Entry No. 41 — the Salt Lake City file — filed under: ruins
Judge Mine Tunnel
Originally constructed in 1887 as the Anchor Tunnel, this historic drainage and transportation tunnel was built to relieve the notoriously wet Daly-Judge silver mine. While the tunnel itself still actively drains water for Park City's municipal supply, the surrounding site is home to fascinating abandoned ruins, including the Judge Mining and Smelting Company Office, a concrete explosives bunker, and rusted aerial tramway towers. These relics are scattered along the Daly Canyon Trail, offering a quiet, atmospheric glimpse into Park City's late 19th-century silver boom.
The story
In 1887, miners weren't just fighting hard rock in Daly Canyon—they were fighting drowning. Blasted into the mountain as the Anchor Tunnel to relieve the notoriously flooded Daly-Judge silver mine, this underground drainpipe was built to bleed off millions of gallons of groundwater so miners could reach the ore. What started as a desperate engineering fix turned into a massive industrial artery, hauling out silver and drainage alike. The wild part? The mining company eventually folded, but the plumbing never stopped. The municipal tap water you drink down in Park City is still fed in part by this exact 19th-century tunnel.
If you hike up Daly Canyon, the boom-era ruin field reveals itself piece by piece under the aspens. You'll stumble across the collapsing wooden shell of the Judge Mining and Smelting Company Office, rusted steel skeletons of aerial tramway towers that once swung ore buckets down the mountain, and a thick concrete explosives bunker built off to the side so an accidental dynamite spark wouldn't wipe out the whole operation. It doesn't feel like a manicured museum—it feels like an industrial ghost town left to slowly disintegrate into the dirt.
What it's like
The walk up Daly Canyon Trail takes you through quiet aspen groves right to the mouth of the site. You'll know you're close when you feel the cold draft spilling off the mountain. The tunnel portal itself is locked behind a heavy steel gate, and the surrounding historic timber and concrete structures are structurally rotted and strictly off-limits for entry. Keep your feet on the public trail—you can photograph every piece of tramway iron, the explosives bunker, and the trickling portal safely and legally right from the path.
The move: Hike the scenic Daly Canyon Trail together to view and photograph the historic mining ruins, including the old explosives bunker and the dilapidated Judge Mining and Smelting Company Office, surrounded by aspens and wildflowers.
📍 Before you go The tunnel portal is gated and the surrounding historic structures are structurally unstable and off-limits for entry, but they can be safely and legally viewed from the public Daly Canyon Trail.
- 📍 Park City
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Park City, UT 84060, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Ontario Mine — Follow the silver trail down the canyon to the 1872 mine site bought by George Hearst that kicked off Park City's original underground fortune.
- Silver King Mill — Pair this mountain drainage tunnel with a look at where the mined ore was brought to be crushed in a massive 1921 multi-story processing mill.
- Silver King Mine — Combine your quiet canyon hike with a visit to the high-altitude centerpiece of Park City Mountain's most lucrative mining operation.
Good to know
Can you enter the tunnel or any of the historic buildings?
No. The tunnel portal is gated shut, and the Judge Mining office and surrounding relics are structurally unstable and fenced off. Entry is prohibited, but the entire site sits directly along the public Daly Canyon Trail for easy viewing.
Is the Judge Mine Tunnel still doing anything today?
Yes. Even though silver mining ended long ago, the tunnel actively drains subterranean water that gets collected for Park City's municipal water supply.
How do you access the site?
You reach the ruins by hiking or mountain biking along the public Daly Canyon Trail, located in Daly Canyon near Park City.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: utahrails.net · parkcitymag.com
last checked: 2026-07-20