Kennecott Bingham Canyon Copper Mine - Utah

While I was in Elko, NV for the summer I made many trips to Utah. It is one of the few states that my family never vactioned to as a child. While it may not be a place that immediately comes to mind when you think vacation it is definitely worth a visit. There are so many neat little towns and gorgeous mountain scenery everywhere you look. The must see tourist attraction on my list was of course Kennecott Utah Copper's Bingham Canyon Mine. It is the king of open pit mines and is the largest man made excavation in the world. There are two distinct man made features astronauts can see from outerspace and they are The Great Wall of China and the Bingham Canyon copper mine. The mine is about a 30 minute drive from Salt Lake City which is full of great views the whole way. The mine visitors center boasts a very nice museum of Kennecott mining history and lots of models of mining equipment as well as videos explaining the mining process. They did a great job of creating exhibits that any age can understand and explaining the mining process in laymens terms. I was very impressed. They have an observation deck that over looks the mine and visitors can watch the haul trucks removing ore from the mine. It's an incredible view from every angle. They also have a large dispaly of old mining equipment as well as a large tire off a haul truck. Also, the gift shop is worth a visit. They have so many incredible items made from copper and other minerals native to Utah. For more information check out http://www.kennecott.com/visitors-center



Location: Bingham Canyon, UT 84006, USA

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