Can I visit old mining sites?

Old mining sites dot the landscape throughout the Gold Belt Byway, offering visitors opportunities to explore the heritage of America's Greatest Gold Camp. The historic mining towns of Cripple Creek and Victor preserve authentic gold rush buildings, museums featuring mining equipment and artifacts, and mine tours that take visitors underground to experience conditions miners faced over a century ago. The Trails of Gold near Victor and Cripple Creek feature interpretive signs explaining mining operations and allow hikers to explore areas where over 500 mines once operated.

However, visitors must exercise extreme caution around abandoned mine sites, which contain loose rocks, rotting timbers, and deep shafts that pose serious safety hazards. To avoid injury and trespass, stay away from both abandoned and active mining sites unless they are designated tourist attractions with proper safety measures. Museums in Cripple Creek and Victor, including the Cripple Creek District Museum and Lowell Thomas Museum, provide safe ways to learn about mining history through exhibits, photographs, and preserved artifacts that tell the story of the world's richest gold camp without the dangers of exploring unstable mine structures.