It was June 18, 2011. Fathers Day weekend. I wanted to do something fun and rewarding with my family.
I was told about the Mica Mine about a week before, and it sounded like the perfect adventure for my family. We are a family of six, and have almost 6 year old twins , a 7 year old and a 14 year old.
Because we have younger ones, we didn’t want to go on too far of a hike, or the trip would be no fun by the end. In our case, the 1.3 mile trek to the mica mine was about perfect.
We anticipated mid 80′s temperatures, so we lathered up with sunscreen, and loaded up our backpacks with plenty of water, trailmix, snacks and of course, a camera. There are some gorgeous views up there, and you will kick yourself if you forget the camera.
We started our trek at about 7:30am at the Bangs Canyon Trailhead, which is West of Grand Junction, CO, up Little Park road about 5.7 miles (or so). The kids were full of excitement and energy as we started down the trail, taking in the crisp morning air and pointing out some of the plants and rocks they started observing. These observations didn’t end until we were back in the car.
We started down the path going down a natural stair step path of rock, and the views just opened up. At the bottom of the stairs is a fork, and we took the right hand path to the Mica Mines.
Our journey included many different varieties of foliage and flowers. Some I know the names of, and some were new. We found cactus in bloom periodically up there, in both yellow and a light red color. At one point, we located an entire field of blooming cactus.
The rock formations all around us were breath taking. Some reminded me of Colorado National Monument, which is only a few miles away, and others reminded me of a land all its own. Alcoves, and caves and nooks and crannies – it was a chore keeping the kids on the trail, but teaching them respect for public grounds is the right thing for us to do.
Early on we spotted a rodent of some sort that had a large round body and a tail. It looked like a round mouse, but we were unable to get a picture of it to identify it. It was odd that it was up in the side of a wall in a mud-like nest (at least that’s what it looked like to us).
We ended up walking in the creek beds most of the way up to the mine. There is a road that parallels the creek bed, and somehow we ended up in the creek bed. I’m told this is where the better views are, and I have the pictures that seem to confirm that.
We were fortunate to have so much moisture in the area this year. We had a lot of streams to cross (about 6 or so), and the kids enjoyed hopping from rock to rock to cross… or just getting their feet a bit wet in the process.
As we approached the mine, we were starting the see quartz pieces, and at one point, our road was completely made of quartz, and it looked like a hail storm of quartz landed on the road. It was surreal, and we took several shots of it because it was so unique.
The kids liked the quartz finds because they look like precious gems, and they thought they’d found something of value. It did mean we had to bring some back, but it was all for the glory of a good time.
A little bit further, and we were at the mica mine. The actual mine shafts are sealed off in concrete, but the open face of the mine is still very apparent, and holds many large chunks of Muscovite mica. There are also other forms of mica up there that aren’t as recognizable, and I only know this after doing a Google search on mica images.
There is a small trail that goes around the mine, and further up stream to a water fall. I’m told that this late in the season it’s rare, but with all the water in the region, I’m not surprised.
It was an extension of another 10 or 15 minutes back to the waterfall, but 100% worth it. The views were perfect. The water fall is maybe 100 feet high, and is a very pleasing sound.
We stayed at the waterfall, and ate some sandwiches and just took a nice quiet breather. We were later greeted by a family with a few friendly dogs. There really wasn’t too much traffic on the trail early in the day, but as the day grew, so did the traffic.
Our return trip was very pleasant, even though the kids were showing signs of getting tired. We made it fun though, and helped them believe that there were alligators in the streams. My wife first pointed out some alligator skin (tree bark), and that set the tone.
As we got to creeks, I’d toss a rock when they weren’t looking, and they’d scoot along. It was fun, and kept their mind off of weak muscles.
We did get a little bit of rain on the way back, but only a light sprinkle, and a very refreshing feeling after a nice hike. We did keep our eyes out for alcoves to duck into, in case it turned into a rain storm. We couldn’t see outside of the canyon to see if it was isolated, or part of a bigger system, so we thought it best to be prepared.
In all we spent about 3 hours on the trail, and made it all the way to the end where we were blessed to see a beautiful waterfall, and spend my fathers day with my family on a very pleasant trip. The entire family commented that it was one of the best family trips they could remember, and thanked me for bringing them. Well thank you kids. It was fun, and we’ll do it again.