700 Yampa Street A105 (Entrance on 7th St.), Steamboat Springs, Colorado 80487, United States
Emerald mountain
The lowdown on Emerald ...
Emerald Mountain (aka Quarry Mountain) with a peak at 8255 ft is in Steamboat Springs, CO, just west of the Park Range. The mountain got it's name from, you guessed it, it's verdant green color!
Though there are no known emeralds on Emerald Mountain, it truly is the jewel of Steamboat Springs and epitomizes the spirit of the town! With the gorgeous, well-maintained and expanding system of multi-use trails on the mountain, the winter sports at Howelsen Hill, the summer rodeo series at the arena, multiple athletic competitions, and more, it is the center of both organized and individual outdoor sports and recreation in town. Fitting it's name it is also gorgeously green in the late spring and early summer months.
The main trails and activities at Emerald are on the northeast side of the mountain near town, though there are trails on the western side of the mountain, one of which connects to the trails on the northeast side if you want to make a loop.
For all you geology buffs ... emeralds are a type of beryl [Be3Al2Si6O18], a class of chain silicates, with trace amounts of chromium and vanadium that give it it's distinctive green color. FYI, aquamarine, another common form of beryl is the state rock of Colorado!
The geology of Emerald is pretty complex and displays several different tectonic trends! The northern end of the mountain (where the majority of the trails are located) are a series of gentle westward dipping N-S oriented bluffs and ridges that terminate against arcuate ridges, including the ridge that constitutes the summit of the mountain. The iconic quarry area is a prominent sandstone marker bed that can be seen from the southern side of Steamboat and marks the terminus of the Blackmere trail. The entire mountain is sedimentary unlike Mt Werner and the rest of the Park Range across the Yampa River which are composed of much older mafic rock.
Come into the shop to see a 3D relief map of Emerald!