Locals are aware of the gold potential in the mountains in this area, and the whole county area has a number of prospectors owning and working their claims for years.

Rockhounding in Colorado

Starting with the rich gold and silver deposits which were the starting point of so many Colorado towns, the Centennial State, with over 770 types of minerals to be found, is second only to California in the number of different gems and minerals statewide.

Colorado is also host to a dizzying array of rocks and minerals. Some of the higher profile include dinosaur fossils.

Colorado can certainly be considered a rockhound and gem hunters dream.

The vast mountains of national forests gives one a newfound sense of exploration and discovery.

See the Buying Process on how to purchase my claim.

See with the top pictures maps and satellite views.

Click on the top picture then arrow right to see all.

Camp on the claim or experience the National Forest Service Margys Hut.

Nearby Margys Hut, $40 per night, children 12 & Under 50% Off

Built in 1982, Margys Hut (along with the McNamara Hut) was one of the first two huts in the 10th Mountain system. Main Level: Bunk room that sleeps 4. Upstairs: 1 room with a double bed, 10 single beds in a communal sleeping area.

The most frequently-used winter route is from the Lenado Trailhead via Johnson Creek and follows clearly-defined road and trail platforms to the hut, with magnificent views to the south along the way.

Firewood, starter paper, matches, axes

Propane for burners

Cupboard or closet for cold food storage

Snow collection buckets and large pot for melting snow on wood-burning heat stove (suggested use of snowmelt water is for drinking, cooking and cleaning)

Pots, pans, potholders, dishware, cooking and eating utensils, percolator, salt & pepper

Paper towels, dishwashing soap, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, trash bags, toilet paper

Photovoltaic (solar powered) lighting

Mattresses, pillows

Outhouse

Town of Aspen

Aspen is a place where every day holds an opportunity for greatness. It is a collection of remarkable moments that cant be duplicated. It is an opportunity to break free from the norm and find inspiration in nature or around the corner. You can find this and more in our welcoming mountain town whose culture fuels the soul. Aspens enriching experiences will remind you just how great life is and can be.

Nestled in the heart of the White River National Forest and surrounded by the peaks of the Elk Mountains, Aspen is well known as a ski destination, but Aspen is one of the best destinations for year round adventure.

There is a vein of a valuable minerals running thru the claim, in this case, quartz, gold, smoky quartz and fluorite.

You can also prospect on the whole claim outside the lode mineral vein.

A lode claim has the most potential for finding valuable minerals, and this one especially, as most lode claims do not have any creeks on them as this one does.

National Forests remained open at all times during the virus with a televised invitation by the Director for families to visit them as safe places for family recreation, making our mining claims some of the safest places for your family to enjoy and get away from all the nonsense.

A mining claim is an affordable way to enjoy the beauty of the land combined with the adventure of panning for gold and using your rock hammer for gens up the mountain ridges on the claim.

Owning a mining claim is having access to a lifetime of great family fun and recreation, in a very beautiful, natural setting.

We feel we are selling more than the gold and gems on beautiful land.

You would be acquiring an experience that will give you a good feel for what the old time prospectors must have felt during the days of the original Colorado Gold Rush.

A lode claim differs from our placer claims, as on a lode claim you can dig into the mountain side and can even go to the extent of building a mine shaft.

Having a lode claim is an advantage as you can dig into the claim with a shaft if you choose,

and the nearby creek has some good trout fishing.

Our lode claim has veins of valuable minerals including gold in veins (called lodes) cutting thru rocks.

Quartz and gold are frequently found together and digging into the quartz vein is called chasing the vein.

Veins of quartz, smoky quartz, and fluorite are on the claim.

On the claim I found a quartz vein with gold traces in the rock.

Pick and shovel, rock hammer, metal detector, and is hard rock mining.

I did not expose the whole vein, though was able to follow it going through the claim, intermittently.

