This mine is sealed and closed!

The real name of this mine has been changed for this Trek. 

I found out about this mine from a friend at work.  I mentioned that I was looking for some new caves or mines to explore and she told me there was this mine she came across in Ogden that looked like it was fun to explore.  She gave me some directions and I checked it out a few weeks later.

The trail begins at the 22nd Street Trailhead and follows the Indian Trail for a ways.  There are many trails that intersect and join up together, but getting to the mine is pretty simple.  If you are just hiking to the entrance to the mine and peek your head in, then this would be a good hike for you.  If you are looking for a more friendly mine exploration Trek, then you should check out another one instead, like Patsy’s Mine in Farmington.

As you hike there will be a very faint path that leads off of the main trail and then heads up the side of the mountain at about a 40 degree angle.  It’s pretty dang steep and you hike this way for about 230 ft until you come to the entrance to the mine.

The mine is a pretty good size one as far as Northern Utah lode (tunnels) mines are concerned. Right at the mine entrance is a steep decline for about 150 ft or so.  On the way down, there is a side tunnel which goes for about 10 ft.  I found some trash and remains of some burnt wood.  The main tunnel goes down from here and levels off and you will see the shaft on your right side.

This mine is not only dangerous due to the steep decline and the shaft, but mines that are typically like this have bad air at the bottom since the only entrance is at the top. I wouldn’t be surprised if bored kids threw down gas bombs in the shaft, so there could be little oxygen in these lower parts.  This is another reason not to explore this mine. Yes, I know, I’m a hypocrite, but I am a prepared hypocrite!  Bring an oxygen detector just in case.

You will see some kind of wood structure which people have used to rappel down into the shaft, which I do not recommend at all.  I threw a rock down and it seemed to go down another 80 ft or so feet but probably deeper, I couldn’t really tell.

The shaft just kind of appears at the end of the decline and if you aren’t careful you could easily slip and fall down in the shaft without even knowing what happened.  Whenever I explore mines, I bring my brightest flashlights and if I had a dim flashlight, I probably wouldn’t have seen the shaft at the end and could have slipped in!  But, I am always overly cautious when exploring mines and go very slow and deliberate in all my steps and actions. (Have I given you enough warning yet? lol)