11 replies to this topic

[SkiBachelor]

Does anyone know if there are tours in the old Park City mining tunnels?

[iceberg210]

There was at one time where you went down into an old mining shaft via elevator. I think it was called Park City Silver Mine Adventure or something along those lines. I did it once and it was pretty fun as you went lower then the Empire State Building is high into the ground. Wasn't though something for those who get claustrophobic however.

I don't know if it's still around or not.

[lastchair_44]

They stopped offering tours before the Olympics came I think...it's a shame too, I would have liked to experience that tour.

[floridaskier]

You sure that wasn't an April Fools joke? There were a bunch of joke articles in the paper that day, like the one about the Park City High School baseball team using icicles instead of bats, or the scientists who solved global warming but accidentally eliminated summer. But those articles used fake bylines, and Jay Hamburger is a real reporter, so maybe it's real

The mine tour was fun back when I was little. They closed it up a few years ago, I think due to flooding problems or something. The mine building is right below the Viking and Red Cloud area at DV. There are mining remnants all over Deer Valley and PCMR, so if it is true, I guess it's not too surprising

[SkiBachelor]

floridaskier, on Apr 3 2009, 07:50 PM, said:

You sure that wasn't an April Fools joke? There were a bunch of joke articles in the paper that day, like the one about the Park City High School baseball team using icicles instead of bats, or the scientists who solved global warming but accidentally eliminated summer. But those articles used fake bylines, and Jay Hamburger is a real reporter, so maybe it's real

The mine tour was fun back when I was little. They closed it up a few years ago, I think due to flooding problems or something. The mine building is right below the Viking and Red Cloud area at DV. There are mining remnants all over Deer Valley and PCMR, so if it is true, I guess it's not too surprising

The incident did happen and and the reason why Deer Valley didn't know about this tunnel is because it's believed to have been a prospecting tunnel and those were never listed on mining maps.

The article also mentioned of two other skier/mining incidents in the past.

[tahoeistruckin]

Back during the first or second year Flagstaff Mtn, had been opened, one of our female lifties, and her boyfriend were caught doing the bum n grind, in one of the undiscovered mine entrances.
The hole was named after Dusty.

[sphrrt]

There are something like 1100 miles of documented mine tunnels under Park City and as stated, even more undocumented ones. Because of the honeycomb of tunnels, during the spring it's not out of the ordinary for sinkholes to open up, I believe there was one that showed up at PCMR on the Claimjumper run just a few years ago that was really deep (happened after the resort closed).
Just something to keep you on your toes around here!

[iceberg210]

Definitely sphrrt. All the mountains around Salt Lake have a mining history so whether you're in Park City, Little or Big Cottonwood you ought to always keep that in mind, especially when hiking in the summer. There are still some mines that have not been properly plugged, for example there's one on the Doughnut Falls hike, or at least there was a few years ago. So remember, be careful when in mining country.

[Skiing#1]

It's Park City Silver Mine Adventure at Deer Valley Empire area.

My children and I went down underground by three red cars of the elevator in 1997. The tour was very neat and fastantic!!! I love to have tour again. Anyway, the elevator goes down or up...travel is one and half miles. The tram travels the tunnel is one mile. The area is right under Deer Valley area, not Park City.

I learned it was closed several years ago. I wondered why.

Last summer, I was at Park City and I asked an information desk person about it. The person said that the old owner of Park City Silver Mine Adventure sold it to a new owner. The flood problem was there down, they couldn't fix and plus the electrcity is expensive, so the new owner decided to close it. No one knows will they reopen? Or they keep the closed forever?

Sad.

This post has been edited by Skiing#1: 05 April 2009 - 06:00 AM

[Snoqualmie guy]

That has to be one of the funniest things I've heard. Crystal Mountain in WA has some old mine tunnels, not sure though if any are in the boundries.

[Carl]

I guess you guys aren't ancient enough to remember Park City's early days.

One could ride a mine train into the mountain then step onto the "hoist" (mine lingo for the elevator) and be lifted up to the surface up on the ski hill!

None of those cold and windy chair lift rides!

Carl