SOUDAN— Interpretive staff at the Lake Vermilion Soudan Underground Mine State Park will be offering a guided surface tour of the former mining operation here beginning Memorial Day weekend and running through the summer. The surface tour will highlight the above-ground facilities at the former iron mine and the role those buildings played in the operations there.
The above-ground tour is an alternative to the underground mine tours, which are being suspended this year to allow for restoration work on the mine’s main shaft, which is used to transport visitors to the mine’s 27th level. It’s also an option for those who have been reluctant to take the journey underground, but still want to learn more about the operations at the mine, which is Minnesota’s oldest and deepest underground iron mine.
“The Soudan Underground Mine tours attract an average of 35,000 visitors a year,” park manager Jim Essig said. “While we’ll miss being able to offer the underground tours this year, we’re also thrilled to interpret another perspective with the new surface tours.”
Surface tours will begin every half hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours cost $5 per person for ages five and older, while visitors ages four and under are free. Tour groups are limited to ten people. Reservations are encouraged via the online reservation system (mndnr.gov/Reservations), which opens for reservations April 1.
While the underground tours used to be a focal point of the park’s operations, the focus has increasingly shifted to Lake Vermilion since the 2010 addition of the Lake Vermilion portion of the park. The state park now has a state-of-the-art campground, modern camper cabins, remote camping on Lake Vermilion and an increasing network of hiking and biking trails.
For more information, including surface tour changes or cancellations due to weather, check the visitor alert on the park page of the DNR website or email info.dnr@state.mn.us. You can also call the DNR Information Center at 888-646-6367.