Entry No. 94 — the Colorado Springs file — filed under: mine
Eureka Tunnel Mine
Located in the St. Peter's Dome mining district of the Pike National Forest, the Eureka Tunnel is a historic, inactive underground mine worked in the early 20th century for fluorite, cryolite, and zircon. Today, the site is a legendary destination for mineral collectors, featuring a collapsed or gated tunnel entrance and extensive mine dumps. Visitors can still find colorful purple fluorite and lustrous, dipyramidal zircon crystals scattered across the gravel slopes.
The story
Early 20th-century miners worked the granite dikes of the St. Peter's Dome district for fluorite, cryolite, and zircon, cutting underground tunnels deep into the Pikes Peak granite. When commercial operations halted, they walked away, leaving behind the underground Eureka Tunnel and piles of blasted waste rock scattered down the national forest slopes. You didn't hear it from us, but those long-gone miners left the most interesting material lying right out in the open.
The underground portal itself is collapsed, gated, and structurally decayed; stepping beyond the entrance is an invitation to structural failure you won't survive. But the mine dumps cascading down the gravel slopes tell a different story. Decades of mountain weather have washed away the fine dirt, leaving behind chunks of raw purple fluorite and lustrous, dipyramidal zircon crystals locked in quartz and feldspar matrix. Hit those zircon grains with a UV lamp, and they burst into a bright golden yellow fluorescence.
What it's like
Getting there involves rattling along the unpaved washboard stretch of Old Stage Road or Gold Camp Road into the Pike National Forest. After parking near the St. Peter's Dome area, you hike down to the sloping gravel dumps. The vibe is quiet, high-altitude solitude punctuated by the occasional scrape of a hand trowel. You'll spend your visit crouching on loose scree slopes, combing through tailing piles for purple fluorite chunks or picking tiny zircon crystals out of the granite dust. Watch your footing on the steep gravel, stay out of the dark mouth of the portal, and bring a small flashlight or UV light to inspect specimens in the shade.
The move: Hike the scenic trails around St. Peter's Dome to the historic mine dumps, where you can safely comb the gravel together for colorful purple fluorite and tiny, glowing zircon crystals.
📍 Before you go The mine dumps are located on public land within the Pike National Forest and are accessible via hiking trails, but the underground tunnel itself is structurally unstable and dangerous to enter.
- 📍 Eureka Tunnel Mine
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Eureka Tunnel Mine, Colorado 80906, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Johnny Mine — Double down on forgotten high-altitude workings with another defunct mining site hidden in nearby Rock Creek Canyon.
- May Natural History Museum & Herkimer the Giant Beetle — Trade sifting for mountain minerals for a look at thousands of preserved tropical insects guarded by a 16-foot steel beetle down on Highway 115.
- Starr Kempf's Kinetic Sculptures — Contrast the quiet gravel dumps of St. Peter's Dome with 50-foot steel wind structures swaying in a residential yard near the Broadmoor.
Good to know
Is the underground tunnel safe to enter?
No. The tunnel is structurally unstable, partially collapsed, or gated off. Searching the surface mine dumps outside is safe, but attempting to go underground is hazardous and off-limits.
What minerals can you actually find on the site?
You can find deep purple, white, and green fluorite, along with tiny, lustrous, double-pointed (dipyramidal) zircon crystals embedded in rock.
Do you need a permit or fee to visit and collect?
The mine dumps sit on public land within the Pike National Forest, so casual surface rockhounding and hiking are free and permitted without entry fees.
What basic gear should you bring along?
Bring sturdy hiking boots, leather gloves, a small rock hammer or trowel, heavy plastic bags for specimens, and a shortwave/longwave UV light to check zircons for fluorescence.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: westernmininghistory.com · davealex.com
last checked: 2026-07-20