Self-Guided Walking Tour
Discover what makes our campus unique with this walking tour.
The Details
Visit Length: 1 Hour… or take your time and enjoy campus!
This one-mile walking tour begins at the Starzer Welcome Center and takes approximately one hour to complete. The route follows the same path as our regular guided tours.
If buildings are open, feel free to go inside and take a look around. We just ask that you be mindful and considerate as classes may be in session.
You can find a copy of the tour map below, along with more detailed information for each stop or pick up a printed map to use as you explore campus.
Pick Up a Map
Starzer Welcome Center
1812 Illinois St.
Golden, CO 80401
Printed maps can be found at the Starzer Welcome Center, home to both the Office of Undergraduate and Graduate admissions.
Stop by during business hours to pick up a map and other materials, or grab a printed self-guided map anytime near the main entrance.
Office Hours: Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time, excluding holidays.
Download a Map
Download the PDF using the dropdown below, or scroll through each stop to follow along with fun facts and info.
Download the Map
Tour Stops & Info
You can follow along on the campus tour with each stop below. To learn more about each location, tap the “explore this stop” expander. You can also explore inside certain buildings using the virtual tour!
Stop 1: West Campus Housing
Spruce Hall • (view south)
Residence Hall: for first-year students
Weaver Towers • (view southwest)
Residence Hall: for sophomore-and-above students
Elm Hall • (view west)
Residence Hall: for first-year students
Maple Hall• (view east)
Residence Hall: for first-year students
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Mines has three suite-style residence halls centrally located on campus: Elm, Maple and Weaver. These halls feature single, double and triple suites with shared restroom facilities and community kitchens, lounges and laundry rooms. Spruce is our newest residence hall and offers many of the same amenities in a more traditional-style configuration.
Mines offers Signature Learning Communities where students live with peers who share academic or lifestyle interests. In addition to traditional and suite-style housing, Mines has seven fraternities and four sororities, with about 17% of students involved in Greek Life.
Greek Row, located above the intramural fields, houses nine of the 11 chapters and provides a housing option for sophomores and upper-division students.
Stop 2: Campus Dining
Mines Market • (view west)
Student Life: dining hall
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Mines Market is our main on-campus dining facility and features seven distinctive stations for a one-stop, all-you-can-eat dining experience. Swing by the Brick Oven for pizzas and calzones, or stop at the Global Chef for cuisines from around the world.
You can also check out Blaster’s Pasture, an extensive soup and salad bar. If you are in a rush, you can grab a to-go meal or stop by one of the other fast-food options across campus, all of which accept Munch Money, included in every on-campus dining meal plan.
Stop 3: Student Support & Community
Multicultural Engineering Program (view west)
Student Life: support program and community for multicultural students in engineering and applied sciences
Student Outreach and Support(view west)
Student Life: office dedicated to helping students navigate personal and academic challenges
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The Multicultural Engineering Program was established on campus in 1989 to recruit, retain, and graduate historically underrepresented students. MEP plays a significant role in promoting the ongoing commitment Mines has to create a more diverse and inclusive learning community. MEP supports cultural events, pre-collegiate programs for middle school and high school students.
MEP also oversees student organizations and representative groups, including:
- The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
- The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
- Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (oSTEM) (LGBTQ+)
- The Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE)
- The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
Stop 4: Academic Buildings
Brown Hall • (view east)
Academics: home to classrooms, lab spaces, Electrical, Mechanical, and Mining Engineering, and the Blaster Design Factory
Berthoud Hall • (view northeast)
Academics: home to classrooms, lab spaces, and Geology and Geologic Engineering
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In addition to the Design Factory, you’ll find spaces like the Outlet, a makerspace primarily for electrical engineering students; a machine shop; the Capstone Design Lab; and the Brown Garage, home to the Mines Hyperloop Team and many other student projects. On the roof of Brown is a ground station, built in support of the Mines Cube Satellite Program.
You’ll also find study spaces and Blaster’s Brew if you’re in need of some caffeine.
Berthoud Hall
Stop 5: Student Recreation Center
Student Recreation Center • (view west)
Student Life: Lockridge Arena, workout spaces, a swimming pool, rock wall, and the Outdoor Recreation Center can be found here
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The Student Recreation Center (SRC) is the campus hub for fitness, sports and outdoor adventure. Lockridge Arena, on the second floor, is home to Mines’ basketball and volleyball teams.
The SRC includes a rec gym with a jogging track, the main fitness center and a competition-grade climbing wall. It’s also home to the Outdoor Recreation Center, which organizes trips to places like Colorado ski resorts. Need gear? The ORC rents everything from tents to snowshoes.
Stop 6: Ben Parker Student Center
Student Center • (view north)
Student Life: Oredigger Outfitters, Periodic Table cafeteria, Blaster’s Pantry, and several student support offices can be found here, including Financial Aid and the Registrar
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The Ben H. Parker Student Center is in the heart of campus and home to our Student Activities, Involvement and Leadership Office that oversees more than 250 student organizations and is home to many of their offices, including our student newspaper, The Oredigger, and the Mines Activities Council, the student group that organizes one our favorite annual traditions – E-Days!
