Marilyn and I have become quite fascinated with Utah history, especially its mining history and all of the ghost towns that were produced when the mines dried up. There are quite a few of these ghost towns and we have decided to see as many as we can. Yesterday we went to see the remains of the gold and silver mines from the late 1800s in Ophir Canyon. It didn't really seem like an actual ghost town because most of the buildings have been restored and moved to one centralized location but it was really interesting. There are usually guided tours on Saturday from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm during which you can see inside all of the buildings but the tours have been suspended due to Covid-19. You can still walk around on your own and it was fun to see a post office, various homes, a train, a shoe shop, an ore wagon, and a school.
To get there go west on I-80 and take exit 99. Drive through Tooele and turn left at SR 73. You will drive through the canyon until you come to the small town of Ophir (people still live in this town and there are lots of No Trespassing signs and No Parking signs that you need to be respectful of). The historic site is in the middle of the main street and there are places to park above and below it. It took us a little more than an hour to get there from my house in Bountiful. You can go here for more information. It was a quirky little place and I think it might be better to wait until the tours resume to get more out of your visit.
Note: I think Utah has some really cool places in the middle of nowhere!
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