It is located in the southern Rocky Mountains and covered a roughly triangular area centered on the Thirtynine Mile volcanic area and extending from the Sawatch Range southeast to the northern Sangre de Cristo Range and the Wet Mountains and northeast to the southern Front Range south of Denver.

The volcanic products date from the late Eocene to the early Oligocene (38 to 29 million years ago).

[1] Rocks of the CCVF host base- and precious metal deposits, including the volcanic diatreme at Cripple Creek,[1] the site of a notable gold rush beginning in 1890.

[2] Outcrops of Wall Mountain Tuff, one of the most widespread extrusive units of the CCVF, may be found near the town of Castle Rock, more than 90 miles (140 km) from the presumed eruptive source of the tuff.

[3] Locally known as Castle Rock Rhyolite, the stone was quarried for dimension stone and construction aggregate beginning in 1872 and used in building projects in cities along the Front Range, including Denver and Colorado Springs.