Get a one-two punch of experiences with a visit to the remarkable Empire Mine Historic State Park in Grass Valley, roughly 60 miles northeast of Sacramento.
What to Expect at Empire Mine Historic Park
Set across more than 850 forested acres, Empire Mine State Historic Park invites visitors into the mining legacy of the Sierra Nevada foothills. As you explore the park, you’ll encounter the mine’s original buildings, the owner’s estate, restored gardens, and the entrance to an intricate network of 367 miles of abandoned and flooded shafts.
Empire Mine State Historic Park Visitor Center
First, spend time in the Visitor Center to learn about one of California’s oldest, largest, deepest, longest, and richest gold mines, where, in the course of a century, 5.6 million ounces of gold were mined—enough to fill a box 7 feet long, 7 feet high, and 7 feet deep by the time the mine shut down in 1956.
Housed within the center are interpretive exhibits and a fascinating highlight known as the “Secret Room,” where a scale model showcases in vivid detail the 5-square-mile web of underground workings. Stepping outside the center, you can traverse to the actual mine shaft entrance—a tangible glimpse into the sprawling subterranean labyrinth.
Volunteers staff the center, offering orientation and assistance, and from here you can sign up for a guided 45-minute tour of the historic grounds, included with your entry fee. These tours, led by knowledgeable volunteers, cover key highlights across the site, though availability is limited and early arrival is encouraged.
The center also includes an exhibit area displaying ore samples, a recreated assay office, mineral collections, and insights into the mine’s geology and operations.
Bourn Cottage
A short walk from the Visitors Center lies the stately Bourn Cottage, the former country estate of William Bowers Bourn II, who took ownership of the Empire Mine in the late 19th century. Although called a “cottage,” this two-story stone residence is anything but modest—modeled after grand English country estates, it features redwood-paneled interiors, leaded-glass windows, an expansive greenhouse, formal gardens, fountains, and a reflecting pool, all built using waste rock from the mine itself.
On weekends from May through October, volunteers dressed in Edwardian attire conduct “living history” tours through the cottage and surrounding mineyard, offering vivid demonstrations of late-19th and early-20th-century mining life and domestic routines. These immersive tours bring the past to life, allowing visitors to step into the elegant yet industrious world of the mine’s elite and the workings of the mine operations.
Things to Do Near Empire Mine State Historic Park
A visit to Empire Mine pairs perfectly with exploring the charming Gold Country towns nearby. Auburn, about 30 miles to the south, boasts a beautifully preserved Old Town district filled with antique shops, cafes, and Gold Rush landmarks. Placerville, further south along Highway 49, enchants with its historic Main Street, wineries, and museums. To the north, the small town of Colfax provides a laid-back stop for coffee, antique browsing, and scenic train spotting.