Cities near the park:

Empire Mine SHP

State Historic Park

Due to California State Parks budget constraints, Empire Mine SHP will be reducing the days and hours of operation at the park. For the months of December, January, and February the visitor center, mine yard, and gardens will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Empire Mine SHP will be open Thursday - Monday from 10 am - 3 pm. On Saturday and Sunday guided tours will be offered of the mine yard at noon and of the cottage at 1 pm.

March 1, 2010 through November 30. 2010 Empire Mine SHP will be open seven days a week from 10 am - 5 pm . There will not be extended hours of 9 am - 6 pm during the summer season.

Empire Mine State Historic Park is the site of one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California. The park is in Grass Valley at 10791 East Empire Street. In existence for more than 100 years, the mine produced 5.6 million ounces of gold before it closed in 1956. (5.6 million ounces of gold is equivalent to a box seven feet long, seven feet high, and seven feet deep filled with gold.) The park contains many of the mine’s buildings, the owner’s home and restored gardens, as well as the entrance to 367 miles (the distance, as the crow flies, from Grass Valley to Magic Mountain) of abandoned and flooded mine shafts. The park consists of forested backcountry and eight miles of trails – including easy hikes (for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding) - in the park.

Guided Tours and Living History Presentations
Guided tours and audio-visual presentations are offered throughout the day at various times.

The Secret Room
To keep track of the mine’s 367 underground workings, a place called “The Secret Room” (named for its blacked-out windows) was built. In it, the entire room was filled with a scale model of the mine’s below the surface workings. Few people knew the room existed while the mine was in operation. Today, visitors to the park can see it in the Visitor Center. The model represents five square miles of underground workings. When the visitors go down the actual shaft in the park, they have journeyed only “one inch” on the model. Anything past “two inches” on the model is underwater in the actual mine.

Location-Directions
Drive 24 miles north of Auburn on Highway 49 to Empire Street exit in Grass Valley. The park is located in Grass Valley at 10791 East Empire Street.
Latitude/Longitude: 39.2063 / -121.0444

Seasons/Climate/Recommended Clothing
Summer and spring are warm; fall and winter can be cool. Layered clothing is advised.

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