North Bloomfield

The Malakoff Mine

The Malakoff Mine is easily one of the most stunning sights in the Gold Country today. Named after a Russian Fort which stood near Sebastopol during the Crimean War, the Malakoff Mine can be viewed at an overlook just off the main road, and is also accessible by several trails which lead right onto its floor. At one time nearly six hundred feet deep, erosion has since poured tons of material onto its floor, leaving the mine only three hundred feet deep today. Time and nature have turned what was once an ugly, barren mining pit into a place of unusual beauty. Sheer cliffs reveal layers of gravels and rock (and you know there’s got to be gold in there somewhere) and range in color from sand white to blazing red. Trees cling precariously to the very edges of these towering cliffs, seeming to defy the forces of gravity. The ravaging power of the giant monitors have molded these hills into an eerie series of magnificent spires, pinnacles and fantastic minarets which will remain etched in your memory forever.