While driving to Ouray, I decided to stop in Silverton at the visitor center and see what was there.   I spoke to a gentleman and asked him about the mining history in the area and he immediately told me to go visit the Champion Mine.  He said it is close to town and has some neat stuff to see.  So, I took his advice and drove down the road to the Champion Mine.

The man I spoke with at the visitor center said the Champion Mine was a big producer in its day.  Nowadays there is only the mill, some other buildings, and plenty of tailings to go around.  The mine is in a scenic valley right next to the Animas River.  You could easily spend hours walking around looking for cool rocks.

The mill is still in pretty good condition despite it falling apart on one side.  The mine entrance, which is behind the mill and closed, brought out tons of ore for processing at the mill.  The mine entrance is sealed but some water can be found seeping out of the tailings.

Rock Hounding info:

Check out these beautiful rocks I found!

I found some very interesting rocks here!  Most of it is not worth much but I was very glad to see some real shine and color on some of these rocks!  (As of June 2019, there are no “no trespassing” signs).