Bingham Canyon Open Pit Copper Mine
Bingham Canyon Open Pit Copper Mine
Bingham Canyon Open Pit Copper Mine
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4.0
206 reviews
Excellent
91
Very good
74
Average
19
Poor
7
Terrible
15
RecreationV
New York City, NY417 contributions
June 2023 • Couples
This place is a huge hole in the ground. You need to be there and experience it to be able to understand the size of it all. Reservations are needed and you get on the bus at the parking lot, where there is also a small gift shop. Ride to the top is visually remarkable. This is the largest open mining pit in the world. The equipment and assorted trucks are equally massive. There is an opportunity to stand next to a sample tire. At the top a guide spoke about some of the history and also the current practices they employ. Additionally there is a display which provides a historic timeline.
Written 31 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sheldon S
Waunakee, WI97 contributions
Sept 2016
There are two mountain roads to the mine overlook (what a view!). One has you on edge and the other not so much.
The most narrow and hazardous is the road in most of the Trip Advisor reviews. Some of the reviews refer to the road through Bingham Canyon. Bingham Canyon is closed as a result of the land-slide. Driving into Copperton will be a dead-end. It is confusing because at the intersection of U-111 and U-48 there is a sign that directs you to Bingham Canyon via Copperton. At the west side of Copperton mine security directed us back and south on U-111. The security guy stated that directions to the overlook are purposely not posted or promoted and the mine gate guards will act like they don’t know anything about it due to the treacherous road up the mountain to get to the lookout. A few weeks ago a young man was killed when his car didn’t negotiate a curve on the way down.
Depending upon where you turn off I-15 you will drive west and eventually connect with U-111. Drive south past the mine gates. At the point where U-111 takes a 90 degree left an asphalt road appears on your right. Due to a dip and a hill this road is not very visible until you are at the intersection. Just a short distance before you come to this intersection is a Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Management area sign. If you enter Herriman you have missed the turn. Drive a short distance down that road and you will see a very small sign on a fence post that indicates you are entering Butterfield Canyon. The first few miles are not bad until you begin to climb. This is a single lane (asphalt until the last two miles) road for two-way traffic. I drive a Ford Explorer (Sep 2016) and I would not have wanted any vehicle larger. Driving up, the passenger side is toward the mountain. There are no shoulders, guardrails or passing lane. There are sporadic bump-outs on the drop-off side where a vehicle can pull off to allow another vehicle to get by. The upside travel is mountain wall and the down side travel is shear drop-off. The hair-pin curves are dangerous because you cannot see what may be coming your direction. According to an oncoming vehicle, the rule of the road is that the vehicle on the inside (mountain side) has to maneuver to allow the vehicle coming down a means to get around you. Preceding with this experience almost made me turn around, but no room for that maneuver.
The second and much better drive up to the lookout you access from Tooele City. On the southeast corner of Tooele City at the intersection of Droubay Road and Vine Street (Oquirrh Hills Golf Course) Vine Street becomes Middle Canyon Road. With exception of the last mile (or little more) Middle Canyon Road is a two lane asphalt road. This road ends at the point where the more hazardous asphalt road (discussed previously) ends. Emergency and rescue vehicles take this route up the mountain. Both these roads meet at a wide turn-around area with concrete barriers to keep vehicles and ATVs out of the wooded area, before the last 1.5 - 2 miles stretch of dirt road up to the overlook. If you don’t notice that last stretch of dirt road leading up to the overlook, you will head back down the mountain on the other road. When I hit that dirt portion up the mountain I had to use 4-wheel drive to keep rear wheels from spinning.
For those who want the thrill of the narrow hair-pin and switch-back road, my suggestion is take the Butterfield Canyon Road up the mountain and take the Middle Canyon Road back down.
The most narrow and hazardous is the road in most of the Trip Advisor reviews. Some of the reviews refer to the road through Bingham Canyon. Bingham Canyon is closed as a result of the land-slide. Driving into Copperton will be a dead-end. It is confusing because at the intersection of U-111 and U-48 there is a sign that directs you to Bingham Canyon via Copperton. At the west side of Copperton mine security directed us back and south on U-111. The security guy stated that directions to the overlook are purposely not posted or promoted and the mine gate guards will act like they don’t know anything about it due to the treacherous road up the mountain to get to the lookout. A few weeks ago a young man was killed when his car didn’t negotiate a curve on the way down.
