Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History announced Wednesday [Aug. 27] it received several grants to build the Historic Mine Route. The 7.8-mile loop will connect existing trails and iconic buildings from Park City’s rich silver mining history.
The trail will include 11 interpretive signs, but the best way to experience the historic area will be through a GPS-enabled mobile app called TravelStorysGPS. The app will guide users through the route while sharing 25 narratives and historic photos.
The route will start and end at the Park City Museum on Main Street.
The outbound route will use the Treasure Hill trail system and head toward the Silver King Coalition Mine complex at the base of the Bonanza Lift on Park City Mountain. The 31-acre site is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
From there, the route loops on a new connector trail to Empire Canyon where the Alliance Watchman’s cabin and the Judge Mine office building are.
The trail returns to town via the Ontario Bench Road and Prospect trails.
The mining history group says the loop will take around 3.5 hours to complete. Hikers can shorten the journey by taking the Town Lift to the Silver King complex, bypassing 3 miles and over 1,000 vertical feet of uphill travel.
The Historic Mine Route is set to open on Miners Day in 2026.
Utah Outdoor Recreation, the Central Wasatch Commission, Park City Rotary, Park City Sunrise Rotary, the Park City Chamber of Commerce and the Park City Community Foundation provided grants to build the route.
