The 11 Great Areas To Find Turquoise In Colorado In 2025

By Keith Jackson - Geologist

| Updated

The 11 Great Areas To Find Turquoise In Colorado In 2025

By Keith Jackson - Geologist

Updated

Turquoise is a beautiful blue-green stone that has captured the hearts of many. Here in our state, with its diverse landscapes and rich geological history, hunting for turquoise can be an exciting adventure.

This article will guide you to the best spots for finding turquoise in our state and share helpful tips to make your search successful.

So, let’s dive in and explore the best places where you can find Turquoise easily!

How Turquoise Forms Here

Turquoise forms through a unique process involving water and minerals. It begins when acidic water seeps into the ground, moving through rocks that contain copper and aluminum.

As this water interacts with these minerals, it breaks them down and allows the copper and aluminum to combine with phosphorus, creating turquoise.

This usually happens in shallow areas, often less than 20 meters deep, where the environmental conditions are just right. 

This mineral typically fills cracks and cavities in rocks, often in dry, desert-like areas. The presence of iron can also influence its color, giving it beautiful shades of blue and green.

Over time, the turquoise hardens, resulting in the stunning gem we see today, prized for its vibrant hues and unique patterns.

The Types Of Turquoise Found in the US

Turquoise comes in a variety of stunning types, found in the US as well as in our state. Here are the types of turquoise found in the US:

Kingman Turquoise

Kingman Turquoise showcases a vibrant range of colors from pale green to deep “high blue.” Its matrix patterns can include white, light brown, or black veining, setting it apart from other turquoise types.

This stone is often stabilized to enhance its durability and color, allowing for broader use in jewelry making. The natural Kingman turquoise typically presents a medium blue hue with a water web matrix.

Kingman Turquoise is recognized as one of the most sought-after American turquoise. Its consistent supply has made it a staple in Native American jewelry and artisan crafts, contributing to its ongoing popularity.

Carico Lake Turquoise

Carico Lake Turquoise is known for its clear robin’s egg blue to vibrant lime green colors. It often features a unique spider-web matrix in brown or, more rarely, black, adding texture and shine to the stone.

What makes this stone special is its high zinc concentration, which gives it an electric lime-green hue. This color is both rare and desirable among turquoise varieties.

Gem-quality Carico Lake Turquoise is scarce, making up less than 3% of the mine’s annual output. This rarity, combined with its natural beauty, makes it a prized item for collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Lone Mountain Turquoise

Lone Mountain Turquoise is known for its bright blue to deep green colors, often featuring intricate spider web matrix patterns. These fine lines create a web-like design, enhancing its visual appeal.

This stone stands out for its exceptional hardness and color retention. It maintains its vibrant hue over time, a quality not common in all turquoise varieties.

Lone Mountain Turquoise is highly valued in the collector’s market, second only to Lander Blue Turquoise. Its ability to produce high-quality spider web turquoise makes it a favorite among jewelry artisans and collectors.

Morenci Turquoise

Morenci Turquoise stands out with its deep blue color, a result of its high copper content.

Its most striking feature is the iron pyrite matrix, which gives it a metallic shimmer when polished. Some pieces also show a water web matrix, creating dark blue webbing patterns.

This stone is no longer mined, making it rare and highly collectible. All available Morenci Turquoise comes from mining operations that stopped in 1984.

High-grade pieces, known for vibrant blues and pyrite matrix, make up less than 10% of the total yield.

Pilot Mountain Turquoise

Pilot Mountain Turquoise catches the eye with its bright to dark blue hues, often showing a greenish tint.

What makes it special is its brownish-red limonite matrix, creating beautiful mottled patterns. The stone forms in hard veins, thin seams, or nuggets.

This turquoise has an interesting history, first mined around 1930. It’s known for its limited availability, with only 150 to 200 pounds of rough stone extracted twice a year. This scarcity adds to its appeal.

The unique mottled patterns of the limonite matrix make Pilot Mountain Turquoise a favorite for decorative pieces and jewelry.

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is famous for its vivid sky-blue color. Unlike many other turquoise types, it has little to no veining or matrix, giving it a pure, consistent look. The color can range from light robin’s egg blue to deeper sky blue.

This stone is naturally hard, which means it doesn’t need stabilization for use in jewelry. This quality makes it popular with jewelers. The Sleeping Beauty mine closed in 2012, making the stone rarer and more valuable.

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise became a hit in the 1970s and 80s, used in both Native American jewelry and mainstream fashion. Its consistent quality and vibrant color have made it a standard in Southwestern jewelry.

