Patsy's Mine

The hike was amazing although we dis have a scare in the cave. There was a ghost with legs but nothing for the top half. Other than that it was coolio.

Very cool. A bit challenging for a beginner but I made it to the top. Beautiful view.

Kind of cool, but we did the hike in the middle of the day and it was hot and not really worth it. Only goes back 50 feet.

We parked at the top of 100 N, there is a trail of switchbacks right behind the Residences at Farmington Hills sign. Once you reach the dirt road, the trail to continue up to the mine is right across the dirt road to the left. If you don't want to do the switchbacks, take a left at that sign where we parked and drive to the end of the street all the way to the cul-de-sac. You'll hike up the hill and eventually you'll be walking south and the trail will be on the left between two trees. It's not as steep as the switchbacks but I think it takes longer. Some people drive up there and park along the dirt road but I'd only recommend that for trucks or off road vehicles as the dirt road is uneven and almost sideways in some places. Once you see the trail between two trees, continue hiking up. When you reach the bench, go to your left and the trail will level our for a minute then you'll be hiking again. You'll eventually come to a trail marker, head left for the mine and right for Flag Rock. The mine is dark with low ceilings, just as I'd expect. Take bright flashlights or headlamps and good shoes you don't mind getting dirty. It's more like a cave and there aren't any shafts to worry about losing kids in, at least I didn't see any. There are a couple "rooms" the the left and if you walk all the way back it separates into two tunnels. Both of those back tunnels were pretty wet (like we would have had to wade through water) so we didn't venture all the way. The mine is cool and a nice adventure for the family. If you go in the morning you'll have enough shade along the way to help you not melt then once you're in the cave it's even cooler inside and a nice break from the heat. The high today (July 3rd) is about 90° but we went early enough that we were done before 11am so it was mid-80's and I never felt like I was too hot. I think this hike is good for families as long as your kids are old enough they can walk on their own. My kids are 10, 8 & 5 and they did pretty well but my husband ended up carrying our 5 year old after he tripped and scraped his knee on the way down. It would be much harder to have to carry kids the entire way because the terrain is a little steep. Every trail map I looked at says it's 0.7 miles but overall, I clocked about 3.25 miles. The mine is approximately 0.75 from the dirt road entrance but you have to hike at least a half mile before you get to that starting point and all the switchbacks definitely add to the mileage. Take plenty of water and snacks for the kids and please haul your trash out!

In patsy's mine there are some noise's that are creepy like little explosion's.