Hartmans rock is a very nice place to camp. It is isolated and remote, and it is totally silent at night, and you can see the stars there very well; yet, it is only 7miles to a 24 convenience store. There are beautiful views of the West Elk Mountains, The Swatch Mountains, The San Juan Mountains, and the Elk Mountain Range. The geology of Hartmans rock is absolutely outstanding. Hartmans rock is composed of Granite Dikes, Amphibolites (Metamorphosed Basalt), and Quartzite, all of which date back 1.7 billion years. Back 1.7 billion years ago a new terrain was created to the North American Craton. The igneous and metamorphic rocks at Hartmans were formed in that collision between the terrain, and the craton.
Today Hartmans is a National Recreation Area, with many nice trails for hikers, cross country skiers, bicyclists, motor bikers, and jeepers. Rock climbers also frequent hartmans. Some folks have even been known to have paint ball wars here, which I guess I can understand, because there are lots of great hiding places in the cracks of the granite dikes.