GCX0JB 4x4 11-Champion Mill
Type: Traditional | Size: Regular | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: n0wae @ | Hide Date: 07/06/2006 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N39° 55.866 W105° 32.035 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 5
         

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This is the eleventh in a series of 4x4 caches. This one offers an easy 4WD ride and a short easy .15 mile hike to a historic mining/mill site that features a rare 10 stamp mill!

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The nearby ghost-town of Phoenix (now privately owned) was in its hay-day in the early 1900s. The town had a blacksmith shop, an assay office, a pump and a boarding house. Several dwellings housed miners that worked in the nearby Champion and Lone Star mines. The main shaft of the Champion Mine (now collapsed) was 250 feet deep with several cross-cut tunnels. The mill is located at N39°55.827 W105°32.063 (Just uphill from the cache).

From Rollinsville head West on FDR149. Turn right on FDR105 and follow it past the F.S. Work Center and past the right side of the house. Stay on FDR105 until you come to a 4-way intersection. Take West Magnolia 105 to the parking place/Trail Head. (See Additional Waypoint)

Note: There is private property on both sides of the Forest Service road in this whole area. Access to the Champion Mill site has been graciously granted by the property owner. No motor vehicles are allowed on the access trail! No shooting or removal of artifacts is allowed. Please respect the property owners requests or we will lose access to this historic site. The only legal access to the cache and mill is by foot on this trail.

Additional Waypoints

PKX0JB - Park&Hike
N 39° 55.903 W 105° 32.211
Park and hike in from here.

05/03/2018 By Rev Mike
Lots of snow and the approach from the south was closed.
Now that I'm home and looking closer at the map it looks like there is another approach to the north.
I guess maybe next time but I need to visit CO later than May sometime so more of the Jeep trails are open.

- Rev Mike

09/13/2015 By loverfishy
Very cool hike back here! We passed quite a few mountain bikers on other trails on the way in- love to come back to this area when I have a bit more time. Great day for caching and adventuring. Will post a few photos soon. TFTC! :)

06/27/2015 By fasted23
found

06/27/2015 By Sapper489
FUN CACHE, I believe we approached this from the opposite way intended, we did have fun and log a find. TFTC Sapper489

06/13/2015 By starnsun
Wheelin' in the area today and stopped by and took in the sights. TFTC

10/15/2014 By Team Red Rubicon
4x4 11-Champion Mill was transferred from n0wae to user Team Red Rubicon

09/27/2014 By meryleea
Our friends are the property owners. Great first find and easy hike from party headquarters.

09/05/2012 By davjam
Our second find! Good one.. Fun 4 wheelin' . Need a decent 4wd for this one. Be advised that FS road 105 is closed where it returns to to hwy119 (Magnolia) until spring (forest service is doing mitigation in the area). If you do this one, you'll need to backtrack to Rollinsville to get out.

davjam

08/23/2012 By tiki_iria
TFTC went with Mapachoo. The sunglasses are still there and oddly clean looking as well. Awesome location. It is too bad it is not being preserved though.

08/23/2012 By MaPaChoo
Wow over a year since the last log we have been wanting to get this one for a while.Thanks for the Cache visited with TikiIria and her little one "BrenBot" and Tiki"s sister was along for the hike as well. Took the Towmater truck for Brenon and left our signature path tag. Oh By the way the sunglasses are still there on the stump next to the cache.