Patsy's Mine | Adventurin' | Farmington

Harmony here!

Optional .25/.5 Hike addition to Patsy's Mine

We read about this hike from a friend on Facebook. (Thanks Danika!) Melinda researched a bit and found that it was a pretty short hike (.7 miles) and kid-doable. We packed up our troop and hit the trail at 8am. It was going to be hot, so we hoped to miss most of the heat. We had decided to hike the extra .25/.5 miles (depends on which trail you follow) instead of actually parking on the dirt road. The only way to the dirt road was 15 minutes away and the sun was coming and we decided just to hike it anyway. I won't make that decision again. Next time, I'll just drive up to the trailhead. (See updated map below)

The kids spotted lizards and cottontails on the way up.

We had kids hiking that was 1,2,4,6,7,9 years old. The older kids took off the trail like it was nothing. I was feeling slightly nervous on the way up. It was kind of steep and rocky and my balance is thrown off way more than it should be carrying my two year old. Now, don't get me wrong, I hike quite a bit with my 2-year-old, but it had me a bit more wary than usual. I was a little more worried about coming down. While going up is strenuous, coming down always leads to slipping/falling. Holli was able to carry my little man, Orion (1.) Otherwise, I'd never have made it up. 

Luckily, I'm short, so we don't have far to fall. Because fall we did, twice. 

Once we finally hit the dirt road that we could have parked on) it took just a minute to find the trailhead sign. It's not really on the road, but more above it. If you type in the coordinates into Google Maps, it will lead you right to the trailhead. Just remember to look up. 

We stopped to take a break near this Lion King looking rock. Two older guys came by with a dog and told us we were 3/4 of the way there. I think he was being optimistic. It was more like 1/2 way there. He warned us to watch out for rattlesnakes as well. (Luckily, we didn't see any.)

The trail is marked pretty well along the way.

Finally, we made it to mine!

There was no keeping the older kids away. They grabbed their flashlights and headlamps and ran into the cave with Melinda and Holli. 

My babies decided they needed a snack and a bottle first. So I stayed outside and relaxed for a few minutes. You literally could not see the other end of the tunnel or even hear anyone inside.
The entrance to the mine you have to stoop just a little, but once you get in further you can stand up all the way. Just watch out for low rocks. 

The ground is pretty level although bumpy and muddier the further you went in. It was pitch black. 

There are a few different rooms off of the main tunnel. One spot has a large puddle that was up past my ankles and FREEZING.  

Our favorite room was more of a little dome room. The kids loved running back and forth through the rooms. 

It was probably a good 5-minute walk to the end of the mine. You for sure want some kind of light to explore. Also, bring shoes that you don't mind getting muddy.

While I was waiting outside, I met a couple who actually helps maintain the hike and mine. He was telling us that it used to be an old silver mine but didn't know if any silver was actually ever found. Instead, I found a bunch of these rocks. At first, I thought it was a quartzite or something, but it basically cracked with any amount of effort. So maybe gypsum? Does anyone have a guess? 

Also, it was a wet rock, you could break a piece off and see little specs of mold. Basically, it's a pretty dang cool rock. 

The kids ran in and out of the mine like 6 times. We were probably there for almost an hour. The mine is super cool, as in temperature cool, so we didn't mind waiting while the kids ran around.

After checking out the view and eating some snacks, we were ready for the downhill trek.

Well, after we took a group picture in front of the mine entrance. Taking photos with so many kids is always entertaining!

Hiking Down (the optional part of the hike.)

As I said, I was kind of nervous for the hike down, then Melinda pulls out her "Supermom" mode and carries her 2-year-old and 4 year old on her shoulders, all down the parts I was worried about. ;)  I only slipped once coming down. Luckily, the hiking pack has Aiko elevated, so she just thought it was fun. 

Robbie was attacked by a small cactus and Holli had a small heart attack watching Hyrum almost roll down a small cliff. (It's the first part of the trail right by the road at the marker.)

All in all, it was a very cool hike. 

The view was amazing. 

(Beginning of the optional part of the trail off of 200 South.)

As I said, it was HOT. We basically had to peel Orion off of Holli's back. I don't know who was sweatier...Afterwards, we headed to the local Harmons to buy some cold drinks and ice cream. We were a hot mess and got quite a few looks, one lady even commented on how brave we were bringing all the kids to the store. 

Harmony
Entrance Fee(s)
Free
Helpful Tips

Bring:

  • Water
  • Flashlight, Head Lamp
  • Snacks
  • Good Hiking Shoes
  • Band-Aids
  • Carriers for smaller children
  • Camera

Age suggestion for kids: 6 and up (The 5 steps Aiko took she slipped and skinned both her knees.) Toddlers should be carried. 

No Public Bathrooms

If you wanted to drive to the trailhead, these are the directions from Google Maps. Click here for the Google Map Search. Then you can input your own address on the search.

*UPDATED NOTES

From Lynn (who maintains the hike)

"There's a better trail if you start at the top of 100 North, up from the fire station. Follow the dirt road through the gate, and look for the trail on your right about 200 feet."

Length .7 miles if you start off of the dirt road.

Addition .25/.5 miles depending on which trail you took. We took the most direct path that isn't shown.

You can either park at the dead end of 200 and hike the extra .25 miles. It's steep and somewhat rocky. There were a couple of trails, apparently, we took the more direct route that isn't on the map.

While our kids made it fine, it would have been better had we just driven up to the dirt road and parked at the trailhead. 
40.977681, -111.874479
 

Collette (not verified)

Mon, 07/06/2015 - 13:26

I've been loving all the ideas on your blog! Thank you so much for sharing, especially with such great detail.

Lynn (not verified)

Wed, 07/08/2015 - 04:43

Hi! I'm the guy you met at the mine. There's a better trail if you start at the top of 100 North, up from the fire station. Follow the dirt road through the gate, and look for the trail on your right about 200 feet. It was nice meeting all of you!

LYNN-
Thanks for commenting! I realized I didn't even ask you your name! Thanks for the tip. I'll add it to the notes.

Shari (not verified)

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 12:07

I have done this hike hundreds of times since I live on 350 E. close to 200 S. in Farmington. It's too bad you didn't continue on to Flag Rock, but I understand with all your little's with you. I have always heard Patsy's Mine was a uranium mine. I have also heard that the trail, Lynn, mentioned has recently been closed off because of new development of homes in that area. The owner of the ground has blocked access.

Sara (not verified)

Mon, 08/10/2015 - 23:44

Hi! We found your webpage and did this hike on Sunday. It was a nice cool mine and we enjoyed it. We started from 100 North. You couldn't drive up the road. I would just mention in your post that the hike is very steep and the trail is very narrow. I was pretty nervous with my almost 4 year old. Also, my phone measured the whole hike being just over 4 miles, I think some of your distances might be a bit off.

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.