Didnt need reservation but they are practicing socal distancing (loved the bear markers) they are super helpful & informative.$5 admission parking was easy the day we were there but it was not a weekend so that might make a differenceIts a state protected mine and historic park now, one of the oldest and deepest gold mines in California. there are still a lot of the original structures and some that have been replicated.Loved the fresh air and wandering the grounds of course the best time to go would be spring early summer for the gardens.If youve been to Filoli Gardens, Believe they said this was the summer house of the same owner.

The estate and grounds are so lovely. You imagine the good times had there by the family and quite a few notable guests in the early 20th century. There’s also the other side with all the mining buildings and big equipment. Something to please everyone in the family. In the summer, go right at 10am when they open to beat the heat.

This place is awesome, part of it wasnt open due to covid but definitely worth the $5 to see everything else

History and beauty in one place.Seeing the mine and the transformations over the years felt like traveling back in time. The grounds are beautifully kept, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

Its a long drive to this beautiful park. Sad that Covid ha closed most of the indoor places. Also many visitors were not using distancing nor wearing masks. Still there is a nice walk to see the park like areas and some of the buildings.

Great time even during Covid. Just dont park at the gate 1.4mi away and hike with two kids under 11 and a puppy! The mine shaft was closed but because it was slow, we got some special treatment elsewhere. Good ranger crew and the blacksmiths were very personable.

You will get more than you expect when visiting a mine, even if you dont get to visit the actual mine. Due to Covid-19 the mine and museum was closed but that did not take away from the pleasure of walking the grounds. Very beautiful and peaceful. The staff at the visitor center observed social distancing and were helpful and welcoming.

Nice people! Not crowded! Historic and charmfull!

Wonderful walking tour. Beautiful with the color changing leaves. I will be back in summer

Me and my wife went there for our honeymoon Nevada City we found the mine very interesting and beautiful I recommend everybody go see it only cost $10

11/2020 visit. A lot of the buildings tours were closed per covid but it really did not matter to much. Great mining history. Have a live presenters and blacksmith. Kids loved it.

This place is amazing. Even though the guided tours were closed due to covid, I learned a lot about the early days of mining operations... My 4yo son was completely fascinated with the large machines, pullys and gears.The grounds and house (mansion) are cool too! Really transports you to another era... Everything is really well maintained, lots of areas to explore, with beautiful gardens and fountains to explore.

It was our first time going to the Empire mine and its beautiful estate grounds. The employees (park rangers) were very kind and very helpful right from the start! We are homeschooling so taking the kids on a field trip there was wonderful and highly educational for the kids. Although, the children were disappointed that the museum along with the cottage and the mine shafts on the estate and several other buildings were closed down due to COVID-19, we still had fun exploring the estate and the mining yard. The fountains and reflecting pools are very beautiful along with the gardens which provided us a chance to teach the kids more about plants and vegetation in the area.We strongly feel that the entrance fee price should be lowered as the museum and buildings were all closed so we could not enter them be that as it is, charging the full entrance price when folks arent able to see the whole scope of attractions at the state park isnt as logical but due to the virus Im sure they havent had as many visitors. Yet still, the entrance fee should be adjusted accordingly. The children were certainly bummed because they very much looked forward to seeing the museum and other buildings on-site so naturally we were a bit bummed about that and I certainly heard about that from the kids off an on the whole time we wandered the estate. lol!Aside that, it was a great time and is a great place to take the family for not only a leisurely outing but for an educational experience for our children and is a great place for families to take their kids for an educational field trip. P.S. the gift shop is really neat!

One of the most beautiful trails to go walk. Ive been there for years and enjoyed it so much

Well kept park and facilities. Definitely worth a visit. Even with COVID restrictions the park was worth the time.

Covid closed access to the viewing room of the mine shaft. Still, the property is delightful, and worth a quick trip. $5 per adult to enter! Still worth the money if you want to see a little California history first hand.If the viewing room was accessible to the mine shaft, it would be an amazing experience.

A great little State Park to check out. There a few miles of trails which lead to some historic mine sites at the Park and also provide some great forest scenery. The visitor center also has a ton of historic facts about the mining operations that took place here. They have multiple artifacts, gems, minerals, gold, and even an entire miniature scale model of the mining tunnels which are underground across the park and region.

This place is beautiful and very interesting. Tells you about the history in the area.

What a great way to spend an afternoon! Not only do you get interesting tours of the mine, you also get a tour of the beautiful estates with knowledgeable and friendly tour guides. There are beautiful trails to walk or jog as well.

This is such a great park! The buildings are in excellent shape with descriptive signage. You can even go into the inclined shaft! The grounds also include many old homes and a gorgeous garden!

The landscape is beautiful with several gardens and fountains. All the buildings are open for exploration. Youll spend the day traveling back in time; by learning about the workings of a mine, how people dressed and worked back in the day. They do allow you to bring outside food and drinks. This park is a fabulous place to have a family picnic and explore a beautiful, historic landmark.

