See it here on Youtube: https://youtube.com/shorts/15igsOEZjYM?si=M5F5cT5Ns6htSlUD
I Hiked Park City's New Historic Mine Route. Here's What Most People Will Miss.
Most people who live in Park City have skied past the Silver King Mine a hundred times. It's the big building at the base of Bonanza. Very few of them could tell you what happened there, or why it matters that it's still standing.
That changes with the Park City Historic Mine Route, which opened this month. It's a roughly 7-mile loop that connects 24 historic mining sites, and it's the best new addition to the trail system in years. Not because the hiking is spectacular (it's good, not epic) but because it finally explains the town.
The Route
You start and finish at the Park City Museum on Main Street. The first half climbs Treasure Hill by way of Sweeney's Switchbacks up to the Silver King complex. From there, a new connector trail takes you into Empire Canyon, past the Alliance Watchman's Cabin and the Judge Mine office. You come back into town on Ontario Bench Road and the Prospect trail.
Total gain is about 1,200 feet. The Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History rate it moderate-plus and estimate about three and a half hours for the full loop.
If you don't want the climb, ride the Town Lift to Silver King and start there. That cuts about 3 miles and over 1,000 vertical feet. I'd still recommend doing the whole loop once. Climbing the same hill the miners worked tells you something about this place that riding a chair doesn't.
Download the Audio Before You Go
The route has interpretive signs, but the real value is the free TravelStorys app. It plays short GPS-triggered stories as you reach each site, covering the miners, immigrant families, and entrepreneurs who built the town. Put your phone in your pocket and let it play. It turns a nice walk into a real education.
The Part Most People Will Miss
Here's what I kept thinking about in Empire Canyon.
Silver was discovered here in 1868. For the next several decades, these hillsides were carved up into mining claims, and a lot of land around Park City is still legally defined by them. The patented claims staked by prospectors in the 1800s are the reason some property boundaries here look strange on a survey, why certain parcels sit where they do, and why title work in this town can get complicated.
In other words, the mining history isn't just a museum exhibit. It's still quietly shaping what gets built, where, and by whom. Walk through Empire Canyon today and you're a few minutes from Empire Pass and the ongoing Deer Valley expansion. Some of the most expensive real estate in the Mountain West sits on ground that was a working mine district a century ago.
If you're buying land or a home near the resort, this is worth understanding. It's also one of the reasons I think local knowledge matters so much in this market. A property's history can affect its value, its use, and how smoothly it closes.
Why This Route Matters
Park City could easily have become just another resort town, one that erased the thing that made it distinctive. The volunteers behind this project spent two years and roughly $220,000, mostly from grants, making sure that didn't happen. The Silver King headframe alone went through a multiyear preservation effort.
The result is something both locals and visitors should do at least once. Go early, bring water, download the audio, and pay attention in Empire Canyon.
Maps are available at the Park City Museum and at hmr.parkcityhistory.org.
I write about Park City and Deer Valley: the history, the development, and what it all means for people who live and own property here. If you have a question about land, a neighborhood, or the market, reach out anytime.
Sources for the facts in the post:
- The loop runs about 7 miles, connects 24 historic sites, and opened with a ribbon cutting on Miners Day, September 7. (KPCW, Sept. 2026)
- The route goes from the Park City Museum up Sweeney's Switchbacks to Silver King, down through Empire Canyon, and back to Main Street. (KPCW, Sept. 2026)
- The connector to Empire Canyon passes the Alliance Watchman's cabin and the Judge Mine office, and the return runs on Ontario Bench Road and the Prospect trails. The loop takes about 3.5 hours, and the Town Lift option skips 3 miles and over 1,000 vertical feet. (KPCW, Aug. 2025)
- The route gains 1,200 feet and is rated moderate-plus. The audio guide has GPS-triggered stories about miners, families, immigrants, and entrepreneurs. The project took two years and cost roughly $220,000, mostly from 14 grants. (KPCW Local News Hour, Sept. 3, 2026)
- Silver was discovered in 1868, and the 1926 Silver King headframe went through a multiyear preservation effort. (TownLift, Aug. 2026)
The mining-claims section is based on general knowledge of Park City land records, not a specific source, so adjust it to match your own experience with title work. If you have a real example, like a deal where an old claim complicated a survey or a closing, add a sentence about it. One true story from your own practice will do more for your credibility than anything else in the post.