Depending upon where you turn off I-15 you will drive west and eventually connect with U-111. Drive south past the mine gates. At the point where U-111 takes a 90 degree left an asphalt road appears on your right. Due to a dip and a hill this road is not very visible until you are at the intersection. Just a short distance before you come to this intersection is a Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Management area sign. If you enter Herriman you have missed the turn. Drive a short distance down that road and you will see a very small sign on a fence post that indicates you are entering Butterfield Canyon. The first few miles are not bad until you begin to climb. This is a single lane (asphalt until the last two miles) road for two-way traffic. I drive a Ford Explorer (Sep 2016) and I would not have wanted any vehicle larger. Driving up, the passenger side is toward the mountain. There are no shoulders, guardrails or passing lane. There are sporadic bump-outs on the drop-off side where a vehicle can pull off to allow another vehicle to get by. The upside travel is mountain wall and the down side travel is shear drop-off. The hair-pin curves are dangerous because you cannot see what may be coming your direction. According to an oncoming vehicle, the rule of the road is that the vehicle on the inside (mountain side) has to maneuver to allow the vehicle coming down a means to get around you. Preceding with this experience almost made me turn around, but no room for that maneuver.
The second and much better drive up to the lookout you access from Tooele City. On the southeast corner of Tooele City at the intersection of Droubay Road and Vine Street (Oquirrh Hills Golf Course) Vine Street becomes Middle Canyon Road. With exception of the last mile (or little more) Middle Canyon Road is a two lane asphalt road. This road ends at the point where the more hazardous asphalt road (discussed previously) ends. Emergency and rescue vehicles take this route up the mountain. Both these roads meet at a wide turn-around area with concrete barriers to keep vehicles and ATVs out of the wooded area, before the last 1.5 - 2 miles stretch of dirt road up to the overlook. If you don’t notice that last stretch of dirt road leading up to the overlook, you will head back down the mountain on the other road. When I hit that dirt portion up the mountain I had to use 4-wheel drive to keep rear wheels from spinning.
For those who want the thrill of the narrow hair-pin and switch-back road, my suggestion is take the Butterfield Canyon Road up the mountain and take the Middle Canyon Road back down.
Written 7 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cannonater
Salt Lake City, UT1,438 contributions
July 2017 • Family
If you drive up butterfield canyon and turn to the north at the saddle and drive about 10 minutes up the dirt road you will get a surprise not many know about and be able to look into the bottom of the Kennecott mine from its west rim.. very worthwhile and it never gets old.
Written 30 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christian H
Salt Lake City, UT8 contributions
Oct 2022
I wish I could this review negative 100 stars. My son, who is on disability, wanted to tour this mine, so I called Rio Tinto due to the last tour being at 2:30. They stated if we made it to the parking lot by 2:30, we would be fine. We literally pulled up at 2:30 and saw the buses pulling out, so I ran into the office and explained our situation. They could CARE less and said we were screwed. It was very apparent that they had zero desire to provide any sort of experience for the guests. They provided me with a number to call for a refund, but when I called the number, they said I would need to contact Rio Tinto for the refund. I am pursuing the refund, but I will continue to dissuade people from touring this mine. There are a million other sites to see in Utah before considering this site.
Written 20 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mudsharkrocks
Arcata, CA101 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
There was a huge landslide a couple of years ago and the outstanding observation point and museum have no place to relocate to currently. However, I will divulge a "secret" that we locals have known about for many, many years. You can take the Butterfield canyon road which is partly paved, and partly rocky dirt road, and go to the top where the road forks to drop over the mountain to Tooele County or stay to the right and go to Sun Shine Peak where there is an area to park and get breathtaking views of the massive mine and the Salt Lake Valley. The road winds and a is steep and narrow. You drive along some very deep canyons that you do not want to get near the edge of. A Vehicle with some clearance will be fine. A Subaru, any SUV. I have driven a large van up there several times. There are Campgrounds along the way right off the road if you want to picnic or have a campfire. Also a Wild horse facility at the mouth of the canyon. No water besides a small stream. For sure remember to bring binoculars, spotting scope, cameras or other viewing devices- but for sure binoculars. You are likely to see Mule Deer and the occasional coyote or Elk. Watch for ATV's and folks on horses. The town of Herriman is near the mouth of the canyon. It's a suburb town with amenities. One important note- you can only drive up in the non-snow months. There is a gate they close in winter. Not sure if you can go up on snowmobile. You won't be disappointed in this view.
