Rockhounding in Baca County, CO: 36 USGS Mineral Sites (2026)

Check access before you go. Most sites listed here are old mines, quarries or prospects, and many are on private land or active mining claims. Get the landowner's permission, check the rules of the agency that manages any public land, and never enter mine workings. Locations are approximate.

Sketch map

Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown

8 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. County outline: US Census Bureau cartographic boundary file (2023). Locations approximate.

Woof’s favorite find

Independence Mine

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 2 gem or collectible minerals (Gold, Silver) and 3 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 6 other site(s), so we broke the tie by mine status (past producers first), then USGS record quality, then name. USGS lists it as past producer for Copper. Minerals mentioned: Gold, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 37.076, -103.046. USGS record.

Ask first: a USGS record doesn’t mean you can visit. Find out who owns the land and get permission before collecting.

Field cards: what kind of sites?

Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.

Mineral cards

Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
36 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
10 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
8 sites

Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.

Minerals recorded here

Chalcocite 29

Commodities

Copper 34Silver 6Gold 4Titanium 1Metal 1

Sites

Site	Commodity	Minerals recorded	Status	Approx. location
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.093, -103.023
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.064, -103.032
Unnamed Copper Occurrence	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.079, -103.056
Baca County No. 2 Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.007, -102.968
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.063, -103.037
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.063, -103.039
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.062, -103.043
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.064, -103.040
Blue Bird Claim	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.064, -103.042
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.063, -103.035
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.064, -103.029
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.080, -103.052
Jackpot Mine	Copper	Chalcocite	Past Producer	37.063, -103.046
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.066, -103.038
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.079, -103.042
Independence Mine	Copper	Chalcocite	Past Producer	37.076, -103.046
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.063, -103.038
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.062, -103.041
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.061, -103.045
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.066, -103.037
Black Bear Claim	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.063, -103.043
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.064, -103.030
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.079, -103.057
Unnamed Copper Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.078, -103.052
Baca County No. 1 Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.010, -102.993
Baca County No. 3 Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.008, -102.991
Baca County No. 4 Prospect	Copper	Chalcocite	Occurrence	37.003, -102.982
Unnamed Copper Mine	Copper	Chalcocite	Past Producer	37.092, -103.029
Independence Mine	Copper	Chalcocite	Past Producer	37.076, -103.046
Sundust Mine & Mill	Gold	—	Prospect	37.277, -103.058
Unk	Copper	—	Prospect	37.084, -103.041
Locklin	Copper	—	Prospect	37.277, -103.058
Bear Canyon Deposits	Copper	—	Prospect	37.068, -103.040
Unk	Gold	—	Prospect	37.096, -103.022
Ada	Copper	—	Prospect	37.277, -103.058
Independance	Copper	—	Prospect	37.068, -103.040

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 8 fossil collection records in Baca County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Bent County · Prowers County · Crowley County · Las Animas County · Cheyenne County

Colorado mineral guides

Back to all Colorado counties.

Is It Legal to Collect Rocks on Public Land? BLM, Forest Service and National Park Rules

How we built this page: we counted named sites in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for this area, left out sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay pits and unnamed sites, grouped them by Census county, and linked every site to its USGS record. We did not visit these sites, and MRDS does not tell you who owns the land or whether collecting is allowed.

Source: USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS). USGS ceased systematic updates to MRDS around 2011, so status and details may be out of date. Each site links to its USGS record.

Updated October 2026

Rockhounding in Baca County, Colorado