Located in the beautiful Sierra Nevada foothills in the historic town of Grass Valley, the Empire Mine State Historic Park is one of the most well-preserved gold mines in the United States. Sitting on 856 acres, this mine contains 367 miles of mine tunnels and 14 miles of some amazing dog friendly hiking trails.
Though there are many gold mines in Nevada County (some of them are within the Empire Mine State Park grounds), but the Empire Mine is the most well known and best preserved. Locals and tourists alike enjoy the beautifully kept grounds. And on a quick note, it can even be rented for wedding ceremonies.
Weather Forecast For Grass Valley, CA:
Quick Information:
* Address:
10791 East Empire Street
Grass Valley, Ca 994
* Phone: (530) 273-8522
* Park Hours: Summer 10am-5pm
Winter 10am-4pm
* Established: 1975
* Size: 856 Acres
* Elevation: 2500 - 2900
Day Use Fee:
$5 for 6 years and older
Dogs:
On Trails Only
Water:
Yes
Toilets:
Yes
A Very Brief History, Gold and the Empire Mine
Back in the year 1850 as the story goes, a gentleman by the name of George McKnight and two associates found rock with gold in it, though this was the 3rd location to find gold in Grass Valley, this was the first one to draw the attention of the placer miners.
It was at that moment the "Gold Rush" began in Grass Valley. This was just 2 years after gold was first discovered by James Marshall in Coloma, California. Known as Placer Mining or mining in stream beds. But this was the first hard rock gold found in California.
In the same area where McKnight first found gold, many a miner dug what was called a "coyote hole", all with the thirst for gold. Because no one had mined for gold like this before, there was a lot of trial and error, and many miners lost everything they had and moved back to placer mining. Though money had been made by some, it wasn't easy, and it cost a lot of money to extract the gold from the quartz.
In 1869 the claim and land had been sold to William Bowers Bourn, Sr.. At that time the Empire really prospered. They held onto the mine until 1929. After that it was sold to the Newmont Mining Corporation, who happens to still own the underground portion of the mine to this day. During its time span, it and was one of the most profitable mines in the state of California and in the United States. It was mined for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Operations ceased in 1956.
Empire Mine State Historic Park Map:
NOTE: The Dirty Business;
If you need to use the restroom, there are 2 areas available in this park. One being in the parking lot and the second being some very, very clean portables down below the tennis courts.
What is there to see at the Empire Mine State Park?
From the pathway in, you are greeted with the Assay office.
Here is where the day's gold was weighed and given a dollar amount. During its time, the Empire Mines assay office would have been an incredibly busy place. When you go inside, you can get a glimpse of what it was like to work inside.
Step Inside and Step Back Into The Past;
Inside the visitor's center you will find terrific information on the Empire Mine's history, its miners and what their life was like for them, the owners of the mine. Plus, you will get an excellent course in history when it comes to the actual mine when you enter the once secret area that holds the scale model of the inner workings of the Empire.
Below are some photos from inside the Visitors Center. The Gold Room holds some incredibly beautiful minerals and some very large pieces of gold.
The Bourn Cottage;
This beautiful home has withstood time itself. Though not the largest of the homes owned by the mining moguls, it is the best known. You can step inside with a guided tour to get a real feel for what life would have been like for them when they stayed at the Empire.
Built in 1897, the home had all the amenities afforded to the family, including electricity. Costing $25,000 to build, it would be nearly $1,000,000 with today's inflation. The home was built with mine rock directly from the grounds.
Time to Reflect;
The reflection pool was at one time a place for gatherings. Though it was originally built as a reflecting pool, it was ultimately used for swimming.
By Invite Only;
To be on the invite list, you would have had to have been in the upper crust of society. By invitation only, you would have enjoyed your stay by playing games, tennis, swimming, strolling the grounds, cocktailing, dancing and eating. But, on that note, the mine just a few hundred yards away ran 24 hours a day for 7 days a week. Miners were not allowed to visit.
The industrial part of the park;
After passing some relics and ruins, homes of past employees, you enter into the working part of the yard. Smelter, machine shop and smithy. Everything that was needed to produce gold and keep the daily life was contained in this yard.
