03-06-2025
Tours of world's largest mine now available for the 2025 season
The Rio Tinto Kennecott mine, also known as the Bingham Canyon mine, opened its door to visitors for the 2025 season.
Located southwest of Salt Lake City at the base of the Oquirrh Mountains, the iconic Kennecott mine is a human-made, open-pit copper mine operated by Rio Tinto.
Sitting over a half-mile in depth and over 2 miles across, Rio Tinto Kennecott is the largest mine in the world.
It's been operating for over a century, since its opening in 1903, producing more than 19 million tons of copper to date.
During World War II, the Kennecott mine produced about 30% of the copper used by the Allies, establishing new records for copper mining.
The self-guided tours, or 'Visitor Experience,' aim to spread consciousness about the role of the mine in modern life.
The Kennecott mine supplies about 20% of the nation's refined copper, which is an essential element in today's infrastructure, manufacturing and technology.
Guests can learn how ore is processed and turned into refined copper as well as safe mining practices and responsible environmental stewardship while seeing firsthand the gigantic scale of Kennecott's operation.
The highlight of the visit includes a stop at the mine overlook, where guests can contemplate the gargantuan stature of the pit. The shuttle to the overlook runs every 30 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Rio Tinto Kennecott Visitor Experience's website, and should be booked in advance.
Admission is $6 per person, and children under 5 enter for free. All proceeds go to the Kennecott Charitable Foundation, which supports local nonprofits.
Walk-ins are allowed, but guests might not be able to see the mine overlook if the center is at capacity that day.
The current visitor experience opened its new location in 2019 after a massive landslide buried the old visitor site along with several equipment trucks and fuel, according to Deseret News accounts, but there were no human casualties.
