been lovingly restored with historically accurate furniture, artifacts, wall coverings and even the original “viewing room.”

Victor Lowell Thomas Museum

The Lowell Thomas Museum is located in nearby Victor and celebrates one of the country’s most revered broadcasters. Thomas made his mark in radio journalism in a career that spanned 50 years and took him throughout the world. The museum is housed in a historic, two-story building filled with artifacts, books, exhibits and photographs that depict life in Victor from its earliest days to the heyday of gold mining.

Victor’s Gold Camp AG and Mining Museum

This rugged three-story museum does more than showcase tractors, vehicles and old pulleys and equipment–this museum is also a working garage. Visitors can watch a complex system of pulleys and belts that power extremely large machines and equipment that would have been found in a large garage like this. An old blacksmith forge is complete with a hammer and anvil and still used at this garage today. Some of the vehicles on display are on loan to the museum; however, the large collection of tractors and equipment belongs to the curator of the museum–be sure to catch some of the great history and stories behind the impressive pieces on display!

Gold Belt Scenic Byway

The Gold Belt Tour is a Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway and a National Scenic Byway. Drive the Gold Belt Tour and retrace the historic travel routes connecting Cripple Creek and Victor Mining District, site of the world’s largest gold rush, to the communities of Florence, Cañon City and Florissant. Today, the communities of the Gold Belt Tour invite you to experience the rich local heritage as you follow the “Roads to Riches.” You can reach the northern end of the Byway from U.S. Highway 24 and the southern end via U.S. Highway 50.

WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HISTORY IN OUR CITY PARKS & TRAILS

One of the greatest things about Colorado is all the things you can do outside, because we have more than 300 days of sunshine. Cripple Creek has some beautiful city parks and trails to enjoy . You can skateboard, ride BMX, challenge your friends to disc golf, explore our historical cemetery, and go on a mine tours . Take a walk through downtown to see our amazing architecture and Victorian homes. Cripple Creek is one of the best towns to visit in Colorado for outdoor fun!

FUN THINGS TO DO IN THE CRIPPLE CREEK REGION OF COLORADO

Located on the Western Slope of Pikes Peak , Cripple Creek is your Colorado destination for fun in the sun. Take scenic drives and byways through the mountains like Gold Camp Road, Phantom Canyon Road and Shelf Road. Get some exercise on our many hiking trails or visit Mueller State Park . Drop a fishing line at Skaguay Reservoir or walk across the Royal Gorge Bridge , which is America’s highest suspension bridge and zip line. If you’re looking for fun Colorado attractions , the Cripple Creek area has everything you need for a day (or week) of fun!

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Gold Camp Adventure Tours

Information & Policies A note about COVID – tour availability may be affected by last minute COVID regulations or health advisories.   Special tours can be arranged with a minimum of 10 people and 2 weeks advance notice. Gold Camp Adventure Tours are guided trips through time - learn about the history of the gold rush - the tours include gold rush history, mining then and now, and more. The  tours are a new partnership between the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum and Cripple Creek Parks & Recreation. Tours are limited seating  and cost $15 per person for all ages,  plus a 6% booking fee that is added to online reservations. There is a minimum $1 booking fee for online reservations.  Call 719-689-5509 or  email   about special group packages. We are happy to create custom packages for larger tours such as church groups, school groups, family reunions, and special events. Tours start at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays and 1 p.m. on Saturdays. ; tour-goers must be at the museum at least 15 minutes ahead of the tour time  for check-in and safety information. Those who do not arrive 15 minutes ahead of the tour may lose their place on the tour and the tickets will not be refunded. Tours are conducted on a van or a school bus owned and operated by CCPR with a licensed CCPR employed driver. VIA provides the tour guide. All tour participants must sign a waiver of liability before being allowed on the tour. Plan about 2 hours for the tour.

No children under age 5  and no pets are allowed on the tours. All children must be well behaved and kept under control at all times. Tour guides reserve the right to refuse any unruly person or children. No refunds will be provided for these situations.The tours are not handicap accessible. A person who cannot fit comfortably and safely in a single seat space must purchase an additional seat at regular ticket price subject to availability. Reservations may be made online at VictorMuseum.com, by phone at 719-689-5509, by email  [email protected] , or in person at the museum. Leaving a phone message does not guarantee a reservation. Online reservations receive first priority. Cancellations are subject to a fee of half of each ticket price, $7.50 per ticket will be retained to cover staff, booking, and marketing costs.

Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company

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Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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