How to Visit Leadville’s Mines, Responsibly

We are truly glad that visitors are excited about our historic mining structures—we are too! We welcome you to visit and marvel at them. But please, take only pictures and leave our last few Wild West structures untouched. Here’s why.

Stay Safe

These structures are approximately 140 years old, and they can be dangerous. Timbers that old can break unexpectedly, causing a fall that could seriously injure you. That goes for timbers underground too. Stick to roads and established trails even when walking, in case a weakened tunnel is beneath you. Always stay outside of, and off, structures and shafts.

Share the Joy of Discovery

Most of the area’s structures have already crumbled and our artifacts have disappeared. Please help us preserve the remaining ones, so that other visitors can have the joy of imagining what life was like in the silver mining days.

Learn about Our Culture

If you travel to learn about culture, Leadville and Twin Lakes are great places to go! Did you know that the mines are part of our culture even today?

While the mines are abandoned, they still carry meaning for locals who live here. Leadville remains home to many miners who once worked underground and to people whose ancestors dug in the mines you see. People you may meet in town are proud of their mining heritage, and these structures remind them of their past.

Preserve our Heritage Tourism

Visitors travel for many miles to learn about our mining heritage, and we love meeting them. Heritage tourism is a large part of the local economy in our remote mountain town. Please help preserve the structures and artifacts that let us tell visitors this rich story, well into the future.

Preserving the mining artifacts is a way of respecting the Leadville community.

Visit Us, Respectfully

Please come visit Leadville’s East Side Mining District. Please look at our historic mines and artifacts and photograph them. Wonder about the people who came before you, their bravery and tenacity, the lives they led, and the precious metals they dug from the ground.

We hope that you enjoy these mines every bit as much as the locals do. We simply ask that you leave the structures and artifacts as you found them, so that others can enjoy these reminders of the past for many years to come.

We look forward to seeing you!