| Difficulty: | Number: | Miles: | Altitude: | Obstacles: | Time: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate - 7 | FR 171 | 4.5 | 9,860 to 10,800 ft. | Rock - 1 Water - 2 |
4-5 hours |
Denver, CO 80202
Clear Creek Ranger District
P.O. Box 3307
Idaho Springs, CO 80452
Closure:
July - May still be snowed in, north facing side
August - Best
September - Best
October - Be aware of early snow storms
Accessed:
Many mines were developed through the 1860s and 1870s. The Gold Fissure Mine was a large operation made up of five claims. Above the town was the Atlantic Mine and up the valley was the Conqueror Mine owned by Colonel John Dumont. The Conqueror mine and tunnel were developed in the 1870s. In 1910 W.S. Pryor expanded the Conqueror boarding house which sat near the mine and mill. In 1960 it still remained with its long porch and two story design. Since then it has burned down. The Benton Mine also put up a company owned boarding house for its miners.
In 1878 hydraulic mining arrived in North Empire. Timothy G. Negus, Frank M. Taylor and Robert S. Morrison organized the Empire Ditch and Placer Company to mine the soth slope of Silver Mountain. With capital of $400,000 they began washing the 40 acres owned by the company. The Negus Placer Mine produced $50,000 in 1878-1879. A few years later Judge R. E. Rombauer and Amos Morse worked the Pauline and Coupon mines with hydraulics.
In the 1890s with the mines producing large amounts of ore the Great Empire Cable Railroad Company announced plans to construct a cable railroad up the gulch from Empire to North Empire. The tracks of the Colorado Southern Railroad were extended to Empire, but the cable railroad never came to be. During the early 1900s when mining was bust, the Gold Dirt was producing enough to stay alive. In 1934 many properties merged to become the Minnesota Mines Company which created another flurry of activity until World War II when the government closed down gold mining with Order L-208.
In less than a quarter mile you will come to another intersection. Take the right onto the Empire Loop 4WD road. The left is Bill Moore Lake 4WD road, FR 183.1. Shortly you will pass through some private property before coming to another intersection. Take the right to stay on FR 171.1. The left is FR 171.3C, a connection back to FR 183.1. In just under three quarters of a mile will be another intersection. Take the left heading down to Mill Creek to stay on FR 171.1. The right is the end/start of the Red Elephant 4WD road, FR 171.3A.
The road will wind down through the trees before reaching the Mill Creek crossing. The other side will climb through the trees and within a mile pass an old log cabin. The road continues through the trees passing another building foundation before looping southwest along the edge of the James Peak Wilderness. You will drop down to Mill Creek once again and cross at an upper section of the creek. From here the road climbs back toward Red Elephant Hill. At the next intersection take the left to stay on FR 171.1. The right is FR 171.3C which connects with FR 183.1. In less than a half mile you will be back at the road you came in on, thus completing the loop.