Tunnel Mountain Mine

I had long been curious about the name of Tunnel Mountain. Why would this prominence be called that unless there was a tunnel there? Looking at LIDAR, I spotted what possibly could be mine workings, so not long after the leaves had fallen, I headed up to take a look. November 15, 2025

At the end of a saddle, I came across a long trench cut. This photo was taken from one end of the cut.

The trench consisted of two levels. I am standing in the lower level, looking at the upper level beyond the rocks at center.

The two levels of the cut can be seen a little better in this view from the trench rim. The cluster of rocks at center divides the two levels.

Above the trench cut is an oval-shaped pit, much collapsed and filled in at this point. The leaves make it hard to discern the depth in this photo.

View from the rim of the upper pit, looking down toward the trench cut. The two levels of the trench are seen better from this viewpoint.

View across the oval pit

Another view, while walking around the rim of the pit.

Looking across the pit from the opposite side. After decades of wall collapse, erosion and leaf matter, the pit now ranges from only 6-7 feet deep.

A few hundred feet down-hill, another old cut leads into the hillside.

The head of the trench has slumped, but, scraping away the leaves, it looks like this was possibly the top of an adit opening.

Possibly the slumped mouth of an old adit / tunnel. I'm thinking this was the name-sake of Tunnel Mtn.

Waste rock pile below the trench.

Side view of the waste rock pile below the trench. Based on the amount of dirt and rock, there might have been a tunnel / adit, but if so, it didn't go in very far.

Quartz and mica in one of the rocks in the waste pile. I haven't found any record of this mine (or more likely, just a large prospect). There were some gold mines fairly close by, so I'm guessing that's what they were looking for here.

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