Chalk Cliffs Near Mt. Princeton Hot Springs

The Chalk Cliffs are located near the mouth of Chalk Creek Canyon, on the southeastern side of Mt. Princeton. From Highway 24, once can easily see the gray cliffs seemingly gauged into the mountain. If you're at the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs, Deer Valley Ranch or driving on Chaffee County Road 162 near Nathrop, you can't miss this scenic landmark.

Below are some pictures of the Chalk Cliffs I've taken over the years. Just when one thinks he or she has "had more than enough" of scenic beauty from Mt. Princeton, Mt. Antero, the local hot springs, the nearby ghost towns and local hikes and waterfalls, the Chalk Cliffs provide yet even more scenery.

Photo Gallery - Taken In December 2005 Near the junction of State Highway 24 and County Road 126, the Chalk Cliffs can be seen in the bottom left, with the summit of Mt. Princeton to the right.

The general vantage point of the Chalk Cliffs near the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs.

Below is the verbatim text on the adjacent sign near the Chalk Cliffs: Nature's Sculpture "The striking white cliffs on Mount Princeton are made not of chalk but of kaolinite, a soft rock produced by hot springs percolating through cracks in the mountain. Majestic Mt. Princeton Inspired by the cliffs that look like white chalk, this peak was named Chalk Mountain by George M. Wheeler during his surveying and mapping expedition of the Colorado Territory in 1871. However, the name Mount Princeton was used in 1873 by Ferdinand V. Hayden, leader of the U.S. Geologic Survey's, Hayden Expedition. Hayden named many of the neighboring peaks after Ivy League schools.