Comstock Lode
Comstock Lode
4
About
This silver lode was discovered in 1859.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Comstock Lode and nearby attractions
The area
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
24 within 3 miles
Attractions
45 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
36 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
17
Average
5
Poor
1
Terrible
2
etweeden
London, UK749 contributions
Jun 2015 • Family
As you walk and buy down C Street in Virginia City, look for the Comstock Lode Monument - a relatively small pyramid on a square base between Union and Taylor streets. Read the plaque. Then look up beyond the roof of the Delta and find the big white "V" on the mountainside. That is Mt. Davidson, underneath which almost 7 million tons of silver ore was mined between 1860-1880, about $320,000,000 worth! That my friends, is the Comstock Lode - the reason for Virginia City, and for the 'Silver State' as well! And also, this small monument contains ores from every mining operation in the State of Nevada! Enjoy!
Written 22 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PhlegmMaster
Phoenix, AZ4,735 contributions
May 2014 • Family
I’m writing my review about this mine tour here because unlike the Ponderosa Mine Tour, which is listed under “activities in Virginia city,” the Chollar Mine Tour isn’t listed separately.
I took the Chollar tour instead of the Ponderosa because I had been told by the clerk in the Visitor Center that the Chollar mine had been altered less, leaving more of its original timber construction intact.
While awaiting the start of the tour, there are a few pieces of old mining equipment scattered around the yard that are pretty cool to check out.
Although he didn’t seem particularly enthused about his job, our tour guide was a knowledgeable old fellow. He led our small group into the horizontal mine shaft, commenting along the way about the history of the mine. The pathway is a dark and cramped corridor so watch your step! Be extra careful if you are tall, because you will hit your head on an overhead beam if you don’t stoop all the way through the tour!
It’s not a very long tour, but it does give you good sense of the horrendous working conditions those poor miners had to endure; however, meager by today's standards, the pay they received for their work in the mines was top-dollar back then, making these "poor" fellows quite the rich superstars!
I took the Chollar tour instead of the Ponderosa because I had been told by the clerk in the Visitor Center that the Chollar mine had been altered less, leaving more of its original timber construction intact.
While awaiting the start of the tour, there are a few pieces of old mining equipment scattered around the yard that are pretty cool to check out.
Although he didn’t seem particularly enthused about his job, our tour guide was a knowledgeable old fellow. He led our small group into the horizontal mine shaft, commenting along the way about the history of the mine. The pathway is a dark and cramped corridor so watch your step! Be extra careful if you are tall, because you will hit your head on an overhead beam if you don’t stoop all the way through the tour!
It’s not a very long tour, but it does give you good sense of the horrendous working conditions those poor miners had to endure; however, meager by today's standards, the pay they received for their work in the mines was top-dollar back then, making these "poor" fellows quite the rich superstars!
Written 24 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bigredmachine
Salt Lake City, UT2,231 contributions
Feb 2015 • Family
Along Virginia city’s main street (C Street or Highway 341) you will find an eclectic mix of tourist traps. But, if you will look past these tawdry store fronts, you will find a city drenched in western history and a place that played a significant role in the settlement of the western United States. If you’re interested in the history of this fascinating little town, start with a reading of Dan DeQuille book, A History of the Big Bonanza. Then when you go, you will have a better understanding of what is historically significant and what is played for the tourist. For example, the Cartwright’s were a made-up TV family, but Mark Twain did live and work in Virginia City. You can easily spend a day of more exploring the city and surrounding area. If you like to hike, climb up to the top of Mt. Davidson for a great view of the Washoe Valley.
Written 28 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Doug B
Aurora, OH129 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
We enjoyed the tour overall, but it could be improved upon. Penny (wife and co-owner) was really nice and quite knowledgeable. Husband ... not so much. He was grumpy and didn't seem to care much whether we were there or not. The tour itself is what you make of it. If you go in expecting to be be entertained ... you won't be. If you go in trying to understand the life of the 1860's miners, it is a fascinating glimpse back in time. For $4/day (highest wages in the industry at that time) these poor guys worked and died in these mines. Lung disease, cave-ins and every other imaginable ailment kept their life expectancy to around 45 years of age. Going into this mine will show you why. I got a little claustrophobic but was able to manage. It was an experience that I'm glad we did - especially for the price ($10 each). C'mon, a beer and a burger cost more than that and are forgotten in minutes. I'll remember this for a long time. Some of the negative reviews I read were probably people who want passive entertainment. If that's you, take the train or the trolley. For us, it was a glimpse of history and I'm glad we did it.
