Empire Mine State Historic Park
Price of admission: $3.00 for adults over 16,$1.00 for children 6 to 16, children under 5 are free.
Website - (530) 273-8522
By: Elizabeth Sedway
Hours of Operations: May - September 7rd 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 PM.;September 8th - December 10:00 AM. - 5:00 p.m.;January - April 10:00 AM. - 5:00 PM.
The Empire Mine is the site of the oldest, largest, and richest gold mine in California. From 1850 to its closing in 1956, it produced 5.8 million ounces of gold.This 5.8 million ounces of gold would fill a box 7 feet on each side. It is estimated that this represented only 20% of the available gold...80% remains. The Park contains many of the original mine buildings, the owners cottage and the restored gardens and grounds as well as the entrance to 367 miles (the equivalent of a round trip from Grass Valley to San Jose) of abandoned and flooded shafts and tunnels. The park consists of 845 acres of forested back country and 12 miles of trails for hikers, bikers and horseback riders.