Even though Covid-19 is happening this place is open and tranquil to walk though.

Been going to the empire for 30 yrs its a great place to walk or run 26 miles of trail

Very beautiful. Requires a lot of walking and time to enjoy the entire Park.

Even if you arent a mine enthusiast this is a great day trip. CA State Parks has done an exemplary job creating a variety of experiences and displays to share the history of USAs largest gold mine. Indoor and outdoor adventure, plus guided tour of property. Working blacksmith shop had the nicest craftspeople explaining and demonstrating. Pack a picnic and spend the day exploring.

Absolute beautiful and relaxing. If you listen closely you can hear the ancient voices there

Lots to see. Far more than I expected. Didnt get to see it all because it was too cold for the pups. But it was still cool. Ill come back

Beautiful mine. Great to take a little hike or even walk around for a couple hours and explore the towns history. They have awesome interactive things for kids and its also a great place to take pictures. I did some of my senior portraits here. They turned out amazing!!

Beautiful gardens and the park service folks are so cordial

Great place to learn history and spend some quality time with your loved ones outdoors.

Such a cool place to check out! The staff were awesome and the tour guide was very informative. Also got to see a great mineral specimen collection that I was not expecting. Definitely worth checking out!

Lovely family day at the mine. I loved the gardens, my husband loved the mining equipment and blacksmith demos. The kids loved it all!

Highly recommend ! The grounds are peaceful, beautiful and the history spectacular!

Beautiful place Place to visit.

Must see! Great living historic park. Look online for tour times and treat your self to free knowledge.

Great place and great gift shop. It’s really great experience for sure recommend it to everyone

Its a gorgeous place filled with people who really care for it and I went on a field trip

Great place to go check out California gold rush/ mining history. You can either walk around the park by yourself or go on one of their guided tours. Make sure you check out the mine shaft and the blacksmith shop. And beware the rose bushes, they bite.

We had a fun short hike on the trails here. I took my 6 and 3 year old and they were able to manage the trail.

Nature in full. Great place to unwind

Really cool place to visit. I can spend a whole day here for sure.

Beautiful place and nice hike up with the pups!

Great history!!! The mansion was beautiful and the mining grounds were very neat to learn about.

Great place for a walk with your dog as well as to see some of the early history of Nevada City area when the gold boom came in the mid 1800s. Fascinating...!

Great place for a day trip! We came here for a few hours, enjoyed the tour and the beautiful sights for a few hours. Loved the historical buildings and all the scenery.

Beautifully maintained inner grounds and very interesting history. Highly recommended for anyone visiting the area.

Informational visit to one of the earlier mines in state. Great history here and many things to see. Very cool.

A must when visiting the area whether you are history buff, horticulturist or lover of the outdoors Empire Mine is worth your time and a few dollars spent.

Awesome place to go and not to far to drive

Beautiful location, free parking, Sunday the gift store closed , entry fee is $7. Nice trails for walking and exploring.

This is a great place to bring your family and take long walks and have picnic.

Worth visiting if you are interested in California’s gold rush history. Also it’s a dog friendly park.

My wife and i had a great time just walking around and learning the history.

The Blacksmith was the best part, he was very informative and seemed to really enjoy what he does.

Absolutely beautiful and worth the entry fee.

Nice place for a walk with the dog.

This place is such a gem. Great place to go walk around, explore, picnic, etc.

What an amazing surprise! The mine was great and the grounds were beautiful. Extremely well preserved

Most gorgeous gardens youve ever seen.So peaceful.Not to mention all the walking trails and historic goodness:)

Beautiful and lots of trailer parking.

Probably one of the most historic state parks in the Gold Country. It has beautiful grounds, old rose gardens and buildings, a lot of historical mining equipment and knowledgeable docents/employees. It has a nice gift shop, and great displays of local gold mining from the 1800s. A must see during the holidays!!!

An amazing day trip not too far from Sacramento, full of great gold mining history. Be sure to take the tour of the clubhouse and mine; the manor house is an extra $2 for a guided tour but Im sure it is well worth it. The grounds are open to wanderers and contain much to see and explore. There are beautiful fountains and many gardens. See the beginning of the mine shaft (be warned: vertigo can set in), visit the working blacksmith shop and have a salt spoon or prairie diamond ring made for you by a volunteer blacksmith. Hiking and biking trails throughout and surrounding.

This is a favorite walk with different levels of elevation change and many people with dogs on leashes.

Great gift shop. Beautiful open park setting. Tons of flowers. Large open lawns with tall pines set the back drop for this absolutely gorgeous old mine! Years of parks and rec management has transformed this old relic into a world class historical attraction. Complete with mine tours and locally sourced gems and minerals this one is worth the trip. Dont miss an opportunity to see the mine model, its hard to fathom the scope!!