Written 18 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
William L
Palm Beach Gardens, FL705 contributions
May 2013 • Solo
With its riches first located in1859, Virginia City's Chollar Mine (later the Chollar-Potosi) was one of the leading producers on the Comstock. Over the next 80 years, miners blasted and carted out some $17 million in gold and silver. The Nevada Mill was erected here in 1887 to process the vast amounts of ore taken out of the Chollar Mine. Today the mine is open for visitors. A guided tour lasts a half hour and is a 400 ft., level walk. Visitors see square-set timbering, silver ore, rock drills, as well as displays of old equipment.
It was an introduction to mining in the 19th Century. I don't think I'd visit Virginia Ciry without visiting one of the Comstock mines. I would have liked to understand the process a bit better than I did at the end of the tour. However, one very positive aspect; I was the only one on the tour and the guide did his best to give me a personal guided tour.
It was an introduction to mining in the 19th Century. I don't think I'd visit Virginia Ciry without visiting one of the Comstock mines. I would have liked to understand the process a bit better than I did at the end of the tour. However, one very positive aspect; I was the only one on the tour and the guide did his best to give me a personal guided tour.
Written 10 June 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KaliRaven
Cape May, NJ515 contributions
Jul 2014 • Couples
When in Virginia City one must authenticate the Comstock feel by visiting a mine just not the Chollar mine. We have been in the belly of the earth on coal mining tours in Pennsylvania so there were high expectations. The Chollar did not come anywhere near close. We planned on another mine tour, but with the suggestion & information from the visitors center we decided to change our plans since supposedly the Chollar was the only mine in the city where silver ore was actually extracted. The tour was suppose to start at 1pm, but we waited around for a bus group that never showed up. We actually entered the mine around 1:25pm and when the guide started the tour we were interrupted twice to allow 2 small groups of people in. Needless to say it was now a bit crowded. We then walked in only a few hundred feet where the rest of the tour took place at a dead end. There were a few tools of the trade displayed there and the guide did a good job explaining the workings of a mine since he was a miner himself. There wasn't much to the tour except a lot of time spent on questions and answers. We sneaked out after a few rounds of Q & A since we were now running late for our next scheduled attraction in town.
You won't be missing much if you decide on another mine tour in Virginia City.
You won't be missing much if you decide on another mine tour in Virginia City.
Written 27 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ralph F
Redding, CA5 contributions
Sept 2016 • Couples
Easy forty minute drive from Reno. Good for history buffs and those like lots of saloons. Small museum and train ride. Worth an afternoon.
Written 1 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
badhorse2014
Big Bear Region, CA11 contributions
Jun 2015 • Family
they discriminate against veterans with service dogs. i got turned away and told there was nothing i could do about it. the people there are full of s*** and nobody should go there.
Written 19 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas V
Oakland, CA18,422 contributions
Apr 2021
I stopped at this historic marker and read all of the information. It was good to learn about the local history, but this is not an impressive site, just OK.
Written 25 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bret W
Santa Cruz, CA47 contributions
Oct 2019
This marker pays tribute to the many mines of the Comstock Lode. The unimaginable wealth that poured out of the Comstock financed the Union army in the Civil war, built the opulence of San Francisco, affected world markets, and financed institutions that still affect the way we live today.
The Comstock sparked numerous innovations in mine engineering as well as timber harvesting and railroad and milling technology. It built Virginia City into the most important city between Denver and SF. The marker features ore stone from every county in Nevada. When you stand on the streets of Virginia City, there are over 600 miles of tunnels and shafts beaneath your feet. They looked for a pay off everywhere but the bonanza finds were over by 1880.
You are in the midst of real wild west history when you are there.
The Comstock sparked numerous innovations in mine engineering as well as timber harvesting and railroad and milling technology. It built Virginia City into the most important city between Denver and SF. The marker features ore stone from every county in Nevada. When you stand on the streets of Virginia City, there are over 600 miles of tunnels and shafts beaneath your feet. They looked for a pay off everywhere but the bonanza finds were over by 1880.
You are in the midst of real wild west history when you are there.
Written 4 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing