The Historic Mine Route's First Fall Has No Chairlift

Park City's newest trail is a little over six weeks old, and the chairlift that made its upper mountain easy to reach has already stopped for the year.

The Historic Mine Route opened on Miners Day, Sept. 7. It links 24 mining sites, from the Park City Museum at 528 Main Street up to the Silver King Complex and back through Empire Canyon. When it launched, the easiest way to see the upper mountain was to ride a lift up and walk down. That option is gone for the year. So between now and the Nov. 20 ski opening, the part of the route that fits an ordinary afternoon is the one that starts on Main Street and climbs Ontario Ridge.

The Shortcut Lasted Three Weeks

The route's own planning pages list four ways to do it. You can hike the full loop or bike it. You can do a shorter out-and-back to Empire Canyon from the museum. Or you can take the lift-assisted "Lift Up and Descend Through Empire Canyon." The lift version covers 15 of the 24 audio stops, and it needs an active Epic Pass or a Scenic Day Pass from Park City Mountain.

Park City Mountain's summer schedule put a hard end date on that version. In the final window, Payday Scenic Rides ran 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, from Aug. 27 to Sept. 27. Town Chair Scenic Rides were listed as closed for that whole stretch. So a route that opened Sept. 7 had a working chairlift shortcut for about three weeks, and only on Payday. Winter lift operations are scheduled to start Nov. 20, 2026, depending on weather and conditions.

Here is how the four options compare this fall:

The table shows the trade-off. The full loop climbs from about 7,050 feet at the museum to 8,225 feet, and the route rates it Moderate Plus, with some uphill segments rated difficult. The out-and-back covers 11 sites, almost half the route, with 570 feet of climbing. That is less than half the full loop's gain, in roughly half the distance and about 90 minutes.

Why the Short Version Suits Late Fall

The surface matters as much as the climb. On the out-and-back, it is paved road from the museum to site 22 and dirt trail from the top of Prospect Avenue past site 21. From site 20 to site 14, it is gravel road. The route uses the Park City Mountain Sports Club's hiking capability levels and rates this one Semi-moderate. For most of the way, you are walking on pavement or gravel rather than singletrack. That helps in a week like this one.

The full loop runs the other way. It goes up Sweeney's Switchbacks, Sweeney's, John's, Trestle and the connector trails before coming back down Ontario Ridge Road and Prospect. The out-and-back skips that climb. It starts on Main Street and heads uphill, following the HMR signs clockwise up Ontario Ridge to the Daly-Judge and Alliance sites, then returns on Ontario Ridge Road. The route's audio-guide page also lists the Daly Trailhead as another place to start.

Eleven Stops, Numbered Backward

The out-and-back plays the audio tour in reverse, from site 24 down to site 14. In order, you'll pass:

24. Ontario No. 1 Drain Tunnel
25. Judge Loading Station/Ontario Mill
26. HMR Turning Point
27. Daly-Judge Aerial Tram Tower
28. American Flag Mine
29. John Daly in Empire Canyon
30. Daly-Judge Mill
31. Daly-Judge Explosives Magazine
32. Judge Mining & Smelting Co. Office
33. Alliance Mine
34. Alliance Watchman's Cabin

The Daly-Judge Explosives Magazine has one of the darker stories on the route. As The Salt Lake Tribune reported, the Daly-Judge Mining Company built the bunker after an explosives magazine at the Daly West Mine ignited. Two people died in the blast, and 32 more were believed to have been killed by the gases, making it the deadliest mining accident in Park City history. The Alliance Watchman's Cabin, where this walk turns around, is one of the structures the Tribune photographed for the launch coverage.

This fall, the higher stops come only with the full climb. They include the Creole Mine and Ski Jump, where Alf Engen built a jump on the mine's waste rock pile, and the Silver King Complex. According to the Tribune, Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History spokesperson Coleen Logan said the Silver King produced about $16 billion in silver ore in today's dollars from its 1,450-foot shaft.

The Practical Details, Before You Leave the House

Parking. The route's FAQ names the China Bridge Parking Structure and public parking on Swede Alley as the closest parking to the museum.

The map. The illustrated map of all 24 sites costs $1 at the Park City Museum front desk and is free for museum members. Printable versions are also listed, along with the in-app map, AllTrails and Trailforks.

The audio. The free TravelStorys app can run a guided tour or play stories on demand. Each story starts automatically as you get close to a site. The route site suggests setting location access to "always allow" so the audio keeps playing while your phone is asleep in a pocket.

The ground this week. On Wednesday, Oct. 14, Mountain Trails Foundation posted about "quite the soggy conditions up top." It reminded trail users to turn around if mud is "sticking to your heels or wheels," to avoid damaging the trail. The same feed said signs had been taken down on parts of Park City Mountain and Deer Valley to prepare for winter. It also said Empire Pass parking is closed while the winter Bonanza warming hut is built. With some trail signs already down, it makes sense to carry the HMR's printed map or GPX track.

The storm behind that mud was light in town and heavier up high. In The Salt Lake Tribune's Oct. 14 snow roundup, Park City Mountain and Deer Valley got barely enough to turn lawns white, while Deer Valley's Ontario stake showed six inches.

A Route That Keeps Gaining Stops

The volunteers behind the route see it as unfinished. The Tribune reported that Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History formed in 2015, after the Daly West Mine headframe collapsed. Since then, the group has raised more than $5 million and restored 15 structures dating to the late 1800s. The route itself was a much smaller project. KPCW reported that co-chair Don Roll said grants covered more than 90% of its roughly $220,000 cost.

Logan described the idea to the Tribune this way:

"It takes some things that were already there, and we've layered on a story, and linked them with our free audio guide and the map."

The work on those structures has continued since the launch. In early October, The Park Record reported that the Silver King shaft had been closed and its roof rebuilt, and that the group hopes to take on the Silver King Mill next. TownLift reported the same week that the Thaynes and Silver King shafts had been secured. State reclamation official Steve Fluke said the work improved safety for skiers, bikers and hikers near the sites.

So the Silver King Mill, a stop the out-and-back doesn't reach, is now the group's next restoration target. The museum has two evening programs at the Education and Collections Center, 2079 Sidewinder Drive, before the snow settles in. "Glenwood Cemetery Funerals" is on Oct. 28 from 5 to 6 p.m. On Nov. 18, also from 5 to 6 p.m., the museum and Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History present "A Brief History of Park City Mills," which covers the Silver King Mill in part.

The Tribune said skiers will "eventually" be able to use the audio tour too, but no date has been announced. For the rest of this fall, the route starts at the museum door, and the 3.75-mile walk to the Alliance Watchman's Cabin and back is the one you can do in an afternoon.

If you're walking Ontario Ridge this fall and want to talk about the old mining sites that still shape the hillsides above town, I'd be glad to compare notes. Sarah Elder has spent nearly two decades on these streets and would love to hear which stop surprised you most. Let's Connect.