My friend and I wanted to do something different for my birthday this year. We were looking for a hidden gem off The Strip that not many people knew about.
So, we decided to go on the Eldorado Canyon Mine Tour! 🙂
I admit I had serious nerves about going inside a mountain in tight tunnels. But this experience turned out to be much cooler than we ever expected.
In this review, I’ll show you what it’s like and help you decide if it’s a good fit for you. I’ll also share some add-on adventure ideas to make your day there even more fun.
Let’s dig in!
Location
Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours is located at 16880 State Highway 165 in Nelson, Nevada.
It’s only about 45 minutes from Las Vegas, and you’ll drive through the Eldorado Mountain Range to get to the mine.
You’ll also go past the Eldorado Valley, home to one of the largest solar power plants in the country.
The tour is just about two miles after Nelson, NV. You can’t miss it as you’ll run into the Nelson Ghost Town – the home of the Techatticup mine.
Reservations
If you’re driving yourself, you’ll need to call ahead to reserve a time.
Tours are available at 9 am, 12 pm, and 2 pm. But they will only run if there are at least four adults for a given timeslot.
They usually start filling the 9 am slot first, and then, if they have enough people, they’ll fill the noon and 2 pm tours. So, there may only be one or two tours daily.
I called two days in advance to sign up for a Sunday tour. They didn’t have enough people yet for the time we wanted.
But as soon as they did, they called me back and booked us. We didn’t have to buy anything in advance – we just paid for our tickets at the store when we arrived.
You’ll check in at this building here:
Eldorado Canyon Gold Mine Tour
The tour starts with an introduction outside with your guide, followed by a history lesson inside the store.
After that, you’ll move to another room to watch a movie clip. Then you’ll walk to the mine and go inside it, which is the highlight of the tour!
I’ll provide more details about each part below. As always, I’ll try not to give too much away, but just enough to see if it interests you.
Introduction
During the intro, you’ll learn that Techatticup is Southern Nevada’s oldest and most prosperous gold and silver mine.
But even before it started, there was evidence that the Spaniards were in the area looking for treasure in the 1500s.
The best part of the introduction (for me) was when our guide, Bruce, taught us how to find gold!
He even showed us the specific type of rock to look for. And the clues on the outside that may indicate gold and silver are in it – or at least very close nearby.
Mining History Lesson
In the history lesson, you’ll go inside the store and hear how the Techatticup mine came to be.
The story begins with a prospector who was on a riverboat expedition in 1861. He had rock samples and asked the Native Americans if they’d seen anything similar.
Unfortunately, the Native Americans didn’t realize the value of the rock. So, in exchange for some food, they led the prospector to the gold.
You’ll also learn more interesting facts about the mine. But it’s better to hear it on the tour – especially the part about the catastrophe that shut it all down!
During the lesson, everyone will have the opportunity to hold rock samples. In the photo below, my friend is holding quartz with silver in it.
Film Clip
I had no idea that the Techatticup mine is a popular location for Hollywood and the music industry. When we visited, a production team was even there shooting a commercial.
So, in the film portion, you’ll watch a scene from a movie featuring a stunt performed on the property. There’s also something very odd about the clip that went unnoticed.
Walking to the Mine
The next part of the tour is walking to the mine. Along the way, you’ll see an old jail cell and an elevator that would bring supplies to the miners.
You’ll also pass by the aircraft that was featured in the film clip you watched inside the store.
You can see the entrance to the mine in the photo below. It’s the shed-like structure in the lower right corner. (The house in the picture belongs to the family that runs the place.)
Inside Techatticup
The mine itself goes down about 600 feet in the ground!
When we went, we got to go 500 feet in and 200 feet below the surface at one point. And it was about 40 minutes in duration.
So this is like an extensive tour where you walk into a mountain and go through winding tunnels. It’s just incredible!
The following picture shows what it looked like when we first stepped inside.
They’ve really thought of everything – they even have lanterns lighting the way so you can see where you’re going.
I don’t want to reveal too much here because exploring the mine is the most exciting part.
