Northair Mine is an old gold and silver mine that is now an area for Graffiti art and offroading, the art gets changed every year and is always amazing to see. The trails in the area are great for everything including hiking. The views and things to see offer a short or full day of adventure.
History:
Production at the Northair mine began in 1974 and was suspended in July 1982 due to low grades and low gold prices. Between those dates over 540,000 tons of ore was extracted producing over 10,000 lbs of gold and 49,000 lbs of silver. The 1980 value was about 3 million in gold and 4.2 million in silver at the time.
Mine Shafts:
Most of all the entrances to the Mine Shafts have been bulldozered in, if you go to the higher road that overlooks the main building the mine entrance will be to the right of the small building foundation. Look for the railway tracks near a pile of gravel and slide into the small hole to gain access.
The mine shafts are separated into five levels, the middle and top levels are still accessible if you can find your way in but the lower levels are completely submerged in water and backfill. When you enter the middle level you will be walking in about three feet of water until you reach dry mine shafts.
(Warning: Mine shafts could have insufficient oxygen and/or dangerous levels of harmful gas)
The Art:
The Graffiti Art found at Northair Mine came from many amateurs and professionals over the years, the art changes about once per year with professional muralists coming back to change the art often.
Award-winning professional muralist KUPSPAINT sprayed the main art you see in the photos attached along with a cool Raven mural previously and a few others seen in the photos.
The very first mural was painted in 2013 by an artist known as PETKO.
Lookout:
Just past the main building is a short drive to a lookout over Whistler Olympic Park, the drive requires a 4×4 with high clearance but the view over the Olympic Park also offers some stunning views of the mountains.
Getting There:
Getting there using Google Maps will get you lost, so you will need to follow the coordinates provided. Coordinates to the Mine entrance are also provided.
