Hiking the Eureka Canyon Trail and rock hounding for Malachite at the Eureka Mine
The Eureka mine was owned and ran by Sam Donaldson and the Sunnyside religious community. It was near the Sunnyside settlement and it was Sunnyside’s first mining operation.
To get there take highway 83 to Parker Canyon Lake. Right before you get to Parker Canyon Lake make a left turn on Montezuma Canyon Rd. There may be a sign saying Coronado National monument follow that sign. You then go by some vacation homes on a washboard Montezuma Canyon Road. You will go down to Scotia Canyon and at the top of the next hill you will come to Sunnyside Road. Turn left on Sunnyside Road, which is Forest Road 228 and stay on right on FR 228 at the fork. If you stay on FR 228 you will go to the old ghost town of Sunnyside. To go to the Eureka Canyon trail and the Eureka Mine turn left on FR 4758. The road gets rough so a 4WD is recommended or park and walk, FR 4758 forks, so stay left or you will be going to Sunnyside ghost town. The road ends at the Sunnyside Canyon trailhead. Eureka Canyon trail is before the Sunnyside canyon trail. Before you get to the Sunnyside Canyon trailhead you will cross the Arizona trail, the Eureka Canyon trailhead is to the right, there is Miller Wilderness Area Sign and the trail starts up the hill. There will be a trail sign with distance to the Crest Trail. This trail is called Eureka Canyon trail. but it is a ridge trial. It is the old wagon road to Eureka mine. About a mile in you come to the rock cairns on the left to the foot trail to Eureka mine. If you stay on the road it will dead end below the mine. Where Sunnyside workers loaded the wagons with ore for the smelter. The foot trail goes to the Eureka Mine and then on to the Copper Glance Mine and the Crest Trail. Up the foot trail in about a mile you will find the Eureka Mine. The mine entrance has been blown. There is allot of Malachite, azurite, chrysocolla and copper ore if you look around. Nice day trip to the Eureka Mine for some rock hounding and can be easily combined with a trip to the Sunnyside ghost town. To read a more complete history of Sunnyside download this PDF. Credit Bruce A. Peterson for this bit of history.
