Provo, UT

If you’ve ever played with a Tonka truck in a sand box you’ll appreciate the Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine. It’s located about 40 miles northwest of Provo and 25 miles southwest of Salt Lake City (exit I-15 around West Jordan). The $5 entrance fee for passenger vehicles is donated to charity and tax-deductible. You pay at the security gate, then drive about four miles to the visitor center which overlooks the mine.

The visitor center and mine overlook were more crowded than you would expect, a steady flow of people and tour buses, even on a Sunday afternoon. So why are so many people coming here? Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine is the world’s largest man-made excavation, and biggest open copper pit. It measures an impressive 2.5 miles across at the top and is .75 miles deep. It’s almost twice as deep as the world’s tallest building. It’s one of those things like the Hoover Dam, or the Corn Palace, or the Largest Ball of String…you need to see it to believe it. And you should see it, especially if you live in Utah, since it’s such an important part of Utah’s mining history.

Visiting the mine is a good way to spend a couple of hours (it’s not an all-day event). The size of the mine didn’t fully register at first. We spent a few minutes looking over the rim at the dump trucks scurrying along the roads at the bottom of the mine like tiny little ants. But as I realized the ants were rolling around on the gigantic tires like the one on display behind me I started to appreciate the size of this excavation. It’s hard to believe but the mine has literally moved a mountain chasing copper. Occasionally the wind would kick up a dust storm as water trucks attempted to keep the dust down. I recommend bringing binoculars to watch the action below, but there are coin-operated telescopes to zoom in on the action.

Pack a lunch or grab soda and a candy bar from the concession stand and watch while you eat. There’s a nicely shaded awning area with benches, two facing the mine and two others facing displays, such as mining carts and a huge tire (where everyone takes a picture). There’s also a panel with buttons for several languages to tell you about the mine. We were looking around and checking out stuff the whole time. It was clean and felt safe with the guard rails, but keep a close eye on little ones. Just about everything, including the parking lot and visitor center, is wheel-chair accessible and stroller-friendly.

Next we went in the visitor center and watched a 16-minute show on how copper is pulled from the mine and processed. After the film they opened the shades, exposing two big windows overlooking the mine. Then we looked at the different exhibits around the visitor center, where you could learn about the history of copper mining, the use of copper in WWII, and everyday things we use that are made of copper. One display has models of the different stages of the mine from 1900 through 2015. They project to go another 900 feet deep down. It’s really informative and well-put together and there’s something for everyone–some of it even managed to hold my 3-year-old’s attention.

Also inside the visitor center is a gift shop, which has an inexpensive variety of copper gifts, along with the usual tourist stuff. (For all the ladies still not convinced that a copper mine is your cup of tea, there’s a nice selection of copper jewelry and hair accessories!)

The mine operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is open to visitors 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., April 1 through October 31. For more information, visit the mine’s website or click here for a map.