The process of lode, hard rock mining, is the process where gold is extracted directly from the lode vein beneath the ground. Dig down about 3 feet as go through the claim, then pick, shovel, and rock hammer working the sides of that hole. Filling in the holes when leave the claim as required by the national forest.

For the use of any machinery, you need to file a Plan of Operation with the BLM for approval.

Scratch your rock ore against an unglazed white ceramic streak plate.

If it's gold, it will leave a golden streak. Or scratch the surface of the specimen with a knife. Gold is a soft metal that will show scratch marks.

BUYING PROCESS:

To purchase my claim, the process would be, I would need your name(s) and mailing address, where I would then scan and email you a signed contract.

Total price of $3500, paid in one full payment where your ownership is then transferred after receiving payment.

A $199 deed processing fee is paid with payment, total = $3699.

After receiving your payment, your ownership of the 20.66 acre claim will be legally recorded with the Bureau of Land Management and Pitkin County

Besides gold, this area is also known for having precious and semi-precious gemstones, including the state named gemstone aquamarine, and gems such as turquoise, crystals, opals, topaz, amethyst, and smoky quartz.

I am a retired teacher, and got into prospecting as a hobby with my family.

I am 74 and my wife 72, and we have gained the experience to select the best areas to locate claims.

If within one year you are not satisfied with your claim, you can trade for another comparable claim, just paying the BLM and County transfer fees which will be about $125.

You will also receive a free Prospecting Kit once you have paid for your claim that includes,

a Rockhounding Geology Hammer Tool, Rock Pick Axe, 3 PCS Digging Chisels Kit, with Musette Bag, and a Compass. See picture of that kit with the listing pictures.

Mining Claims as an investment: if you purchase a claim from us, at no charge, I would help you if you ever decided to sell in the future.

Mining Claims are a great investment, as claims go up in value over time, just as land does.

According to geologists, lode gold deposits are present in many of this areas mountain sides.

The area once prospected by early settlers, these mountains are still considered to contain lode gold.

This is a 20.66 acre unpatented, gold mining placer claim, the Aspen Lode #6, in the Rocky Mountains and the White River National Forest.

The claim is legally registered with the Bureau of Land Management out of Lakewood, CO and the Pitkin County Recorder.

You own the mineral rights, not sharing with others, on the 20.66 acres, and use your 20.66 acres recreationally for camping and prospecting in an awesome, beautiful area.

There is a flatter, open area on the claim road for camping.

For any building like a shed, you need to file a Plan of Operation with the BLM for approval. For anything to live in, you would need to file a Plan of Operation with the BLM for approval, and to be considered, you would need to have developed a full-time mining operation.

For the possibility of constructing any building you or others could live in, you need to file a Plan of Operation with the BLM for approval, showing you have developed a full-time operation performing diligent mining.

You do not need a plan, permission nor a permit to camp and prospect.

You do not need to be a full time prospector to file a Plan for a shed type structure.

With an approved BLM Plan of Operation, a building can be built on the land: any building that benefits and improves the claim.

As stated by the BLM, this can be the "construction of a building, road, fence, or enclosure necessary for mining."

Current usage, is what the BLM calls, Casual Use: shovel, rock hammer, chisels, metal detector, where no permission nor permit is needed to camp and prospect.

On our visits to the claim, we gathered in and around the creek, approx. 1/4 of an ounce of gold, being worth about $450. As the BLM does not specify the amount of gold to be found to locate a claim other than gold needs to be discovered, we use this amount for a 20,66 acre claim as a projection of good gold potential. Someone with more time may find more.

Gold prices are over $3000/ounce. Though we could never guarantee what you will find, we did locate this claim in an historical area for gold and gem prospecting.

Gold in just this past year has gone up over $500 per ounce.

We also found some nice specimens of smoky quartz and fluorite up the mountain ridges.

You are allowed to post No Trespassing for Prospecting signs in and around the claim.

A mining claim owner may limit or restrict public recreational use of/or public access across claims or portions of claims that are actively used for prospecting, mining, or processing operations where public recreational use of a claim would endanger or materially interfere with legitimate mining pursuits.

Camp on your claim for free or nearby national forest campgrounds.

A claim owner does not need permission nor a permit to camp and prospect.

You can prospect as little or as much as you choose.

Now that we have located the claim, you never have to declare to the BLM any gold or gems you find.

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20.66 acres = parcel size of 600 ft. x 1500 ft.

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Pitkin County

Pitkin County, named after former Colorado governor Frederick Pitkin, is located in west-central Colorado, spanning 973 square miles of mountains and the Roaring Fork River valley. It is bordered by Garfield and Eagle Counties to the north, Lake and Chaffee Counties to the east, Gunnison County to the south, and Mesa County to the west. The county has a population of 17,148 and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Rocky Mountains.

Pitkin County is home to six of Colorados Fourteeners, mountains standing 14,000 feet or higher: Pyramid Peak (14,025), Snowmass Peak (14,099), Capitol Peak (14,137), Castle Peak (14,279), and the Maroon BellsMaroon Peak (14,163) and North Maroon Peak (14,019). The White River National Forest occupies most of the southern portion of Pitkin County. Aspen, the county seat, was founded during a silver boom during the 1870s and is now a popular ski destination, as well as the cultural hub of the Western Slope.

The Pitkin County area was inhabited by a band of Ute Indians called the Parianuche, or elk people.

White River National Forest

The White River National Forest is a world-renowned recreation destination home to iconic destinations such as Maroon Bells and Hanging Lake, 11 ski resorts, 10 peaks over 14,000 feet, and eight wilderness areas that cover more than a third of its acreage. Traveling through its five ranger districts, you can explore the classic Colorado Rocky Mountains of the Gore, Tenmile, Sawatch and Elk Ranges as well as the distinctly unique Flat Tops.

Some activities enjoyed by many in this National Forest include but are not limited to skiing, hunting, hiking, and camping.

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This claim has direct road access on a County and Forest Service Road, with areas for camping, and gold discovered in lode prospecting, using rock hammer and chisels.

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A transfer of ownership is a sale of legal, exclusive ownership of a mining claim site. To be a legally recorded claim, gold had to be found on the claim, which was completed by me, as I am the original claim locator.

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Your ownership is legally conveyed via a Quit Claim deed, and legally recorded with the BLM and Routt County. A Quit Claim deed is the required legal document per the BLM. Each year, on or before September 1st, you need to file a simple form with the Bureau of Land Management, along with $200. By doing this, you keep the claim forever. You can also pay your fee online with the BLM by credit card.

I have paid the fee for the new claim year, not due again until September 1, 2025.

There are no taxes on mining claims in Colorado.

You must be a current US citizen with a US address to own a mining claim in the US.

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An unpatented mining claim is a specific parcel of federal land, valuable for a specific mineral deposit or deposits. It is a parcel for which an individual has asserted a legal right of possession and the right to develop and extract a discovered, valuable, mineral deposit.

Mining claims are real property that you can buy, sell, or inherit. After proving the existence of valuable minerals on the land, the claim is legally recorded with the Bureau of Land Management and Pitkin County.

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The Aspen Lode #6 is a gold lode mining claim, ideally situated on a mountain ridge surrounded by beautiful Rocky Mountain ranges with Cliff Creek running thru the claim.

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Your 20.66 acres is located in the SW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 and part of the NW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 23, Township 9 South, Range 84 West, 6th Prime Meridian, known as the Aspen Lode #6 mining claim, in the Rocky Mountains.

BLM claim number: CO106391563

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:

24 miles NE of the town of Aspen.

Take CO-82 W and Upper River Rd to Lenado Rd/Woody Creek Rd in Woody Creek,

Follow Woody Creek Rd to Larkspur Mountain Rd, the claim road,

Then following GPS coordinates below to the claim.

