Last Chance Mine - Creede, Colorado

Kathy P.

This place is unbelievably beautiful for so many reasons. It's been on my list of places to visit for quite some time. I have visited so many mines (my dad was a spelunker and my Grandfather sold mining equipment in Colorado.....it's in my genetics). It's one of the most incredible places I've visited.

History.....rebuilt, preserved and generously shared by a dedicated, welcoming owner and really charming staff. We were assisted in parking and given a wonderful, historical overview by the "tall cowboy" others have raved about (he really did a great job!).

It's a fascinating environment; museums packed full of treasures. We really enjoyed the rock hounding hill......it's a huge area and they set you up with a bucket, tools and water to wash your specimens. There are some incredible rock specimens and gorgeous jewelry made from mining finds.

Unfortunately, we didn't plan, time wise, for one of many mine tours offered, but we will most definitely be back soon!

It's a beautiful drive to get there and the location of the mine provides breathtaking views. Can't wait to take family to see it.

Thank you, everyone, for nurturing such a phenomenal experience!

Melissa B.

What an amazing place to visit. Everyone is so nice and there is an abundance to see and learn. We had John as our guide for the 45 minute mine tour. So super informative and easy for all abilities to do. We were super impressed with the entire site. I bought earrings and a necklace that were gorgeous as well. Here I am the following day wanting to go back. So I am editing my review. This was seriously such a neat place. We drove almost 2 hours to get here from our Airbnb and it was worth it in every way. I honestly am contemplating going back today and spending the entire day. Such a great experience.

Andrew S.

Everyone please ignore the couple of wet towels that left poor reviews for this place, they very far removed from reality.
8-22-2024
We were greeted by River when we got onto the property and he helped get us parked which was super helpful since the lot is tight and we drive a big van and he gave us a quick rundown on the place. 2 awesome little museums that are chocked full of old school items from clothing to cooking to mining to household goods you name it. The collection beneath the gift shop is truly incredible we spent about 40 minutes just looking at everything down there. We signed up for a 45 minute tour that was $15 a person (dog friendly which is awesome) and it was well worth the money. River ended up being our tour guide and he did an excellent job at presenting information and answering questions that the group of 13 people had. Post tour we went over to the rockhound area and busted open some rocks for an hour or so and visited the second museum. We stopped by the gift shop and the young lady working the counter was super nice (we didn’t get her name unfortunately) and cool to talk to. Just as we were about to leave we got to have a quick chat with Jack, the owner, who is very knowledgeable and genuinely cares about giving people a one of a kind experience.

We spent about 4 hours total here and it was truly so much fun.
There was some mention of there being new tours being added on top of the already existing ones so repeat visits are certainly possible. River said it’s possible one of the new tours will be an old timer style and instead of the lights you will be guided by oil lamp (if I understood him correctly) which is one I would definitely come back for.

Come out and support these guys as it’s worth the price and a very unique experience.

LizzieK M.

Great place for history, mining and rock hounding. We did the new, longer tour. John was a great tour guide and Jack has created an awesome experience. It was also very dog friendly! Excellent selection of rocks, jewelry and views. We will go back for sure!

skylar W.

super long review incoming:

we travel on a budget and normally don’t spend money on tours, but after the kind lady in the creede visitor center suggested Last Chance Mine, we knew we couldn’t miss out on the opportunity! we are constantly in awe of the whole concept of mining and the tour was an absolutely fascinating visual look at what life was like for these guys from the 1880s-1980s. our tour guide, River, was excellent—he was informative, easy to listen to and provided amazing facts and stories of the history of this mine! we enjoyed chatting with him prior to the tour as well.

when we arrived they had two tours available, we chose to wait an hour to do the 45 minute tour for $15, as opposed to the 1.5hr tour for $30 (which i’m sure is absolutely incredible as well). in that time, we got to explore the two museums and observation deck—the museums themselves are worth the cost of the tour!

after the tour, we got to grab a hammer and bucket and go out and rockhound outside of the mine! we found some awesome treasures (that you’re able to bring home for $2/lb).

the girl working the gift shop—was so kind (i’m sorry i missed getting her name)! and jack, the owner, was a pleasure to briefly chat with! they are dog friendly which is an extra win!

all in all, we spent 4 hours there and definitely would come back to complete other tours as they continue to expand!

*i found it helpful to check out the Mining Museum audio tour in town prior to coming on this tour! both tours help compliment each other in learning about mining, if you are kind of clueless to the process (like me)!

note: i believe they’re open 9am-5pm daily, except for wednesday they get a day off!

Terri G.

We thoroughly enjoyed our short visit and plan on going back when we have more time. The staff is excellent. The drive up and the views from the mines are gorgeous especially during the fall with the aspens changing colors. Definitely worth a visit

Gina W.

It was a spectacularly beautiful and easy drive to the mine. We were SO thrilled that the mine was still open for tours (closes 10/7/23). It beat any expectations I had by a long shot.
We were immediately greeted by a tall and friendly cowboy who helped us park and gave us a brief history of the mine and a run down of the variety of things to do there- tours, rock shop, rock hounding, museums, see the ridiculously amazing views, etc.
My sister and I did the 15 minute tour with our kids (2 and 5 yo). Jack, the owner, was so kind and got us signed up. He even gave our kids a special crystal, which they have not stopped talking about. John gave us a great tour that everyone enjoyed.
We took the kids to do some rock hounding. They give you all the tools and tell you what to look for and there is even a special kids pile with no shortage of beautiful rocks to find. The prices are super reasonable and they told us about all the things we found. We like the huge selection of other rocks too.
We loved it so much, my sister and I went back later for the 45 minute tour, this time with Bobby.
I’ve done plenty of other mine tours but this one is something special. There is so much love and thoughtfulness around this place and it is totally professional. This place is the coolest and I am so glad we went, we could not have had a better time. Wonderful everything. Thank you guys!

luca R.

Mine tour was very informative and fun, river was our tour guide very knowledgeable and funny, don’t forget to tip him :D. then we dug for amethyst and salobelly agate idk if I’m spelling that right…. But as it was a blast for me in particular I’ve always wanted to dig for amethyst. Here’s some of the stuff I found. Washed them off. Only had 30mins to dig as we started late close to closing time. Regarding the amethyst mining the only fee is 2$ to a pound of rocks so pretty reasonable. Road is a little bumpy so beware.