On most days at the Empire Mine State Park, you can find nice fellas like this one below showing their handing work at blacksmithing. He knew a lot about his craft and the historical use of a blacksmith shop at the Empire Mine. Plus, you can buy some handcrafted items made by one of these docents.
Now for the exciting part;
You can go down into the main shaft at the Empire Mine. It is a very unique experience and definitely a highlight of the tour. It is a pretty steep incline, but there are handrails on both sides. Once in there you can take in but a mere inkling of what these men did every single day.
Traveling on the skip at 6 miles per hour into the darkness. Listen closely, and you can hear a donkey bray, Cornish miners singing and picks chipping away at the earth below you.
If for any reason, you cannot physically go down the stairs into the mine, then you can view it via a window and a mirror to the right of the door. This will allow for a glimpse of the mine.
*If your day is just for hiking, then here are a few of the trails available at the mine.*
These trails are free to access and parking is free also.
Hiking Trails at the Empire Mine
If your trip to Grass Valley includes your doggo, then this place has trails for you. One of the very few California State Parks that allows dogs on the trails, it can also be used for equestrian riders as well. There is a staging area for horses at the lower "Penn Gate". This is located on Empire Street, about 1/2 mile from the park's main entrance.
Hardrock Trail Loop; 2.4 mile loop
(Listed as easy, but I think that should be based on a person to person basis)
This trail is by far the most popular of all the trails, and you will encounter walkers, runners, horses and dogs. It starts out pretty flat but after a small downhill, it goes up for a bit. It will get your heart rate up. Furthermore, it's good for strollers until you get to the creek and head up the gnarly hill towards the main area of the State Park.
If you are sans children, then this one should be a fine workout. It takes you though the parking lot and along the road back towards Penn Gate. It gets very narrow just after you pass the Bourn Cottage along Highway 174.
Conlon Mine Loop Trail; 2.8 mile loop
This trail starts out at the visitor center parking lot, heading to your left and going past the mine buildings and machinery. Head down the hill and across the creek. Once there, stay to the left in order to do this trail (if you go to the right, then you will end up at Penn Gate).
Osborne Hill Loop Trail; 2.4 miles but noted as a moderate hike
This hike is a lot like the Conlon Mine hike, but it takes the outer perimeter, basically paralleling it. However, it omits the area known as Ophir Hill Acres, making this one a bit more difficult but a little shorter in distance.
Ophir Hill and Historic Mines; 5.7 miles
This trail begins at the Penn Gate and takes you up towards the main Empire Mine parking lot, this portion of the trail is the Hardrock Trail. But it shoots off to the right as you ascend the hill taking you towards the Orleans Hill. The trail will wind up through the woods towards HWY 174 where you will cross it. From here the trail is a bit less traveled than the others inside the main portion of the park.
Once across the highway the trail then becomes the Lower Union Hill Trail. Stay on this trail and to the left, it then becomes Upper Union Hill Trail before becoming Indian Ridge Trail and down to Pipeline. This will loop you back to the Lower Union Trail and back to HWY 174.
Be sure to map it before you go as there are a few offshoots from this trail. I'm not sure how good the cell service is there, I know that cell service is spotty by Union Hill School.
What's Nearby?
Depending on the time of year when you visit, there are many things to do and see. During the summer months, downtown Grass Valley has a Farmers Market on Thursday evenings. Depending on the year, either Grass Valley or Nevada City hold a 4th of July Parade. In the winter, just after Thanksgiving, you can enjoy Cornish Christmas in Grass Valley or Victorian Christmas in Nevada City.
About an hour away, you can go over the Donner Summit to see Donner Historical State Park and check out Alder Creek, or head over to Truckee for lunch before going to Lake Tahoe for the night.
Helpful Resources:
The Empire Mine is a favorite of mine, and I have been many times in my life. It's a great place to take folks who may be visiting from out of town.
Excellently written! This explains many of the features of this State Park, and there is still plenty more to see and do there.
Thanks for sharing part of our heritage with all of us.
Thank you Gerry! It was fascinating to learn about George McKnight. Also during my research in newspapers.com I found info on a Mr.Tinloy (Tinloy St.), that was interesting. I’ve been meaning to go by his grave over in Grass Valley. Thanks for reading my article.