Entry No. 51 — the Butte file — filed under: mine
Mapleton Mine
The Mapleton Mine is a historic gold and silver mine located on the west side of Herman Gulch in Madison County, Montana. Active in the early-to-mid 20th century, the site historically featured two adits and produced high-grade ore. Today, the mine is completely inactive, with only overgrown remnants of its old workings and tunnels remaining hidden in the gulch.
The story
Tucked into the west side of Herman Gulch at an elevation of 5,801 feet, the Mapleton Mine is the kind of fading gold and silver working that topographers remember better than road crews. Back in 1910, lessees known as the Batten Brothers hauled an 80-ton shipment of high-grade ore out of a two-foot vein on property owned by W.B. Millard, pushing their tunnel more than 200 feet deep into the mountain rock.
The mine operated through two horizontal adits driven straight into the gulch side during its early-to-mid 20th-century run. Today, those workings are completely dead. Scrub and pine have crawled back over the tailings, leaving only overgrown earthworks and collapsed timber hidden in the slope above Virginia City.
What it's like
You won't find signposts, ticket booths, or manicured trails out here—just rugged mountain terrain off Herman Gulch Road where land boundaries remain unverified. A visit is strictly a scenic drive affair: pull over along the road to scan the hillside for weathered rock dumps and overgrown gulch contours from a safe distance. The underground adits are structurally unsafe and off-limits, so keep your feet firmly on public right-of-ways and let the overgrown ruins keep their secrets.
The move: Take a scenic drive along Herman Gulch Road near Virginia City to enjoy the rugged mountain views and photograph the historic mining landscape from a safe distance.
📍 Before you go The mine is located on unverified land that may be private property, and abandoned underground workings are structurally unsafe to enter.
- 📍 Mapleton Mine
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Mapleton Mine, Montana 59749, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Old Highland Mine Millsite — Pair two quiet mountain ruins by heading west into the Highland Mountains to compare this overgrown gulch adit with an 1860s gold milling district.
- Berlin Mine — Continue your tour of silent gold and silver workings across county lines at this inactive lode mine in Beaverhead County's Melrose district.
- Canyon Creek Charcoal Kilns — Follow the regional smelting story to Divide, where 23 beehive brick kilns once transformed timber into charcoal for nearby silver smelters.
- Bannack State Park — Contrast this untamed, overgrown gulch site with Montana's premier gold rush ghost town and its fifty standing territorial buildings.
Good to know
Where is the Mapleton Mine located?
It lies along the west side of Herman Gulch in Madison County, Montana, near Virginia City at an elevation of 5,801 feet.
Can I explore inside the mine adits?
No. The abandoned underground tunnels are structurally compromised, highly unsafe, and located on land that may be private property.
What metals were historically mined here?
The Mapleton Mine was active in the early-to-mid 20th century as a high-grade gold and silver producer.
What is the best way to view the site?
Take a scenic drive along Herman Gulch Road near Virginia City to view and photograph the rugged mining landscape from a safe distance.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: westernmininghistory.com
last checked: 2026-07-20