A 7-mile self-guided loop connecting 24 historic silver mining sites across Park City opened in August, giving hikers and mountain bikers a free trail through the town's mining past.
The Park City Historic Mine Route starts at the Park City Museum on Main Street, climbs through Old Town to the Treasure Hill trailhead, reaches the newly restored Silver King Mine, drops into Empire Canyon and returns to Main Street. The route features 18 interpretive signs and 85 green wayfinding markers displaying a stylized mine cart logo.
Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, an all-volunteer committee of the Park City Historical Society & Museum, built the project over roughly three years. Planning formally launched in spring 2025 after grants from Park City Rotary, the Central Wasatch Commission and Utah Outdoor Recreation. Most of the route follows existing trails maintained by Mountain Trails Foundation and crosses preservation easements held by Summit Land Conservancy.
The route's centerpiece is the Silver King Coalition Mine Headframe, a 1926 structure that underwent a multi-year preservation effort. It sits within a 32-acre National Historic District.
"The Park City Historic Mine Route is both a tribute to the miners of the past and a gift to future generations who will hike, ride, learn and connect with the stories that make Park City unique," co-chair Donald Roll told the Park Record on Aug. 17, when the route was first announced.
A free audio guide on the TravelStorys app uses GPS to trigger 24 narrated stories, each two to three minutes long, as users approach each site. Historical photographs appear alongside the audio. Local historians, mining experts and geologists contributed the narration.
Four route options are available:
- Full hiking loop: 7 miles, 1,200 feet of elevation gain, all 24 sites, roughly 3.5 to 4.5 hours.
- Full mountain bike loop: 10.75 miles, sites 1–5 and 10–24, roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours.
- Lift Up, Empire Canyon Descent: 3.4 miles, sites 10–24, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Empire Canyon Out & Back: 3.75 miles, sites 24–14, roughly 1.5 hours.
The official website, hmr.parkcityhistory.org, offers turn-by-turn directions, maps, historic photos and GPX files compatible with AllTrails, Strava, Trailforks and Gaia GPS.
Park City's silver mining history dates to the discovery of silver in 1868. Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History has worked since 2015 to protect and interpret that heritage, saving 15 historic mining structures around town. Project manager Wayne McKay said in an Aug. 19 TownLift report that the route would "create a lasting community asset that honors Park City's mining legacy while enriching the experience of Summit County residents and visitors alike."
