Yes, Even the Kids Can Explore These Mines in Michigan’s U.P.

With over 500,000 abandoned mines throughout America, it's not surprising that people often feel compelled to go explore them. After all, what could be more exciting than traversing through dark tunnels and shafts in the hopes of discovering some ancient treasure or even, if you believe in spooky things, an ancient creature.

Sure, it's exciting. Also, very dangerous! Instead, you can fulfill that mine exploring need safely in the UP with a company called Adventure Mining.

On Michigan's Reddit page, someone recently posted a picture from their experience with Adventure Mining:

What are those, runes? The Lord of the Rings nerd in me is intrigued.

Adventure Mining in Greenland, MI offers tours of the nearby copper mines that were operational from 1850 to 1920. In that time, it's estimated that miners removed about 11 million pounds of copper from the mines. Even now, you can purchase native copper on Adventure Mining's website.

Get our free mobile app

The tours are for people of all skills and ages. Even the kids are welcome to explore.

Their tours include:

1. The Prospector's Tour - for all ages, this tour lasts an hour and a half and takes you to the hundreds of pounds of native copper left behind by previous miners.
2. Miner's Tour - for ages 12 and up, this tour option takes it up a notch. You'll be rappelling down 80 feet to a lower mine where you'll have to crawl through a few shafts and a hike through the oldest parts of the mines. This tour lasts 3 hours.
3. Captain's Tour - for ages 13 and up, this tour is 5-6 hours long. You'll see parts of the mine that have been submerged for over 100 years as well as artifacts not seen in any other part of the mine.

You can find more information on Adventure Mining's website.

Or, check out Adventure Mining's commercial to get a better idea of what they offer:

As well as tours, Adventure Mining offers underground drilling and blasting workshops.

So, are you brave enough to make the descent into darkness as you explore these ancient mines? If so, they welcome walk-ins as availability allows or you can make a reservation here.