Bisbee Turquoise

Bisbee Turquoise stands out with its vibrant blue shades, ranging from deep indigo to light robin’s egg blue. Green hues are less common but still occur.

Its distinctive matrix often displays a striking spiderweb pattern against a reddish-brown backdrop.

This stone’s unique appearance comes from its host rock color and gloss. Unlike some turquoise with metallic matrices, Bisbee’s matrix is typically more earthy and varied in color.

Bisbee Turquoise is highly valued for its quality and rarity. Its historical significance, being one of the oldest turquoise sources in North America, adds to its appeal among collectors and enthusiasts.

Royston Turquoise

Royston Turquoise is a gem of many faces. Its colors can shift dramatically, even within a single stone.

You might find a piece that starts as a soft blue and gradually transforms into a rich green. This color play is a hallmark of Royston Turquoise.

The stone’s matrix is equally fascinating. The matrix can create intricate landscapes within the turquoise, resembling golden sunsets or stormy skies.

Royston Turquoise is also known for its ability to take an exceptionally high polish. This quality, combined with its natural hardness, makes it a favorite for jewelry that can withstand daily wear.

Dry Creek Turquoise

Dry Creek Turquoise stands out with its pale pastel blue color, similar to Larimar. It often has light brown, golden yellow, or orange webbed matrices, adding to its beauty.

Unlike many turquoise types, it’s naturally hard and takes a stunning polish without treatment.

This stone is quite rare. It was discovered in the 1990s in an area with low levels of heavy metals. These metals usually give turquoise its bright colors. The unique geological setting results in Dry Creek’s captivating pale blue hue.

The natural hardness and ability to take a high polish make Dry Creek Turquoise special.

Ithaca Peak Turquoise

Ithaca Peak Turquoise is known for its stunning range of blues. It can be light blue with black spider-webbing or deep rich blue with black matrix.

Some pieces even have quartz matrix and pyrite inclusions. The most valued stones have vibrant to dark blues with good pyrite inclusions.

What makes this stone unique is its pyrite. In Ithaca Peak Turquoise, the pyrite often has a brassy color. This helps tell it apart from similar stones like Morenci turquoise.

Recently mined Ithaca Peak Turquoise looks different from older pieces. The new stones are lighter blue to green and usually don’t have a webbed matrix. This change in appearance over time adds to the stone’s interesting history.

What Raw Turquoise Looks Like

When you’re going to collect the raw turquoise, it’s important to know what to look for. Here are some tips to help you identify genuine raw turquoise:

Look for the Blue-Green Color

The color is the big clue. Rough turquoise is often blue or green, sometimes with hints of both.

The blue comes from copper, while the green hints at more iron or other minerals.

Real turquoise tends to have a more vibrant, consistent color. If it looks too perfect, like solid blue or green with no variations, be cautious. Nature isn’t that perfect!

Assess the Density and Weight

Pick up the stone and feel its weight. Real turquoise is pretty dense, so it feels heavier than it looks. If the stone feels too light, it might not be genuine.

Authentic turquoise has a specific gravity of about 2.5 to 2.9, making it heavier than many imitations.

The density comes from the minerals packed tightly together over millions of years. A heavier stone usually means a better-quality piece.

Check for a Glassy or Waxy Luster

Rough turquoise often has a glassy or waxy luster, not too shiny but not dull either. When you hold it up to the light, the surface might have a soft, smooth sheen. This luster is key.

A rough piece with a good luster usually indicates that it’s real turquoise and not a fake. You’ll notice that it reflects light in a muted way, not too bright.

Consider the Stone’s Shape and Texture

Rough turquoise isn’t always smooth. It often has a bumpy, uneven texture because it forms in cracks and crevices of other rocks.

The stone’s shape might be irregular or lumpy. This natural texture is a telltale sign that you’re holding real turquoise and not a polished or treated piece.

A Quick Request About Collecting

Always Confirm Access and Collection Rules!

Before heading out to any of the locations on our list you need to confirm access requirements and collection rules for both public and private locations directly with the location. We haven’t personally verified every location and the access requirements and collection rules often change without notice.

Many of the locations we mention will not allow collecting but are still great places for those who love to find beautiful rocks and minerals in the wild without keeping them. We also can’t guarantee you will find anything in these locations since they are constantly changing. 

Always get updated information directly from the source ahead of time to ensure responsible rockhounding. If you want even more current options it’s always a good idea to contact local rock and mineral clubs and groups

Tips on where to look

Once you get to the places we have listed below there are some things you should keep in mind when you’re searching:

Riverbeds

Look for turquoise in riverbeds. Over time, water flow can expose hidden stones.

