Morenci Mine - Morenci, Arizona

J W.

What an experience to see the largest mine in the United States right in AZ. We drove the road along the mine & stopped at the viewpoint. A sensor in the light notices when a vehicle arrives & begins an audio narrative of the mine's history, providing interesting facts about the mine. You can climb onto a platform to view the mine over the fencing & take great pictures.

We drove through numerous tunnels beside the mine & saw giant loaders whose tires dwarfed the largest truck on the road. NOTE: We found it interesting the first underground mining began in 1881 then open-pit mining started in 1937. In 2016, copper production was 848 million pounds!

This is a great educational trip for families to make, kids would be impressed at the size of the mine & equipment.

Tommy W.

It's a sight to behold! If you keep driving north on the 191(10 to 15 min) there is a overlook and photo op with a haul truck bed and tire. My kids loved it. It shows how powerfu man can be when you work as a team to build one of the largest mines in the world. Defently worth the drive.

Tim H.

Amazing place to see to understand the scale of the world. It has destroyed a few mountains, but in 80 square miles has produced a huge amount of copper, and still does. You can see the bright green ore on the mine face and in the haul trucks.

Brett H.

If you have never seen how copper is mined at these places its quite an interesting process to see.

Thomas H.

Come here from Houston almost every week. They closed the parking area at the Conoco on top of the hill. You have to find a spot down in Clifton or drive the 70miles from Lordsburg. I have no complaints about coming here. Guards are mostly friendly. Operators at unloading areas are decent too.

Dagster B.

Awesome sight, and very colorful! I saw a huge bighorn ram while I was looking at the mine, got a fantastic photo. For all the haters, please.... I traveled the entire western USA and this was the only major mine I saw on the entire trip. If you hate mining, give up your car, computer, your entire lifestyle... Mining standards in the USA are higher than any country in the world. In fact, we need MORE domestic mining, not less.

Michael F.

Wow, this is a big pile of dirt from a big hole in the ground! You don't realize how massive something like this is until you visit it and see it in real life. Pictures cannot touch the grandness of the scale. It is amazing what humans can do!

Kevin A.

Super cool to get to drive through this mine and see the overlooks. The Coronado Trail is one of the best roads in the country & this makes a great starting point