The Story of the Grand Gulch Mine

Grand Gulch Mine smelter chimney and black slag

J. Axel - NPS

The following content is from the Grand Gulch Mine Exploration Guide booklet which is usually available at the mine in the sign-in register box. Alternately, you can call 435-688-3200 to pick up a free copy at the Public Lands Center. It includes directions to the mine.

The Guide has been broken up into three parts to work best online. Click on each link below to read more. Scroll down for directions and information about accessibility.

Part 1 - Copper: From Discovery to Boom to Ruin:

• How was copper discovered here?
• What was life like for those who worked and lived at the mine?
• What caused the mine to eventually close?

Part 2 - The (Unusual) Geologic Story:

• Why was so much copper in the ground here?
• What is so rare about this geologic feature?

Part 3 - The Art and Science of Copper Ore Smelting at the Mine

 

Directions to the Grand Gulch Mine (scroll down for the two maps below):

1. From Interstate 15 take Exit 2 east onto the Southern Parkway (Highway 7).
2. Take Exit 3 (River Road). Pavement ends. Go south on BLM1069 at the Arizona state line. Mileages may vary slightly from your odometer.
3. Travel appx. 18.6 miles over Quail Hill Pass to Wolf Hole Valley. BLM1069 becomes CR5. Continue straight south 19 more miles to the CR103 junction toward Mt. Dellenbaugh/Twin Point. Turn right onto CR103.
4. Proceed approximately 25.2 miles on CR103. Look for the right turn onto BLM1002 into Upper Pigeon Canyon.
5. Travel 15 miles on BLM1002 to the Grand Gulch mine.

Safety Information

While 99% of the monument does not have cell service, there is a gap in the Grand Wash Cliffs that may allow your phone to connect to a cell tower in Meadview, Arizona. This spot is right at the vault toilet next to the mine's airstrip. See the mine area map below for the vault toilet location. If your phone shows no bars but does show SOS, you should be able to place an emergency call to 911.

The Grand Gulch Mine is in a very remote section of the monument. Visit the Travel Safety page for more information on visiting to this area, especially if you are not familiar with the monument and its logistical challenges.

 

Contact the monument for road conditions before your trip to the mine. Sometimes the road in Upper Pigeon Canyon has been washed out by storms.

 

Accessibility:

This site is accessible by motorized vehicle. The site is being preserved in its historic condition. Surfaces are rocky, uneven, or steep. The vault toilet at the airstrip is accessible. Roads reach these points of interest.

The key locations include:

• The Adams Lode shaft (entrance sealed and on private property)
• Ore piles (on private property)
• Mine headquarters, trucks, cellars, and water catchment
• Smelter (on private property)
• Ore reprocessing equipment
• Concrete platform and equipment
• Truck maintenance platform
• Outhouse, water tank, and spare parts
• Bunkhouse
• Airstrip (watch for landing planes)
• Powder House (explosives storage)