Empire Mine State Historic Park

Historic machinery, buildings and surrounding grounds help explain the industrial scale of hard-rock gold mining, offering more context than a single mine-shaft viewpoint.

Check the state park’s current admission, tour offerings and trail information before visiting. Access to buildings and guided experiences depends on the operating program, and the site is not an unrestricted underground mine tour. The photograph shows a Pelton wheel displayed within the historic park, one part of its industrial collection.

Visitor details reviewed October 18, 2026. Check official visitor information for current access, admission, and operating arrangements. View on OpenStreetMap.

Image credit: Cullen328 / Wikimedia Commons. Original source. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; may be cropped for display.