There are a lot of abandoned mines that you can visit that are open to the public, and there are a lot of abandoned mines that are not open to the public. Below is a list of some of the mines that you can visit in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, along with images of them.
Abandoned Mines You Can Visit
These sites offer guided underground tours or open, self-guided exploration of the surface ruins:
- Quincy Mine (Hancock): Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, this former massive copper operation offers guided underground tours that include a ride in a cog-rail tram and exploring the No. 2 shaft hoist house, home to the world’s largest steam-powered mine hoist.
- Delaware Copper Mine (Mohawk): Offers authentic, self-guided underground tours. The mine operated from 1847 to 1887 and features original workings, damp underground conditions, and extensive surface ruins.
- Adventure Mining Mine (Greenland): Offers guided underground adventure tours that range from easy walking tours to rappelling deep into the historic underground workings.
- Old Victoria (Greenland): A preserved early mining ghost town where you can take tours of restored 1800s log cabins that housed miners and their families.
- Central Mine (Phoenix): A former copper mining townsite managed as a heritage site. You can explore the remaining miners’ homes, visit the historic church, and hike self-guided trails through the rock piles.
- Fayette Historic State Park (Garden): Located on the Big Bay de Noc, this well-preserved ghost town features the ruins of the Jackson Iron Company’s charcoal blast furnaces and lime kilns, along with preserved town buildings.
- Old Clark Mine (Copper Harbor): A largely accessible, abandoned site where you can freely walk the surface ruins. It features the remains of eight shafts, rock piles, and a prominent 1850s smokestack.
Abandoned Mines Not Open to the Public
Thousands of forgotten mines are scattered throughout the Upper Peninsula’s woods. These are strictly off-limits, tightly sealed with grates, or fenced off for public safety and bat conservation:
- The Millie Mine (Iron Mountain): An old iron mine that is famously fenced off and covered with a metal bat cage. It is not open to the public, though it serves as one of the largest bat hibernating sites in North America.
- The Mather B Mine (Negaunee): A former major underground iron mine. All headframes, shafts, and surrounding structures are secured, gated, and heavily monitored to prevent trespassing.
- The Cliffs Shaft Mine (Ishpeming): Known for its towering, historic iron ore headframes, the site is private property. While visible from the road, the shafts and surrounding areas are fenced off and closed.
- Champion Mine (Champion): A former iron ore site. While the surface rock dumps are sometimes explored by local rockhounds, the actual shafts and adits are sealed, fenced, and off-limits to visitors.
- Halliwell Mine (Porcupine Mountains): An old, historically deep copper mine. All shafts at this remote wilderness location are fenced off and closed to prevent dangerous falls.
- Douglas Houghton Falls (Lake Linden): This site features an old abandoned mine shaft at the base of the highest falls in Michigan. While the falls are now a Michigan State Park, the old shaft opening is strictly blocked and sealed for public safety.
