Mascot Mine – Clinging to the cliffs 1000 metres above Hedley, BC
**note: tours to Mascot Mine have not been offered since 2017 and entering the site would mean trespassing across active mining areas and First Nation lands. In short, there no legal way to visit the mine site at this time**
The remnants of the Mascot Mine operation is one of British Columbia’s most incredible historical sites. Rich gold deposits were discovered near the top of the steep mountains above Hedley, BC and developing this site required some mind-boggling infrastructure, including a bunkhouse and kitchen that literally cling to the sides of the cliffs.
Back in the day, access to the mine was via aerial tramway both for delivering ore down the mountainside and transportation for miners up to the site.
Instead of burning down the derelict site in the 1990s, the ministry of tourism restored the area and tours were offered for a limited time before the mine site was again abandoned. At the moment there are no serious safety concerns with the mine infrastructure but without extensive maintenance that can’t be the case for too much longer.
