Our Vision #19: Underground Passage

a slide into the river through the unknown underground?

Though the mountains appear to be solid, miners have carved out veins of metals, leaving voids deep in the earth. Because the mines, and the creek—far below the level of the mine site—are inaccessible, a new route to reach the creek could be carved through the hillside in the spirit of the mine.

Our Vision #16: Tramway, Zipline, Waterslide

Productive mines are often discovered in inaccessible terrain. For many mining operations like the Ute Ulay, it was not cost-effective to build and maintain roads for several burros or pack horses to transport ore down the mountain. Aerial tramways developed in the 1860s transformed the mining industry. This creative solution inspired us to imagine reinstating the Ute Ulay tramway. 

Ute Ulay adventure loop

In our vision, a low-energy, small tramcar would carry two people up the slope. At the top, visitors would have the choice to ride the tram down or take a zipline to the inoperative Ute Ulay dam. If the flume were also reinstated, one could waterslide back to the mill site, completing the Ute Ulay loop adventure.