Top 5 Abandoned Mines in the USA – Urbex & Ghost Town Mining History
America was built on ore — gold, silver, copper and coal extracted from the mountains and plains by hundreds of thousands of miners whose camps, mills and machine houses still stand across the Western landscape. A 1863 Arizona gold mine where 18 workers were lynched. An Alaskan copper city abandoned overnight in 1938. A 121-foot steel headframe rising from the New Mexico desert. Here are the 5 best abandoned mines in the USA, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
1. Vulture Mine – 1863 Wickenburg, Arizona — Most Productive Gold Mine in Arizona History, 18 Workers Lynched, Hanging Tree Still Standing (Known Location)
Discovered by Henry Wickenburg in 1863, the Vulture Mine produced over $200 million in gold — Arizona's most productive mine — before WWII forced its 1942 closure. The ghost town that grew around it still stands 14 miles south of Wickenburg: assay office, bunkhouses, mess hall, mine headframe and the "hanging tree" where 18 workers were lynched for high-grading ore. The Sonoran Desert has preserved the wooden structures in extraordinary condition for over 80 years. Self-guided tours available. One of the best abandoned mines in the USA.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Vulture Mine
2. Kennecott Mines – 1903 Wrangell-St. Elias Alaska — World's Richest Copper Mine, 14-Story Mill Building Still Standing, Abandoned Overnight in 1938 (Known Location)
At its peak Kennecott was producing more copper than any other mine on Earth — a complete industrial city of 600 workers in the Alaskan wilderness at 2,000 feet elevation, connected to the outside world only by a 196-mile railroad. When the ore grades fell below economic viability in 1938, the Alaska Syndicate simply sent a telegram instructing workers to board the last train and leave everything. They did. The 14-story ore mill building, the concentration mill, the power plant and 60+ original structures still stand — preserved by the cold dry Alaskan climate. Now part of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. One of the most dramatically intact abandoned mines in the USA.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Kelly Mine – 1880s Magdalena, New Mexico — Silver and Zinc Mine, 121-Foot Carnegie Steel Headframe Still Standing in the Desert (Known Location)
Kelly was one of the richest silver, zinc and lead deposits in New Mexico — 3,000 residents at its peak in the Magdalena Mountains before the ore played out in the early 20th century. What makes Kelly exceptional is the 121-foot steel mine headframe designed by a Carnegie Steel engineer, still rising above the desert landscape like an industrial monument. Foundation walls, mine shafts and mill infrastructure complete the site. Rough road — plan to hike the last stretch. One of the most dramatically vertical abandoned mines in the USA. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Abandoned Copper Mine – 92 Years of Continuous Operation, World's Largest Steam Hoisting Engine, Great Lakes Region (Exclusively on Our Map)
A copper mine that operated for 92 consecutive years on a Great Lakes peninsula — the original 1920s steam-powered hoisting engine, the largest ever built at the time, still standing in its original engine house above a shaft descending 9,260 feet underground. Underground tram tours available. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
The Queen Mine at Bisbee produced 8 billion pounds of copper, 102 million ounces of silver and nearly 3 million ounces of gold between 1877 and 1975 — one of the most productive metal mines in world history. The surrounding Bisbee townscape, built on the profits of the mine in a dramatic Mule Mountains canyon, is itself one of the finest surviving Victorian mining town streetscapes in America. Underground tours descend into the original tunnels in ore cars. The combination of the Queen Mine, the historic townscape and the canyon setting makes Bisbee one of the best abandoned mine experiences in the USA. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Abandoned Southwest Canyon Mine Town – Billions of Pounds of Metal Extracted, Victorian Mining Streetscape, Underground Tours (Exclusively on Our Map)
One of the most productive metal mines in world history — billions of pounds of copper, millions of ounces of silver and gold extracted over nearly a century from a dramatic mountain canyon. The Victorian mining town built on the profits is one of the finest surviving 19th-century mining streetscapes in America; underground tours descend into the original tunnel workings. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips
- Open shafts: all abandoned mine sites have unfenced vertical shafts — never approach unguarded holes in the ground; thousands exist across the Western states
- Bad air: abandoned mine tunnels can contain carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane — never enter any unventilated tunnel without professional equipment
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person
❓ FAQ
What is the most famous abandoned mine in the USA?
Kennecott in Alaska — a complete copper mining city abandoned overnight in 1938 when the Alaska Syndicate sent a telegram telling workers to board the last train and leave everything. The 14-story mill building and 60+ original structures are now part of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Are abandoned mine shafts dangerous?
Extremely. The Bureau of Land Management estimates there are approximately 500,000 abandoned mine shafts across the American West — many unfenced, unmarked and deadly. Many also contain bad air (oxygen-depleted or toxic gas atmospheres). Never enter any abandoned mine tunnel and never approach vertical shaft openings.
What was the most productive mine in US history?
The Bisbee Queen Mine in Cochise County, Arizona — which produced 8 billion pounds of copper, 102 million ounces of silver and nearly 3 million ounces of gold between 1877 and 1975, making it one of the most productive metal mines in world history.
🎯 Summary
America's abandoned mines range from a 1863 Arizona gold mine where the hanging tree still stands to a complete Alaskan copper city left exactly as it was on the day the last train departed in 1938. Each of these 5 abandoned mines in the USA captures a different chapter of the extractive industries that built the American West — and the extraordinary things they left behind when the ore ran out.
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