CSP - Thirtynine Mile Mountain Traditional Geocache

Thirtynine Mile Mountain

This geocache is part of Colorado's South Park GeoTour, which means you can win prizes by finding 20 or more caches. Visit our website for more information and to download your GeoTour Passport!

Container Type: Lock & Lock
Code Location: Inside container
Access Info: This cache is located on USFS property.
Winter Access: Depends on road conditions.

The land that is now Colorado has undergone many changes since an inland sea once covered South Park. Ancient mountains rose and wore down again and at one time this land was tropical and filled with giant trees and lush forest plants. About 35 million years ago, a blast of hot magma exploded up through a volcano made up of mountains we now call Thirtynine Mile and Black Mountains. The material spewing from the volcano buried, yet gently preserved, the trees, flowers, and even insects in the area. The result can now be seen in the detailed fossils at the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in nearby Teller County.

Go south from Hartsel on highway 9 and turn left on County Road 116 (Black Mountain Road). Park on the road when you get close to the cache. Continue down the road for some fantastic views of South Park.