The Student Center also features many other student-focused offices and resources, such as Oredigger Outfitters, Career Center, Office of Financial Aid, Disability Services, our grab-and-go shop called Elements and our food court called the Periodic Table.
Stop 7: Campus Library
Arthur Lakes Library • (view north)
Student Life: access materials, book a consultation with a librarian for your projects, or swing by Book and Brew for a coffee
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Arthur Lakes Library offers millions of print and digital resources including books, journals, maps and government documents. Need help? Meet with a librarian, attend a workshop or get research support.
The library has study spaces for group work, quiet focus and reservable rooms. You’ll also find tech through Gadgets to Go, publishing support through Scholarly Communications and coffee at the student-run Book and Brew.
Stop 8: Guggenheim Hall
Guggenheim Hall • (view west)
Administrative: University administration and offices
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Stop 9: Karafar & Stratton Commons
Kafadar & Stratton Commons
Student Life: Open green spaces used by
students year-round. Also home to an interactive
underground geophysics lab featuring buried items
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But don’t let this space fool you – there’s an underground lab beneath it! Items such as pipes, archaeological walls, coffins and even a full keg of Coors beer are buried below so geophysics students can learn how to use ground-penetrating radar equipment.
Stop 10: Academic Buildings
Chauvenet Hall • (view north)
Academics: Classrooms and offices for
Applied Mathematics and Statistics, as well as Civil and Environemental Engineering
Stratton Hall • (view north)
Academics: Offices for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Division
Hill Hall • (view north)
Academics: Classrooms, offices for Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, and the Mines Foundry
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Chauvenet was the original building for Mining Engineering, but it now houses the Applied Mathematics and Statistics Department and half of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.
This building also served as the campus power plant at one point, and has old – allegedly haunted – steam tunnels underneath it.
Stratton Hall
Stratton houses the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Division (HASS). Studio courses in this division average less than 20 students!
Stratton is also the home for our Humanitarian Engineering program, which offers two minors, areas of interest and a graduate degree program.
Hill Hall
Hill Hall houses the Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department. Graduates from Mines in Metallurgical and Material Engineering work in a wide spectrum of manufacturing industries, including metal products, automotive and aerospace industries, and semiconductor fabrication.
Stop 11: Academic Buildings
Green Center • (view east)
Academics: Classrooms, Geophysical Engineering, International Programs, and Graduate Studies
CoorsTek Center • (view west)
Academics: Classrooms, research labs, student workspaces, and the Physics Department
Marquez Hall • (view southeast)
Academics: Classrooms, research labs, offices for the Petroleum Engineering Department
Alderson Hall • (view southeast)
Academics: Classrooms, offices and labs for the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, including the Center for Hydrate Research
Explore This Stop
The Green Center houses our Geophysical Engineering Department – one of only two ABET accredited undergraduate Geophysics programs in the country.
Green also houses our Office of International Programs (OIP) for students interested in Study Abroad. These can be arranged on an individual basis in over 40 countries around the world.
You’ll also find our International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) office, which assists incoming international students with admissions and visa/immigration documentation
CoorsTek Center for Applied Science and Engineering
This building is a significant milestone in a partnership between Mines, the Coors family and CoorsTek, Inc., the world’s leading engineered ceramics manufacturer.
A $27 million donation allowed us to purchase a range of high-tech equipment, including one of the most advanced electron microscopes in the United States, and enabled Mines to establish the CoorsTek Research Fellows Program.
In addition to being home to the physics department, CoorsTek also houses the Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (or ADAPT), the Quantum Theory Lab, the Advanced Characterization Lab and the Robotics Lab.
Marquez Hall
This building is home to the Petroleum Engineering Department On the first floor, you’ll find a drilling rig simulator. This is a lab for junior and senior-level petroleum classes where they get to familiarize themselves with equipment.
Alderson Hall
Stop 12: Student Support Services
Campus Centers • (view west)
Academics and Student Life: Resources include The Writing Center, University Honors & Scholars, the Title IX Office, and the Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics program
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WISEM is an executive office on campus, supporting students, faculty, and staff through academic and professional development, seminars, and events.
The Mines campus is about 32% women, remaining a leader in the country for female enrollment in engineering and applied science institutions.
WISEM also serves as support to the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Society of Women in Mathematics (SWiM), the Society of Women in Geophysics (SWIG), and the Society of Women in Physics (SWiP).
SWE (Society of Women Engineers) is the largest professional society on the campus, and Mines currently has the largest collegiate chapter of SWE in the nation.
Title IX Center
The Title IX Office is responsible for ensuring equity in Mines’ educational programs and activities, including Athletics and campus life.
This office also coordinates 1:1 support for anyone who has experienced sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking.
University Honors & Scholars Program
Students in First-Year Honors explore the intersections of technology, science, and society through project-based learning in design, communication, and ethics. Thorson takes a humanities-based approach and Grandey takes a leadership-based approach.
Hello from Golden, Colorado
Take a look at our visitors guide to experience more than just Mines. Recommendations on things to do, accommodations, parking and more.
Up-to-Date Visit and Event Status
All visits are operating as scheduled