Keystone's rich history is often overlooked by our epic winters! But Summit County is well known for its rich mining history dating back to the 1850s where miners found an abundance of ore, silver and gold in the area. Keystone still holds many snapshots of our local history.

One of the most valuable mines at the time was the Ida Belle Mine, a quarry located northwest of Independence Bowl, one of Keystone's legendary hike-to terrains. In fact, you can see the Ida Belle Mine from the top of Dercum Mountain if you look towards the northeast.

This historic mining site was once associated with the Montezuma-Geneva Creek mining district and is now part of our robust White River National Forest. At this particular site, the ore that was mined was composed of minerals called sphalerite and galena, both sulfide minerals, which is why if you visit the site, you can still smell sulfur!

If you’re interested in our history, you can check out the Ida Belle Mine and spectacular birds-eye-view of Keystone, including old mining cabins and other artifacts of the mine itself. Be prepared: the route to the mine is a moderate to challenging 7-mile hike through the White River National Forest including steep grades. For more info visit AllTrails.