Kennecott Copper Mine
add photosStanding at the overlook within the Bingham Canyon Mine you can watch 240 and 320 ton capacity haulage trucks deliver copper ore to the in-pit crusher, where the material is reduced to the size of soccer balls before being loaded onto a five-mile conveyor that carries the ore to the Copperton Concentrator. Location also includes a visitor center where visitors can take part in interactive displays and exhibits.
13 Reviews for Kennecott Copper Mine
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160 families found this helpful
"Man made wonder"
If you flew into SLC you probably saw the copper mine up on the western mountains. It is an amazing sight from the air and even more amazing in person. For a small price per car it is worth a trip check out the visitor center and watch the HUGE trucks do there work. A fun place for anyone, but especially those interested in big machines!
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"Big Big Trucks"
This mine is huge. You cannot even see the bottom well without binoculars. The trucks with ten foot wheels look like ants. The visitors center at the top has a movie and a collection of artifacts and scientific explanations of mining. The gift shop sells everything copper. The mine is interesting for older kids but boring for those ten and under even though there are big trucks.
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"We enjoyed this visit"
The copper mine was a fun visit, even though I am afraid of heights! We liked looking over the mile-deep mine and seeing the teeny tiny trucks lumbering up and down the road. The massive machine tire (real size) was a perfect photo opportunity. My son's favorite part was the collection of "toy" trucks (collectible truck models) in the visitor's center. My husband liked learning about the history of the mine, and I enjoyed seeing the different uses of products the mine produced. We also had fun learning how we can reduce the amount of energy our home uses. For $5 per car, the price was perfect and there enough to keep us entertained for about an hour. Just right for the price, and each member of our family found something they liked!
1 family found this helpful
"your boys will love it!"
We visited Kennecott on a day where they were having free admission. My kids all loved it, but our boys were especially amazed at all the huge trucks! It is pretty amazing what they have done out there. There is a movie that plays every 20 min or so, and that was worth the time to watch, the kids liked it too.
0 families found this helpful
"summer only"
The Copper Mine is open for tours in the summer. It is really amazing to see the enormity of this thing. The museum has a film you can watch and some things in cases, but my kids really weren't that interested in it. The mostly liked seeing the giant tire and the even bigger trucks that they fit on. Your visit there really won't take more than an hour. If you wanted to make more of a day of it, you can head up one of the nearby canyons- Butterfield or Yellow Fork for a quick little hike.
0 families found this helpful
"Wow"
The last time we went to Kennecott Copper Mines we were with a large family group. Young and old we all had a great time. They have a visitor’s center that teaches more about mining. There is also a really cute gift shop with some unique items. The main draw is the largest hole you will ever see with trucks to match. The fascination that kids have with digging and trucks will surely be entertained here. While worth the trip, keep in mind that after an hour there will not be a whole lot more to see and it is not something that needs to be seen every year, but should be seen at least once in a lifetime.
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"Fun for boys of all ages"
The mine is a cheap family activity. We were there on a rainy day and still enjoyed it. Just beware if there are high winds or big storms in the area, they will not allow you to go in the main gate. We had this happen once and had to come back another day. The visitors center was enjoyable and the movie is worth the few minutes to watch it. The mine is really impressive! And the big trucks are just too fun for any boy to see.
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"Impressive Depths"
Your kids will most definitely be impressed by the sure depths of the Kennecott Copper mine. If you have a child who loves large construction type vehicles this is a place for them. The magnificent size of the tools is phenomenal. Peer into the mine and then walk through the visitor's center where you can learn how the whole process of mining works.
1 family found this helpful
"Fun, educational, unique activity!"
We didn't think this outing would be a hit with the kids, but they loved it! We went during a free admission event, but even for $5, it's worth it. The view of the mine is absolutly incredible! Plus, seeing all the GIANT {and I mean GIANT!!} vehicles working the mine is awesome. Walk through the visitors center to learn more about how the copper is mined and what's done with it afterwards. The video was interesting, but my kids did get a little bored with it near the end. Overall a great, inexpensive activity!
2 families found this helpful
"Big Trucks...but only seen from a distance"
Bingham Copper Mine is the largest open pit mine in the world and can be seen from space, so it's fun that they have a visitors center so you can see it and learn about it. But there isn't too much to see. The trucks are HUGE but the only part of one you get anywhere near is the tire on display outside the visitors center. My 1.5 year old loved watching the trucks drive in and out of the mine anyway. Inside the visitors center there are some hands on things that my kids (ages 5, 3, and 1) enjoyed, including a microscope with different minerals under it and some rocks you can computers you can touch. My boys (3 and 1) loved the large display of minature trucks. My husband and I found the video on how they process the copper very interesting, as did my 5 yr old. There were some fun displays that show how much copper is in your house and what the mine looked like in the past, as well as what Kennecott does for the community. There isn't too much to see or do there, but it was worth the $5 and drive to go once. We did spend almost 2 hours there, but there is a gift shop and I think we spent at least a 1/2 hour there.
1 family found this helpful
"Great View and History!"
I love to go to the Copper mine every couple years or so. Because, it never changes. But, it is great to bring along for the older kids. You pay a small fee and you have to drive around the mine until you get to the Visitor center, they have a ton of cool things to look at. They have huge tires from the trucks they use and you can see down into the open mine, it is really amazing. Then inside they have the history of the mine, old letters, and tons of historical items and a movie to watch. So not so cool for kids probably ages I would say 8 and below? I feel like they would be bored, but any other ages it is good to go see and look at especially if you love history!
1 family found this helpful
"Fun LITTLE Museum"
This is the perfect place for a child obsessed with trucks to visit! You get to see lots of trucks at work, you can watch a movie of them working, and you can have your picture taken next to a HUGE wheel from one of the trucks. it's a little museum, so it doesn't take a lot of time. That's nice for little ones, though, who have a short attention span.
2 families found this helpful
"Educational Fun"
The Bingham Copper mine is located in the southwest corner of the Salt Lake Valley. There is a visitor center and small museum with very interesting and hands on displays. My kids and I learned a lot about mining from watching the short movie at the visitor's center. The visitor's center is small but it has some good hands on displays for kids. If you have a cubscout in your family, earn a Kennecot Copper Mine badge by completing a worksheet at the visitors center. The best part about the copper mine is just seeing all of the huge trucks at work. I love the outdoor display showing the size of one of the truck tires.
The copper mine is a good educational place to visit if you have a couple hours to spare and want a unique experience.
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