GPS Coordinates:

Aspen Lode #6

NW 39.2578, -106.7403

NE 39.2578, -106.7376

SW 39.2538, -106.7403

SE 39.2538, -106.7376

The claim location monument has a 4 foot wooden post with a copy of Location Notice attached, as required by the State of Colorado.

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Being on a mountain ridge is a unique advantage for gold prospecting on a lode claim.

Gold occurs in gravels in the metallic state and when so found has various physical characteristics. Gold is dense and heavy, it has a characteristic metallic color, and it is soft and easily malleable (it is easily formed by hammering). These are the characteristics used by prospectors to identify gold in the field.

Lode gold occurs on the claim derived from gossan formed by weathering, and oxidation of the gold, copper, quartz, and iron rich veins. Gold also occurs as grains flakes and small nuggets derived from the erosion of mineralized fault zones.

Quartz is a good sign for gold and the claim vein is quartz/gold.

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Additional Features:

Camp in an open area off the road.

Nearby Cliff Creek for fishing.

Beautiful Rock specimens for you Rock Hounds

Located in one of the most beautiful mountain areas in the US.

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The Federal Government owns the land.

You are purchasing the mineral rights.

You own the mineral rights, including gold and gems on the claim, as real property, being the same legal ownership as for land and homes.

Prospect, explore, on the whole 20.66 acres.

You can camp on a claim while prospecting.

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BUYING PROCESS:

To purchase my claim, the process would be, I would need your name(s) and mailing address, where I would then scan and email you a signed contract.

Total price of $3500, paid in one full payment where your ownership is then transferred after receiving payment.

A $199 deed processing fee is paid with payment, total = $3699.

After receiving your payment, your ownership of the 20.66 acre claim will be legally recorded with the Bureau of Land Management and Pitkin County. The quit claim deed is the correct document to be recorded for a mining claim, as stated by the BLM.

This is not a sharing with others of your 20.66 acre claim.

We live in Ohio. Our connection to Colorado is our daughter lives in Denver, though she is not involved with our claims. We visited her in September, then went to prospect and locate mining claims, as we have been doing for a number of years.

And just a note of encouragement for you if purchase:

My wife and I have located, prospected on, and sold mining claims in

California, Colorado, Arizona, and now also Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota, going on now for over 25 years.

You can trust we will process your notarized deeds correctly and quickly.

In that mining claims are processed thru the Bureau of Land Management, a Federal Govt. agency, not following thru per our legally signed contract, would be a federal crime. I certainly will do what I say, and would never put myself nor my wife in any legal jeopardy.

Also, we have sold properties on 3 sites online for over 25 years:

Landwatch, Landcom, and LandandFarm.

Our continued good status on these sites is due to our always following thru, as just one time we would not, we would not be allowed to sell on these sites ever again.

COMMENTS FROM SATISFIED CLAIM BUYERS:

I'm looking forward to having some time on the mining claim.

We used to go camping 4-6 weeks out of the year.

Even though I realize this is a retirement business for you. I wanted to say thank you for giving so many people over the years the opportunity to purchase your claims. I've seen them available for a long time, but never had the opportunity to purchase anything. They have probably brought many smiles to so many people. It will be the same for us.

"We visited and panned on our claim creek in Colorado this past June and had a wonderful time. Were very pleased with the location and the claim itself."

I'm looking forward to having some time on the mining claim.

We used to go camping 4-6 weeks out of the year.

Even though I realize this is a retirement business for you. I wanted to say thank you for giving so many people over the years the opportunity to purchase your claims. I've seen them available for a long time, but never had the opportunity to purchase anything. They have probably brought many smiles to so many people. It will be the same for us.

"Living in Arizona, the mining claim we purchased from you has added greatly to our family outings. We are finding gold in the wash on our claim most every visit.

Thank you so much!"