Loveland 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, but the road crosses private property. Please be aware of your location.
Winter Access: Winter training and equipment required.

This cache is located at 12,574 feet and is the highest cache in Colorado's South Park GeoTour. The road up Loveland Mountain will take you past numerous mines and mills in the Alma Mining District. From Loveland you can see Buckskin Road running from the Paris Mill to Kite Lake, with structures related to the Sweet Home Mine located at the halfway point. The Sweet Home Mine was established in 1873 to mine silver but made its claim to fame in the 1990s with the discovery of large rhodochrosite crystals. See how many mines you can spot across the gulch on neighboring Mount Bross. For your safety, do not enter any mines or mining structures; the Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety maintains a list of mines and mills that you can safely tour.

Paris Mine on Mount Bross, courtesy of the Park County Local History Archives

From Alma, take Buckskin Road (County Road 8) west for 1.7 miles then turn left on to Forest Service Road 192.  Follow this road up the hill until you can turn right on to FSR 450. There is a maze of unmarked roads up Loveland Mountain so use your GPS or map to follow the primary road up to the cache. You can park before turning on to FSR 192 if you have a 2WD or low clearance vehicle but getting to the cache will involve a considerable hike.