Sediment may hold the gems you’re after. Be prepared to dig through gravel and dirt to find them.

Abandoned Mines

Old mines can be treasure troves for turquoise. These sites often have loose rocks where turquoise might be hiding.

Always be careful while exploring abandoned areas, though.

Hillsides

Check hillsides, especially where erosion is visible. Rain and wind can uncover layers of earth, exposing turquoise.

It’s a bit of a hunt, but it can be rewarding. Sometimes, you’ll find small stones just lying on the surface.

Rocky Outcrops

Rocky outcrops are great places to search. They are full of minerals and might have turquoise.

Explore the cracks and crevices. Turquoise often hides in these tight spaces.

The Types Of Turquoise Found In Colorado

Turquoise is one of the cool rocks that Colorado is known for. This state is a big playground for anyone who loves to spot different kinds of this colorful gem. Each piece has its own pattern, like a fingerprint, making it unique.

You can find different kinds of turquoise in Colorado, typically named for the mine they’re extracted from. Here are the types of turquoise you can come across in the state:

  • King’s Manassa turquoise
  • Last Chance turquoise
  • Cripple Creek turquoise
How We Found The Best Turquoise Locations in Colorado
When it comes to choosing the best options for finding Colorado turquoise there are plenty of things we consider. Many of the best locations are closely guarded secrets which can make it really difficult for more casual geode hunters to find success. The key factors in our recommendations are:

  • The deep experience and understanding of our team about the area
  • Recommendations from local groups and clubs
  • How easy it is to get the a particular location
  • Safety and potential hazards when collecting
  • Weighing private and public locations
  • The ability for both experienced and novice geode enthusiasts to find great samples

With these factors in mind we’ve been able to put together a fantastic list that just about anyone can use!

The Best Places To Find Turquoise in Colorado

blue-green polished turquoise with brown matrix
Turquoise provided by JamesSaundersCabs

Finding turquoise can be a real challenge, even for the most eager rock hunters. It’s a gem that hides in the nooks and crannies of the wild outdoors, making the search a true adventure.

Knowing how to find turquoise in Colorado is important because the right tips can turn a tough search into a successful discovery. With some expert advice and a keen eye, anyone can learn the tricks to uncovering this gem.

Rio Grande County

road alongside a river in the mountains

Rio Grande County is a place of diverse landscapes. The terrain here is a mix of fertile agricultural lands and rugged mountainous areas, with the Rio Grande River carving its path through the valley.

The mountains are home to a variety of stones, and among them might be the sought-after Colorado turquoise.

The county’s geology tells a story of volcanic activity, with remnants of lava flows and ash beds hinting at a fiery past.

For those who dream of exploring the county and collecting rocks and minerals, it’s important to remember that there are rules to follow.

The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety sets the guidelines for rockhounding, ensuring that both the environment and the joy of discovery are preserved.

So, before heading out with your hammer and bag, a quick check with them will make sure you’re collecting responsibly and legally.

Where we found turquoise in Rio Grande County

In Rio Grande County, turquoise is known to come from places like the Little Annie Mine and the Summitville Mine.

Creede

buildings in a town with green mountain slopes in the background

Creede started as a silver mining boom town, once bustling with over 10,000 residents due to the mining rush. This town, which sprawls along East Willow Creek, was the site of continuous mining operations from 1890 to 1985.

The terrain here is steeped in mining history, with the town originally forming around the junction of East Willow and West Willow Creeks.

Geographically, Creede sits near the Rio Grande’s headwaters, a river that carves its way through the San Juan Mountains and the San Luis Valley.

The river and its tributary streams have shaped the valley’s development, supporting both farming and ranching. These waterways, along with the surrounding wilderness, provide a scenic backdrop to the area’s rich geology.

Where we found turquoise in Creede

In Creede, turquoise can be unearthed at the Last Chance Mine, which sits within the Creede Mining District. This mine has a history of yielding turquoise and it’s a spot where to mine for turquoise.

Explorers in Creede will find turquoise deposits 1.5 miles north of town, where the mineral can be spotted on both sides of the west branch of Willow Creek.

This creek area is known to be a natural habitat for turquoise, providing a real-world treasure hunt for those who visit.

Saguache County

road cutting through grass-covered slopes with mountains in the background

Saguache County is a vast expanse, stretching over 3,170 square miles, and it’s known for its diverse natural features. The geology is a mix, adding to the region’s rich tapestry of natural beauty.

This variety in terrain brings about a rich mix of soils and a variety of rocks beneath the surface, making it a fascinating place for geology buffs.

