This Old Colorado Mine Tour Takes You a Third of a Mile Into a Mountain
There’s a moment, about two minutes in, when the air shifts around you—not chilly, not oppressive, but unmistakably subterranean. Your ears pick up a subtle drip echoing off walls, and the creak of rails under your boots feels like you’ve crossed into a different world entirely.
Further in, the lights bounce off quartz seams and rusty gear, casting shadows that flicker across jagged stone faces. A guide taps a rock with a pick, the echo feels poised, like you could hear it in the next shaft over. You lean closer to the vein wall, and the faint hum of compressed air drills somewhere deeper seems to layer over the stillness.
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That place? It’s called the Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour—a guided subterranean adventure where you actually board a vintage electric mine train and venture a third of a mile into Galena Mountain, winding through tunnels, watching live demonstrations of mining tools, and learning how Colorado’s hard-rock miners pulled ore out of solid volcanic rock.
What We Love
Authentic Mining Equipment Demonstrations
You’re not just walking past relics—they fire up air drills, mucking machines, and slushers in situ. Seeing them in motion gives you real respect for what miners did day in and day out.
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Vintage Mine Train Ride
The tram—once used as a “mantrip” car—rumbles through the drift, clacking along rails and delivering you into the underworld in style.
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Free Gold & Silver Panning
After (or before) your underground tour, you get to try your hand at sluice-box panning—copper, silver, maybe even a fleck of gold. Keep what you find.
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Scenic Boarding House Perch
High above the mine entrance clings a 1904 boarding house, bolstered against collapse, clinging to the cliff like a stubborn relic. The views from there are wild.
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Ease of Access & Walkability
No need for serious spelunking skills—paths are well-lit, walking is straightforward (no ladders or crawling), and the tram gets you deep without exhausting climbs.
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Atmosphere & Setting
You’ll find the place tucked into the rugged slopes of a mountain, with a mix of steep cliffs, dense forest, and old mining remnants dotting the terrain. The entry area is sunny and quiet, with picnic tables under canopy and a modest gift shop building housing restrooms and indoor gathering space.
Once you’re inside, the lighting dims but not to blackness—warm tungsten bulbs along the tunnel wall cast an orange glow on mineral seams. The rock walls glint where quartz and metal-bearing veins show through, and faint echoes ripple around each corner. Your footsteps and the ghost of the tram’s wheels become part of the soundscape. The flow is linear—train ride in, you disembark, walk through drifts and shafts, watch demonstrations, then emerge back in daylight to the panning area.
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Value (Is It Worth It?)
At around $30 for adults, $28 for seniors, and roughly $15 for kids 5–12 (kids under 5 often free), this isn’t bargain-basement—but it feels fair for what you get. The underground portion lasts about 45–50 minutes, but your total visit—counting train ride, walking, demonstrations, and panning—leans closer to an hour to 75 minutes.
For people who love history, geology, or offbeat adventures, this is time well spent—especially given that you get the tram ride, guided tour, and panning all bundled. For someone just tagging along, it’s still engaging—there’s always that moment when the mine walls close in and you realize you’re miles beneath the surface.
If you’re passing through and have a spare hour, it’s a lot more memorable than another scenic overlook or roadside pull-off.
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Other Considerations
- The underground temperature holds steady around 48 °F (about 9 °C), so bring a jacket or sweater even on warm days.
- No reservations are required—walk-ins are welcome (but during peak summer, tours can fill up).
- The road in: about 2 miles paved, then about 3 miles of well-maintained gravel. Most cars and RVs make it fine.
- Pets aren’t allowed underground.
- Parking is generous, with room for RVs and trailers.
- Tours run daily in the summer months; in shoulder seasons the last tour may move earlier.
- Because you’re at ~10,000 ft elevation, make sure you’re acclimated; those sensitive to altitude should take it easy.
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There’s something quietly magical about slipping underground, feeling weight press in from all sides, and knowing that generations of miners once walked those same tunnels. Whether you’re chasing a little local lore or just craving something off the beaten path, this mine tour offers one of those “I can’t believe I did that” moments. It’s a neighborly tip you’ll want to tuck away for your Colorado route.
Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour
📍 721 County Road 4A, Silverton, Colorado 81433
