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In this outdoor activity we decided to take a quick trip to explore Sunshine Canyon, which is located in Utah’s west desert roughly 3 miles south of Mercur Canyon. The canyon road is well marked from highway 73 and requires driving up a rough, rocky dirt road approximately 2.4 miles to the Sunshine mining site. The road is part of the Sunshine Canyon OHV loop and it is a popular location for ATV and UTV enthusiasts.
Sunshine History:
Sunshine was once a mining town that was home to several structures that were commonly found in Utah’s mining towns. These included saloons, boarding houses, gambling dens, and old miners’ cabins. There were several mines in the area, including the Sunshine in which the town is named after.
In 1895 after many promising strikes were made, the Overland and Sunshine Mills were constructed to process the ore.
In 1910 when the last bit of gold-ore was mined out, the town of Sunshine was abandoned, leaving the mines, and structures at the mercy of the desert environment.
According to our research the Sunshine was one of the leading gold mines in the Mercur District. Other top producing gold mines included the Delamar, Geyser-Marion, Sacramento, La Cigale, Mercur, Overland, and Daisey. These mines produced gold-ore valued at $19,034.984 during the period of 1890 thru 1917 according to the United States Geological Survey.
What’s left of Sunshine:
Although most of this once mining town is long gone, there are still some remnants that remain. One is the very large pile of tailings, several sealed or covered mines, and a few block structures that were once part of the mining buildings.
Visiting:
If you plan on visiting Sunshine Canyon please do so in a high clearance vehicle as the road leading to the old mining site is very rocky, rough, and some areas of the dirt road contain deep ruts. We have read some other articles online about this canyon and some say it is car friendly. Well, on our visit this road was not a car friendly road at all.
Come Prepared:
This is a something that we need to learn to follow as well, which you will hear about in the video above. Remember this is a desert environment so bring plenty of water, food, lighting, fire starting material, and make sure your vehicle is in good mechanical condition. You never know when something unexpected may happen.
Disclaimer:
Although most of the mines in this area are sealed, if you stumble upon an open mine shaft and choose to enter it, you do so at your own risk. Utah Outdoor Activities cannot be held responsible for any accidents, injuries, or deaths that may occur while visiting Sunshine Canyon.
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