This weekend we took a trip to an AZ ghost town; Vulture Mine or Vulture City just west of Wickenburg, AZ. It’s about an hour and a half drive from Phoenix. This is an abandoned town that is no longer in use for anything other than preservation and tours. The mine however is in working order and products several ounces of gold each week. We left early in the morning to take this adventure before it became too hot.
When we got there we were greeted by our tour guide Norm. He was very thorough in his presentation of his tour. He explained that some of the things that are written online about the town actually weren’t documented as accurate. We learned about the mine being discovered, the equipment they used and the stories of when people lived there. Everything we saw on the tour was items they had discovered after the town was abandoned and many buildings were still in tact. We loved seeing the old buildings items that were used in the housing and mining procedures.
Below are the photos of our tour:
This is what is left of the post office.
At the end of the tour everyone got to pick out a piece of the minerals that were drilled out of the mine. Gold has been known to be found in pieces picked out by the tourists.
Tips if you want to go to Vulture Mine:
- The tours are closed for the Summer. They will start back up in mid October which will be a much cooler time to visit. You can find times and more information about the tour here: http://www.vultureminetours.com/
- Bring your own water, no refreshments available.
- Dress comfortably and with close toed shoes.
- It gets hot so the best time to visit would be in the cooler months.
- This tour is suitable for all ages but I would only bring older children because they may find themselves bored. Clever Guy was interested in the tour where the guide spoke about the minerals they mine.
- The tour is $10 per person and only cash is accepted.
- Do NOT take the way Google Maps says. You can get to the town via 60 or I-10 to 335th avenue. Take either of those to the mid point of mile marker 12 and the mine will be right off the road. Do not go down the Whispering Ranch road.
Want more info and photos? Check and here: http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/vulturecity.html
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