Entry No. 73 — the Coeur d'Alene file — filed under: history
Bellville Mine
The Bellville Mine is an abandoned underground lead and zinc prospect located in the historic Lakeview Mining District of Bonner County, Idaho. Situated within the Kaniksu National Forest at an elevation of 4,173 feet, the site features the historic Bonner Bellville portal along the old mountain road connecting the Idaho Lakeview and Keep Cool mines. Today, only overgrown tailings, geological shear zones, and the collapsed remnants of the portal remain hidden in the dense forest.
The story
High up at 4,173 feet in the Kaniksu National Forest, the Bellville Mine is less of a bustling relic and more of a ghost story swallowed whole by pine needles. Back when the Lakeview Mining District was buzzing with prospectors hunting for lead and zinc veins, someone punched the Bonner Bellville portal into the mountainside along the rugged connector road between the bigger Idaho Lakeview and Keep Cool operations. They found geological shear zones and lead-bearing rock, but the mountain didn't surrender a fortune here.
What remains today is a quiet lesson in how fast northern Idaho timber reclaims human ambition. You won't find standing timber framing or rusted machinery waiting for a plaque. Instead, the portal has surrendered to cave-ins and water, leaving behind only overgrown rock tailings and subtle scars on the hillside that only someone looking closely at the forest floor will notice.
What it's like
Getting here requires picking your way along rough, unpaved mountain roads through the national forest, so bring a vehicle with real ground clearance and zero fear of pin-stripping your paint on overhanging brush. Once you pull off, there is no signage, no trail marker, and definitely no gift shop—just dense timber, a scrap of clearing, and gray tailing piles where miners dumped waste rock. The collapsed portal itself is flooded, unstable, and strictly off-limits, so keep your feet firmly on solid ground and enjoy the eerie silence of a dead district.
The move: Hike or drive the rugged forest roads of the Kaniksu National Forest to safely view the overgrown tailings and appreciate the scenic mountain views of the historic Lakeview Mining District from a distance.
📍 Before you go The mine is located on public land within the Kaniksu National Forest, but the underground workings are collapsed, flooded, and highly dangerous to enter.
- 📍 Bellville Mine
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Bellville Mine, Idaho 83801, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Conjecture Mine — Located less than two miles away, this was one of the Lakeview district's heavy-hitter silver producers and provides a great next stop on a backroad ruin tour.
- Silver Leaf Mine — Three miles down the mountain road lies another obscure 20th-century underground lead and silver site swallowed by the Bonner County forest.
- Coeur d'Alene Astronomy Club star parties (Farragut State Park) — After spending the daylight hours hunting forgotten mine tailings in the woods, head down toward Farragut State Park to look at the sky through high-powered telescopes.
Good to know
Where is the Bellville Mine located?
It sits at 4,173 feet elevation in the Kaniksu National Forest, located within Bonner County's historic Lakeview Mining District along the dirt road connecting the Idaho Lakeview and Keep Cool mines.
Can you enter the mine workings?
Absolutely not. The underground tunnels are collapsed, flooded, and structurally dangerous. You are here strictly to look at surface tailings from a safe distance.
What minerals were mined at Bellville?
It was primarily a prospect site for lead and zinc, targeted along local rock shear zones during the district's mining era.
Do I need a high-clearance vehicle?
Yes. The unpaved forest service roads leading into the Lakeview district are rugged, narrow, and often rutted.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: westernmininghistory.com · anyplaceamerica.com · thediggings.com
last checked: 2026-07-20