The area’s geology includes a blend of volcanic remnants, sedimentary layers, and crystalline formations, providing a diverse habitat for a wide range of minerals.

Where we found turquoise in Saguache County

In Saguache County, the Villa Grove Turquoise Mine once operated, although it’s known that the mine isn’t producing anymore.

There are also some turquoise prospects along Cotton Creek, where the natural conditions are favorable for mineral formation.

La Jara

road leading to mountains

La Jara is a small community known for its laid-back lifestyle and scenic surroundings. With a population of just over 800 residents, it’s a place where nature takes center stage.

The town is situated at an elevation of 7,605 feet, nestled between important transport routes and near the New Mexico border.

Its geography is a mix of quiet, rolling plains and the remnants of volcanic activity, which shape the surrounding landscape. The terrain here is a geologist’s playground, with flatlands giving way to rocky outcrops and hidden mineral deposits.

The geology of La Jara includes a fascinating combination of sedimentary formations and igneous rocks, providing clues to the area’s volcanic history and creating a patchwork of geological wonders.

Where we found turquoise in La Jara

The key to how to find turquoise in Colorado, especially in La Jara, is exploring the landscape 9.8 miles east-northeast of the town, where the conditions have been favorable for turquoise formation.

Close to the mesa known as Piñon Mountain and 1.5 miles west of the Rio Grande River, the environment has helped create spots where turquoise might be discovered.

On both sides of Piñon Mountain, the terrain offers promising areas for those with a keen eye for spotting this sought-after mineral.

Cripple Creek

buildings and roads among green fields

Cripple Creek sits nestled among rolling hills and rugged mountains. The landscape here is a patchwork of rocky terrain and wildflower-filled meadows, with a network of streams that glitter under the sun.

This area is famous for its rich geology; it’s part of the region’s extensive gold mining history and has a complex underground network of veins filled with a variety of minerals.

The geology of Cripple Creek is unique due to the volcanic activity that shaped it millions of years ago. This has created a diverse range of rocks and minerals, with old mines dotting the landscape, hinting at the area’s bustling past.

Where we found turquoise in Cripple Creek

In Cripple Creek, the Elkhorn claim, Florence Mine, O’Haver claim, and Roanoke shaft are among the sites where one could find turquoise in Colorado.

Also, while the Victor Gold Mine is mainly a source for gold, it has also been known to occasionally yield turquoise as a byproduct.

It’s important to note that these mines and claims are typically on private property, and anyone looking to explore or collect would need to secure permission first.

Other Great Places To Find Colorado Turquoise

sky blue oval turquoise cabochon ring in silver setting
Turquoise provided by WildatHeartSilver

Colorado is home to several spots where you can find the eye-catching turquoise. From the historic mining towns to the quiet, hidden corners of the state, these places are rich with geological wonders.

Whether you’re trekking through the mountains or exploring the valleys, keep your eyes peeled for this cool blue treasure. Here are some areas where your search for turquoise might just pay off.

Our recommendations by county

County Location
Conejos County King Turquoise Mine, Manassa
Eagle County Holy Cross Mining District (Eagle River Mining District)
Lake County Leadville Turquoise Mine
Lake County Josie May Mine
Lake County Turquoise Chief Mine (Poor Boy)
Lake County Sugarloaf Mining District

Common Turquoise-Hunting Questions

pear-shaped blue turquoise with brown matrix in a silver setting, used as a pendant
Turquoise provided by DDCreationsJewelry

Many people get curious about Colorado turquoise and often ask similar questions about it. They want to know the best spots to find it and how to tell if they’ve found a real piece.

Others are interested in the history of turquoise mining in the state and how it’s done today. Knowing these common curiosities helps us share the excitement and knowledge of Colorado’s natural treasures.

Is it illegal to collect turquoise in Colorado?

Collecting turquoise in Colorado is legal, but there are specific rules you have to stick to. On public lands, people are allowed to gather small quantities for personal use.

Always double-check the local guidelines because they can vary from place to place, and sometimes you might need a permit.

When it comes to private lands, you have to have permission from the owner before you can collect any turquoise or other minerals. Some private landowners might let you search for a fee.

The Best Places To Buy Turquoise In Colorado

sidewalk and storefront with big glass windows
Velez Galleries

If you’re on the hunt for turquoise, Colorado has some top-notch shops where you can find this cool stone. These shops offer a range of turquoise pieces, usually in beautifully crafted jewelry. Here are our favorites:

About Keith Jackson - Geologist

Keith Jackson is an avid rockhound who is constantly exploring new sites to expand his collection. He is an active Geologist with a wealth of experience and information from across the country that he loves to share with the Rock Chasing crew.

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