Spanish Mine

The hike to the Spanish Mine on Black Mountain is a moderate hike and is about six miles. There are no reliable water sources so be sure to bring at least four liters of water, along with the right food.

Park towards Silvermine Lake parking lot. Walk in the direction of the ski slope, keeping close to the lake on your left. The Yellow Trail starts right behind the little shed next to the lake and continues on to the Ramopo Dunderberg/Appalachian Trail, (white circle red dots on tree). You will make a left at the shelter and continue your ascent in the adventure to Black Mountain, where you will find what’s left of the Spanish Mine.

It’s not certain if the early prospectors found gold, silver or graphite. If you look around and examine some of the mine tail- ings you’ll see remains of quartz, which was sometimes found covered with gold or silver. Captain Kidd’s treasure is supposed to be buried somewhere up in Black Mountain. If you find it there is a 20% finders fee.

There are two waypoints indicating the location of the verti- cal pits (remember sometimes GPS is off a few feet. Try and stay out of the bushes since this area is highly populated with snakes. If you don’t know your snake identification just assume all snakes are dangerous. The good thing is you can pretty much see these verti- cal pits within a couple of feet from the trail. If you decide to venture off to the way- point that’s on the face of the mountain (Spanish Mine) take caution and use your better judgment when attempting to see what the open audit looks like. It’s not too impressive but if you venture to level ground Black Mountain can be approached from level ground, where you will see the extensive piles of mine tailings, indicating that Black Mountain was heavily mined a long time ago.

When you’re done visiting the Spanish Mine, continue on until you reach the 1779 Trail, where you will make a left. Continue on the 1779 Trail to Seven Lakes Drive. Make a left and walk along Seven Lakes Drive, until you reach the Silvermine Lake parking lot.