History in Action: How to Explore Nevada’s Mining Legacy

There’s a good reason Nevada is known as the Silver State: Mining is one of its oldest and most historically important industries. And while the state’s past is packed with tales of silver strikes, gold rushes, and boomtowns, mining thrives to this day with modern operations producing millions of ounces of gold and silver each year. 

Mine Tours & Underground Experiences

The Silver State’s mining story first broke ground in northern Nevada—deep underground, that is—and that’s where you can still get a deep understanding of how it all happened.

In Virginia City, guided tours of the Ponderosa Mine and the Chollar Minetake visitors into the historic Comstock Lode itself, one of the greatest silver strikes in world history. Knowledgeable guides lead you into stabilized mining tunnels, detailing the brutal working conditions for miners, engineering accomplishments that kept the ore coming, and unbelievable anecdotes you’ll talk about long after your experience.

Nearby in the old mining town of Dayton, the Sutro Tunnel is an engineering marvel of the late 19th century. Designed to drain, ventilate, and railroad material out of Virginia City’s mines, the site boasted a staggering five miles of tunnel cut straight into the mountain. A massive (and ongoing) restoration effort launched in 2021 has reopened the tunnel’s first 50 feet, and project leaders have no intention of stopping. Today, visitors can take a tour of the tunnel or enjoy self-guided exploration of the site’s many historic buildings.

Central Nevada has even more mining history to uncover at the 100-acre Tonopah Historic Mining Park. This open-air park sits perched on the hillside overlooking Tonopah—the ore-rich town once crowned the Queen of the Silver Camps. The sprawling complex preserves headframes, equipment, and underground tunnels from one of Nevada’s most productive silver districts. Explore at your own pace or join a motorized guided tour to learn how this lonely desert outcrop exploded into Nevada’s largest and wealthiest city during the early 1900s.

In southern Nevada, mining history comes to life in Eldorado Canyon, located just half an hour south of Boulder City. Home to the historic Techatticup Mine—the oldest, richest, and longest-producing gold mine in southern Nevada—this area once powered a booming mining district through the late 1800s and early 1900s. Take a guided underground tour to explore the historic tunnels, or head aboveground to wander the curated collections at Nelson Ghost Town. A photographer’s dream, this sprawling site features weathered structures and mining relics that feel straight out of a movie set—many of which actually have been.

Still-Standing Mining Structures

Ghost towns are where Nevada mining history is truly on full display. In eastern Nevada, Pioche wears its Wild West boomtown reputation proudly, and the mountains surrounding town are packed with mining remnants, headframes, and antique equipment. But the town’s true claim to fame is the historic aerial tramway that crisscrosses throughout town. Now disused, this 19th-century relic is one of the last of its kind in the West. 

On the other side of the state, the remote ruins of Candelaria offer a well-preserved glimpse into the inner workings of a mining boomtown. Its quiet, decayed main street is home to a few crumbled foundations and decayed stone buildings, but the surrounding area is absolutely chock-full of debris, rubbish, and tailings that help tell the story of the town’s frenetic few decades.

Nevada state parks keep some of Nevada’s most impressive Old West-era structures preserved and protected in a state of arrested decay. Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, located smack dab in the heart of Nevada, pairs a remarkably intact ghost town—complete with a stamp mill and historic buildings—with one of the world’s most important ichthyosaur fossil sites. Just outside Ely, Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park showcases six massive, beehive-shaped ovens built in the 1870s to produce charcoal for smelters. Rising 30 feet above the sagebrush, these stone giants are among the best-preserved mining infrastructure in Nevada.

Modern Mining Operations

The story of mining in Nevada has evolved from underground legend to being totally on top. Nevada is not only the far-and-away most productive gold-producing state in the U.S., but it also goes toe-to-toe in terms of output with the top gold-producing countries on Earth.

Companies like Nevada Gold Mines—a joint venture between Barrick Gold Corporation and Newmont Corporation, the two largest gold mining companies globally—continue to produce millions of ounces of gold and silver each year through massive open-pit and underground operations.

Want to learn more about modern-day mining? Many companies offer opportunities to explore the industry up close. Check out the Nevada Mining Association’s mining museums and tours page to learn when sites offer tours and how to plan a visit.