Entry No. 79 — the New York City file — filed under: ruins
Boston Mine
Located in Harriman State Park, the Boston Mine is a historic 19th-century iron mine that was last worked around 1880. The site features a striking T-shaped cut in the bedrock and a deep, water-filled pit where magnetite ore was once extracted. Today, hikers can find the quiet, flooded ruins tucked away along the yellow-blazed Dunning Trail.
The story
Deep inside Harriman State Park, off the yellow-blazed Dunning Trail, sits a jagged trench carved straight into solid rock. This is the Boston Mine, a 19th-century open cut where iron miners chipped away at stubborn veins of magnetite ore until operations permanently shut down around 1880. What they left behind wasn't just a simple pit, but a sharp, T-shaped excavation blasted into the bedrock that rain and natural springs have long since filled with dark, quiet water.
Unlike conventional underground mine shafts that were capped off or grates welded shut over their entrances, the Boston Mine remains wide open to the sky. Standing along the high rock ledge above the cut lets you look directly down into the flooded chasm where workers extracted iron ore over a century ago. Surrounded by dense forest, the sheer stone walls and deep water feel less like a typical park feature and more like a forgotten industrial scar hidden in plain sight.
What it's like
To reach the mine, park at the lot located along Kanawauke Road (1369 Kanawauke Rd) in Southfields and follow a loop taking advantage of the yellow-blazed Dunning Trail. The site itself is quiet and off-the-beaten-path, marked by the dramatic dark waters filling the T-shaped rock cut. The catch here is safety: the flooded pit is structurally unstable and exceptionally dangerous. Keep your feet firmly on the official trail above—do not attempt to scramble down the rock face or enter the water.
The move: Hike the scenic Dunning Trail loop to safely view and photograph the water-filled mine cut from the trail above.
📍 Before you go The mine is located within Harriman State Park and is legally viewable from the Dunning Trail, but the mine pit itself is flooded, structurally unstable, and extremely dangerous to enter.
- 📍 Southfields
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Southfields, NY 10975, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Pine Meadow Lake Pump House Ruins — Double down on abandoned stone infrastructure hidden inside Harriman State Park by visiting this 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps pump station ruin.
- ORAK Mansion Ruins — Pair this industrial iron relic with another nearby Hudson Valley ruin—the crumbling stone estate built in 1923 by a syrup executive.
- Ringwood Iron Plant Mine — Follow the region's iron mining history just across the state line to an expansive district that supplied iron starting in the 1700s.
Good to know
How do I get to the Boston Mine?
Park at the trailhead parking area at 1369 Kanawauke Road in Southfields, NY. From there, hike a loop using trails like the White Bar, Nurian, or yellow-blazed Dunning Trail, which runs right past the mine.
Can you climb into or swim inside the mine cut?
No. The flooded mine pit is structurally unstable and extremely dangerous. Entering the mine pit or swimming in the flooded water is strictly unsafe; view and photograph it safely from the designated trail above.
When was the Boston Mine active and what did they mine?
The mine extracted magnetite iron ore throughout the 19th century before it was abandoned around 1880.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: scenesfromthetrail.com · harrimanhiker.com
last checked: 2026-07-20