But some of the highlights for us included learning about the miners’ challenges while working and seeing quartz veins on the walls.
There are also some cool structures – like the footbridges you can walk across and see up and down inside the mountain.
You’ll also learn about all the animals that helped in the mining process, such as those shown in this photo here:
Is the Mine Haunted?
Sadly, some accidents happened when the mine was in operation, and you’ll hear all about those on the tour.
But while I was there, I ran into another guide from Awesome Adventures. He told me a story of a ghost that supposedly haunts the place.
I probably don’t have all the facts here, but here’s the gist of it:
Have you heard of the Hearst Castle guy? Well, he hired a foreman to oversee everything at the mine.
Somebody wanted the foreman to be “taken out,” likely to steal the gold, so they paid a guy $500 to do it. But the guy who did it didn’t get the money upfront and was very upset.
He finally got someone to agree to pay him, and when he went to their meeting place to collect the money, he was (un)alived instead.
Apparently, he can be seen yelling and walking around. We didn’t see anything supernatural when we were there, but maybe you will!
Nelson Ghost Town
We thought we were just driving to the canyon to go on a mine tour, but it turned into so much more than that.
The mine is located in the Nelson Ghost Town. So after you go on the tour, you can explore the old buildings and cars.
The town is also a hoarder’s paradise with treasures galore, offering photo opportunities at every turn.
Surprisingly, even the middle of the highway is a popular spot there. Here’s a picture I took of my friend sitting on the road:
You can roam around in most areas and take photos, but some places are off-limits unless you pay for them.
These include the church and the (super cool) gas station that I really wanted to explore.
You can see the church in the background of this picture:
More Things To Know
Here are some frequently asked questions and some tips based on my time in the canyon.
Is There Gold in Eldorado Canyon?
According to one guide, there’s still some gold and silver inside Techatticup. But it would cost way more to extract than it’s worth, so they just leave it in the mountain.
Also, they can only do so much mining before the whole thing comes tumbling down. (Don’t worry; it’s structurally safe now and has been certified for people to go inside it.)
How Long is the Tour?
The total time when we went was about 75 to 80 minutes, but it may go longer depending on how many questions people ask.
Don’t Miss the Colorado River
We totally missed checking out the Colorado River when we were at the ghost town.
So, if you have a few extra minutes in your day, I highly recommend driving about five miles down the road.
You’ll find a fantastic vantage point there. You’ll be pretty close to the river, too, and I heard from another guest that the view is beautiful!
Other Tours I Recommend
Most people drive themselves to the gold mine, but if you’re looking for a tour company, there are two that I recommend.
You’ll pay more for one of these, but they have some added benefits.
The first experience is the Canyon ATV Tour by Awesome Adventures. This is a guided off-road tour on an ATV.
You’ll also explore the ghost town and tour Techatticup afterward with your guide. It lasts roughly six hours and costs around $250 per person.
The second is by Pink Adventure Tours. With this experience, you’ll ride in a Trekker and visit the ghost town, mine, and Colorado River. The duration is four hours and costs around $170 per person.
Where to Find Restrooms
Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours has some decent restrooms for guests. And they’re conveniently located, too – right next to the main store.
Although it’s an outhouse building, they’re surprisingly nice inside, clean, and well-tended. Hand sanitizer is also provided.
My Review: Is it Worth Going?
This experience was way more fun and interesting than we had expected. And very budget-friendly!
It was so incredible getting to go inside the mountain and relive history. I’m still in disbelief about what these miners had to endure daily.
I also thought it was super cool of our guide to teach us how to find gold. It makes me want to go hunting for rocks now!
The only downside was that I occasionally had a hard time understanding Bruce. So, you may want to stand close to him (thank me later, Bruce). 🙂
But other than that, he was so friendly and funny!
So, yes – I 100% recommend this tour. It’s a little unusual, but I can pretty much guarantee you’ve never seen anything like it before.
Again, though, it’s important to call in advance to reserve a spot on the tour. If you just show up, they may not have availability.
