Where to Find Smoky Quartz in Colorado
Colorado has 8 mapped collecting spots that report smoky quartz, spread across 6 counties. The largest share sits in El Paso County County with 2 spots. 8 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.
Map of 8 smoky quartz collecting spots in Colorado
Standout smoky quartz spots in Colorado
Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.
Mount Antero
Chaffee County County
Mount Antero is the highest gem locality in the United States, with aquamarine and beryl occurring in granite cavities above timberline near its 14,269-foot summit. Aquamarine is Colorado's state gemstone, and the peak also yields phenakite, topaz, smoky quartz, and fluorite. The collecting ground lies in San Isabel National Forest, where the Forest Service permits casual hand-tool collecting for personal use on open land.
Devils Head (Rampart Range)
Douglas County County
Devils Head sits in the Pikes Peak granite of the Rampart Range, where weathered pegmatite pockets have produced large topaz and smoky quartz crystals along with amazonite and fluorite. The locality lies on Pike National Forest land, and personal-use specimen collecting with hand tools is allowed on open ground. It is one of the classic crystal-pocket areas of the Front Range.
St. Peters Dome (Gold Camp Road)
El Paso County County
St. Peters Dome is a Pikes Peak granite peak in Pike National Forest where the historic Cheyenne fluorspar district left dumps that still yield loose purple, green, and white fluorite within a short walk of the parking area. Smoky quartz, amazonite, zircon, and topaz occur in the same granite. The collecting ground sits south of the Bear Creek watershed closure, so it remains open to casual hand-tool collecting.
Tarryall Mountains (Spruce Grove)
Park County County
The Tarryall Mountains are one of the better topaz localities in the Pikes Peak region, with smoky quartz and pale amazonite in pegmatites of the Redskin Stock. Trails from Spruce Grove Campground on Pike National Forest lead to mine tailings where collectors have found smoky topaz. Personal-use collecting with hand tools is allowed on the surrounding open Forest Service ground.
Crystal Hill
Saguache County County
Crystal Hill near La Garita is documented by the USGS as a source of clear rock crystal and pale lavender amethyst in brecciated volcanic rock, a San Luis Valley collecting site worked since the 1880s. The BLM reclaimed the old mine workings around 2009 and allows public collecting on the reclaimed ground. Smoky quartz and manganese oxides occur in the same host.
Best counties for smoky quartz in Colorado
Ranked by the number of mapped smoky quartz spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.
Every smoky quartz spot we track in Colorado
Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.
| Spot | County | Minerals | Coordinates | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount AnteroMount Antero Trail | Chaffee County |
| 38.6738, -106.2467 | Public |
| Devils Head (Rampart Range) | Douglas County | 39.2756, -105.1077 | Public | |
| Cook Mountain (southern side)Gold Camp Road | El Paso County | 38.7607, -104.9176 | Public | |
| St. Peters Dome (Gold Camp Road) | El Paso County | 38.7472, -104.9116 | Public | |
| Centennial ConeElk Range Trail | Jefferson County |
| 39.7554, -105.3607 | Public |
| Wigwam CreekStoney Pass Road | Jefferson County |
| 39.2487, -105.3387 | Public |
| Tarryall Mountains (Spruce Grove) | Park County | 39.1382, -105.4617 | Public | |
| Crystal Hill | Saguache County | 37.8433, -106.2848 | Public |
Before you go
Read the smoky quartz identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Smoky Quartz in the encyclopedia.
Smoky Quartz in Colorado FAQ
Where can you find smoky quartz in Colorado?+
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Where else to find smoky quartz
More minerals to hunt in Colorado
Hunt smoky quartz in Colorado with the map in your pocket
RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.
