Mine Hike (Eagle Mining Company Julian, California)

Ashley and I recently had the opportunity to explore one of the old Gold Mines in Julian, California. This particular Gold Mine in Julian, California is run by the Eagle Mining Company.  It was a really neat experience being able to go into an actual Gold Mine. Ashley and I decided to put this adventure into the Eagle Mining Company's Gold Mine and classify it as a Mine Hike, as we figured it would be something our readers would like to do. A journey into the Eagle Mines Gold Mine is a fun thing to do in Julian, California.

Directions to Trailhead: To get to this Golf Mine in Julian, from Orange County, head toward the town of Julian, California. Once you enter Julian via the 78 highway, and head through the main portion of town, make a left on C street. The mine is located towards the end of C street. There are signs that direct you toward the gold mine. The cost for going in the gold mine is $10 for adults (Tips are welcome). The Eagle Mining Company's Gold Mine don't accept credit cards. Their hours of operation for tours of the mine are from 10am - 3pm.

Description of Hike: At the Eagle Mining Company, five blocks east of the center of Julian, you can take an hour long tour of an authentic Julian gold mine. A small rock shop and gold-mining museum are also on the premises. The gold mine hike goes for a total of about 1,000 feet into the mine. You enter on one side of a large hill and you come out on a completely different side. There are a lot of stops inside the mine where you get a chance to learn about the history of this mine, the history of mining in the Julian area, as well as learn about general mining culture. While on the tour of this mine in Julian, the mine is lit with lights so you can see where you are going. While on your tour inside the Eagle Mining Company's Gold Mine in Julian, you also change tunnels a couple of times.

Further Thoughts: Ashley and I enjoyed this adventure into the gold mine in Julian. We had never been inside an actual mine before and really don't know of too many places that actually allow the public the opportunity to go inside a real mine. While in the Eagle Mining Company's Gold Mine we learned about the process of digging the mine as well as facts about the history of this particular mine. It was quite amazing to learn how many tunnels there were in the mountain side and how deep this gold mine actually went. If you are looking to go inside a real gold mine this is the perfect opportunity and is a fun thing to do when visiting Julian, California.

There were a couple of negatives about the site, specifically the restrooms were run down, and the facility outside of the gold mine could use a little TLC. Before we went on this trip to the gold mine in Julian, we had read some negative reviews about the people giving the tours. We thought our tour guide did a good job, and was somewhat of a cross of the character Doc Brown in Back to the Future and an actual miner. Bottom-line is expect the person giving you the tour of the Eagle Mining Company's Gold Mine to be a character if it was the same person we had. The tour guide did know his facts on the mine and took his time showing us the highlights of the mine.

This was a one of a kind experience as there are not many other places that will actually take you into an old gold mine and really show you what it was like to be a miner in the late 1800's.

Rating: Elevation Gain: Minimal (Easy), Distance: Less than 0.5 Mile Roundtrip (Easy).

Time to Complete Hike: 1 - 1.5 hours.


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