Beautiful place for a family visit! Gorgeous during fall.

Interesting tours! Nice views! Excited history!

Everything was closed but the gift shop a bit of a bummer

Pretty nice for a day hike, and got some nice scenery

We took a self guided tour. Its been several years since weve been there and it is a truly fascinating place with lots of history. The blacksmith was very informative and showed us how he makes tools. Definitely a great family trip.

Interesting visit, beautiful grounds and a functioning town including local steel works. The mine itself was misleading -- you cannot enter the mine shaft, but simply view it through plexiglass at a 45 degree down angle.

Nice place to visit to learn about the history of California. Worth the visit. it

Beautiful place to explore

The historic buildings are very cool looking and there are a ton of criss-crossing trails to explore.. the rangers are the NICEST people and incredibly helpful, would definitely recommend for exploring with dogs or family

Love this place. Dont just go to the main area, theres so many great little trails through the woods with old mining equipment and stuff.

Beautiful gardens

Superb documentation and representative models, as well as preserved, original equipment. A unique view into a unique chapter in California history.

It was a lovely day. Totally enjoyed the cottage house experience, and the mine. Be ready to do some walking on the tours. Dont miss out on the movie that they show. Very interesting. A beautiful place to visit. Rangers and docents are so friendly.

Interesting old good money. Lots of good history and exhibits. Not much for young children however. The grounds are really nice

Great state park. Dog friendly with dogs allowed in most areas except for cottage. Cottage is only open for tours so check the time.

A SUPERB place to see @!

Nice place with short trail

Very nice walking trails

I really enjoyed all of the history and the working blacksmith shop. I will return and hope to do the hike around the mine.

Cool historical spot

Great park to visit. Manageable in an afternoon. Docents are friendly and informative.

An awesome place!! My son got married there and it was a beautiful wedding!! They were so accommodating that they employed their cold cart style teams to ferry people through the park to the wedding sight and even took us back to the parking lot at the end of the evening! This was so wonderful as my mom is disabled! And otherwise would not have been able to reach the spot they chose! I plan to return for a more casual visit! Just to see the sights!! It is an interesting place! Historical! With ruins of the miners cabins and even the original mine they worked when it was still a mining camp!! It is a must visit stop on any California vacation!!

Great educational experience about the California gold Rush and mining in Grass Valley. Very knowledgeable and friendly volunteer tour guides. Beautiful grounds.

Mine tour was good, but not much of the mine can be seen as water table has returned and flooded most of the mine. Mine museum very informative with excellent scale model of the mine. Cottage tour of Bourn house and Club house are worth the time to see. Gardens and Reflecting pool are beautiful. Was quite warm. Expect to walk a lot and take water with you on the tours.

A beautiful place to walk around or if you feel extra adventurous you can explore the mine shaft and all of the surrounding buildings,

We’ve hiked here twice and it was different both times due to all the trails available. It’s amazing. Definitely make time to go thru the exhibit. You can even go down into a mine shaft—-lots of fun and beautiful as well!

This review is on the mine site within the park. The museum in the visitor center is very small. There is the old mine site and the owners home site here. The only way to see anything beyond exteriors and gardens is on tours that were too long (approx. one hour each). There was too much talking by volunteers before entering the buildings instead of viewing and talking as you go through the buildings.

They have closed off a large portion of the park due to bay area yuppies not knowing that eating green sand is bad. They tore down the head frame to put in buildings that were never there the historical facts are some what incorrect

Magical and Peaceful, all at the same time. A must visit!

My great nephew and I toured the Empire Mine State Park in Grass Valley California today we had a great time

Love this place! Beautiful gardens, stunning estate and neat old mine with a great museum!

Beautiful historic area. History buffs will enjoy the history of the mine and nature buffs will enjoy the hiking. Many old mining buildings and equipment dot the surrounding area. I would suggest visiting if you’re in the area.

Great place to spend a few hours. Dog friendly (except for the cottage and the clubhouse). There are walking trails both inside and outside of the paid area.The entrance ticket gives access to the old mining buildings, the top of the mine (you cant go down very far), a blacksmithing demonstration, plus guided tours. Starting sometime in the spring, there are tours of the cottage that include costumed period actors (local volunteers) who get into their roles and make it a lot of fun. In the little museum at the entrance to the paid area they have a room-sized 3D model of the tunnels. Its pretty amazing to see how widespread and deep the mine tunnels travel. Check it out!

Beautiful to see, the people there tell you all about it really neet to listen , shows how it was done,and about the people that did it,I had a good time its really worth it to do

I absolutely love this place, so much history here and fun for the whole family, the blacksmiths are really kind and fun, the location is beautiful.

It is very historical. Beautiful walking or riding Trail. Just a great place to visit.