Written 13 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Annette P
Riverton, UT1 contribution
Aug 2016 • Family
We wanted to take our girls to see this wonder and found out the visitors center was closed. We found a way. In our little Volvo S40, not a 4 wheel drive, we took off on our journey. If you go to the entrance of the mine that takes you to the visitors center, instead of turning in continue S to Heriman Hwy to the entrance to Butterfield Canyon about 1 mile. Once you turn into the canyon it is about 6.5 miles on asphalt to a dirt road, then stay to the right on the dirt road for about another 1.5 miles to 2 miles, at the top is an incredible view. Ofcourse in a car like ours you need to be careful and slow but it is a good enough road to take in a car. It is worth the extra time and drive to take in the spectacular view of the mine and valley.
Written 21 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
loganboy2016
Kearns, UT25 contributions
Sept 2018 • Friends
The new visitor center is not yet open, but a great view of this open pit mine can be had from the top of Butterfield Canyon. The road is a paved narrow mountain road for six miles with the last two miles up to the view point unpaved and a bit rough. I have no problem getting up there in my passenger van. Plan about 30 minutes one way for the drive up once you start up Butterfield Canyon road. If you don't like driving on a narrow mountain road, the drive to get there might not be for you. There is a parking area at the top with a small fence indicating off-limits area. You get a great view of the mine to the north as this overlook is right above the South edge of the open pit. Looking south you get a view of the Oquirrh mountains and Utah lake. You can see the Salt Lake Valley to the east and Tooele to the west.
Written 2 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
alisamlewis
23 contributions
Mar 2018 • Family
The visitor center is closed for good. You can schedule a bus tour June through September but otherwise you cannot get into this mine.
Written 26 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Racquel A
9 contributions
Oct 2015
Our foreign exchange student wanted to see the Bingham Copper Pit. Reading reviews on TripAdvisor, I remembered the visitor's center had been destroyed in 2013. But, I read a review that said they "had their life in their hands" driving up a dirt road to get to the view. So, we took off in our 4 wheel drive to see if it was as fun as they described. Stopping in at the front gate, the girl in the box had no idea of what I was talking about. So, we just headed up Butterfield Canyon (continue south of the main entrance and turn right) anyway to see if we could find the road on our own. We did find it and it was a fantastic view from the top looking down in! There are absolutely no signs to guide you. So, you just keep driving up the canyon (closed after Nov 1 thru, I think, March) and when you get to the dirt part of a fork in the road, turn right. The next fork is self explanatory, as the right side has a "No trespassing" sign. So, go left. Keep going until you emerge atop a very obvious railed in viewpoint (that I think the gate girl should know about!) And the drive up was not a "life in your hands" experience if you have any adventure in you at all. It was a fun 45 minute excursion. Note: if you would like them to rebuild the visitor's center, please email Rio Tinto. Many voices gets results. info-kennecott@riotinto.com
Written 20 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnB7987
Seattle, WA151 contributions
June 2017
If you have the time to drive up to this pit, it is worth seeing. It is located outside the city so you will need some time to explore it.
Written 3 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is it dangerous to Vista if there might be thunder and lighting?
Written 6 June 2019
CapCrunch19
Orlando, Florida
There is no danger. Salt Lake City has only a handful of rainy days in the summer and if ever there is bad weather then the mine is just closed to the public.
Written 26 June 2019
How far from Marriott convention Provo to bring ham copper mine
Written 26 September 2018
Hello, we have a group of people from Vancouver BC, Canada, will visit Salt Lake City on next Monday (10 Sept.,2018)
is that the visitor centre are open ? we try to fix it out our itinerary via Utah next week.
Thanks for your prompt reply.
Written 6 September 2018
What is the road in and the directions to the observation point?
Written 9 August 2018
Is there a tour offered that takes you inside the mine?
Written 14 March 2018
Jeff E
Vancouver, Canada
Hello. Is there any indication if the visitor centre for the Mine will be re-opened? if so when?
Many thanks.
Written 22 February 2017
I posed that same question to a mine security official and he stated that "while the company found the visitor center to be a valuable education and PR resource, they have no location that would be within view of the mine, be on company property and still be considered safe. The mine experienced another land slide after the slide that took out the visitor center. That second slide took out Bingham Canyon Road.
Written 23 February 2017
Does anyone know if there is a tour group that goes up to bingham at this time of year?
Written 4 March 2016
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