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 the Office of 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 take a look inside certain buildings using the virtual tour!
Stop 1: Campus Housing
Spruce Hall • (view south)
Residence Hall: for first-year students
Weaver Towers • (view southwest)
Residence Hall: for second-year and above students
Elm Hall • (view west)
Residence Hall: for first-year students
Maple Hall • (view east)
Residence Hall: for first-year students
Explore This Stop
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 one of 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.
Fraternity and Sorority 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
Explore This Stop
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: Academic Buildings
Brown Hall • (east)
Academics: Home to classrooms, lab spaces, Electrical, Mechanical and Mining Engineering
Berthoud Hall • (northeast)
Academics: Home to classrooms, lab spaces, and Geology and Geologic Engineering
Explore This Stop
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 4: 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
Explore This Stop
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 5: Ben Parker Student Center
Student Center • (view north)
Student Life: Campus Store, Career Center, Periodic Table cafeteria, Blaster’s Pantry and several student support offices can be found here, including Financial Aid and the Registrar
Explore This Stop
The Ben H. Parker Student Center is at the heart of campus and serves as a hub for student life. It’s home to the Campus Store, the Career Center, the Periodic Table cafeteria, Blaster’s Basket food pantry and several student support offices, including Financial Aid and the Registrar. Whether you’re grabbing a meal, picking up textbooks, meeting with a career advisor or taking care of campus business, you’ll likely spend plenty of time here.
Stop 6: Labriola Innovation Hub
Labriola Innovation Hub • (view northwest)
Academics and Student Life: Home to various creative spaces and workshops for students to use to innovate and research
Mines Museum of Earth Science • (view northeast)
Academics and Student Life: Home to various creative spaces and workshops for students to use to innovate and research
Explore This Stop
The Labriola Innovation Hub is where ideas become reality. Students have access to makerspaces, wood and metal shops, design studios and other creative workspaces to build prototypes, work on class projects and pursue personal interests. The Hub also hosts hands-on workshops throughout the year, where students can learn new skills like sewing, woodworking, 3D printing and more.
The Museum of Earth Science showcases Colorado School of Mines’ rich geology and mineral heritage. Founded in 1877, the museum features thousands of minerals, gemstones, fossils and mining artifacts, including one of Colorado’s largest public mineral collections. It’s a favorite stop for visitors and a valuable resource for students studying geology and earth sciences.
Stop 7: Campus Library & Housing
Arthur Lakes Library • (view north)
Student Life: Academic support resources, book a consultation with a librarian for your projects or swing by Book and Brew for a coffee
Traditional Halls • (view west)
Residence Hall: For first-year students
Explore This Stop
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
Explore This Stop
Stop 9: Kafadar & 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
Explore This Stop
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
Explore This Stop
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: Green Center
Green Center • (view east)
Student Life: Classrooms, New Student & Transition Services, Student Activities, Involvement & Leadership Office, Mines Activities Council, International Programs, MEP, TRIO, Student Life and Undergraduate Student Government
Academics: Bunker Auditorium, Friedhoff Hall, Metals Hall and Petroleum Hall
Explore This Stop
The Green Center also houses our Geophysical Engineering Department – one of only two ABET accredited undergraduate Geophysics programs in the country and 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
Stop 12: Academic Buildings
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
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 13: Student Support Services
Student Support Services •
Academics and Student Life: Resources include University Honors & Scholars
Explore This Stop
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.