Hill Annex Mine State Park

Facts checked against official sources on November 11, 2026

Photo: Bradinator33, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Status: Permanently closed; abolished as a state park in 2024
Why: DNR: iron ore mining was planned to resume in 2025
Location: North edge of Calumet on Highway 169
Mine history: Mined 1913 to 1978; 63 million tons of iron ore
Passport stamp: Not needed; copies at Grand Rapids DNR office and Scenic State Park

In this guide

Is Hill Annex Mine State Park open?
Why the park closed
What Hill Annex was
The passport stamp
Where to go instead
Before you go

Short answer: Hill Annex Mine State Park is permanently closed. The Minnesota Legislature abolished it as a state park in 2024; the DNR says active iron ore mining was planned to resume at the site, on the north edge of Calumet on Highway 169 between Grand Rapids and Hibbing, in 2025. There are no tours, the mine overlook and buildings are off limits, there is no camping, and Passport Club members no longer need the Hill Annex stamp to complete their passports. For Iron Range mining history, the DNR now points visitors to Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park.

This page is for anyone who found Hill Annex on an old map, a passport checklist or a travel list and wants to know whether it can still be visited. It explains what happened, what the park was, where the passport stamp went, and which nearby state parks to plan around instead. Facts come from the Minnesota DNR unless noted; sources are at the end.

Is Hill Annex Mine State Park open?

No. The DNR feed for the park currently reads: "Hill Annex Mine State Park is now closed." The DNR's closure page says the park "was abolished as a state park by the Minnesota State Legislature in 2024, which was signed by Governor Walz." Minnesota Public Radio reported the permanent closure in June 2024.

The DNR's park record still carries an old line of summer hours (May 25 to September 1, Friday and Saturday). Those hours, the former mine tours and the museum are no longer offered; do not plan around them. The DNR answers its own questions about the site directly:

Question	DNR answer (as of November 2026)
Can I see the mine overlook?	"No." The pit wall is eroding, and "there is no access to the viewing platform."
Can I tour the buildings?	No. Vandalism has left the interior "no longer safe for public access."
Can I fish the pit lake?	"The mine pit is not a fishery, and the site does not have a public water access."
Can I camp?	It was always day use only; the DNR record says "there are no camping or other overnight facilities."
Is there water or a restroom?	The record lists no drinking water and no bathroom facilities.

Why the park closed

The DNR's closure page says "active iron ore mining is planned to resume at the property in 2025," with site preparation and planning beginning in 2024. That page does not say whether mining has actually resumed, and this guide makes no claim either way. The park was never a typical state park:

It was authorized by the Legislature in 1988, after the mine shut down in 1978. The DNR says the original law "specifically preserved the path to return to active mining."
The DNR ran the park on an annual surface lease. The land is School Trust Land, not DNR land, and 80% of the proceeds from state leases and mineral royalties at the site go to the Permanent School Trust Fund for Minnesota's K-12 public schools.
The DNR says the site holds mineral potential in ore stockpiles, a historic tailings basin and in-ground reserves. Reprocessing old stockpiles or tailings is called scram mining; the DNR says it "does not traditionally require environmental review," while any future in-ground mining must go through the normal review and permitting.

When mining ends and the leases lapse, the DNR says the site "will be evaluated for potential future uses in collaboration with community partners."

The grassy picnic area at Hill Annex Mine State Park near Calumet in autumn, with tables and a shelter, before the closure — Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What Hill Annex was

The DNR record calls the Hill Annex a National Historic Site that "played an important role in state, national and world history." The open-pit mine and its facilities are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Year	Event (DNR park record)
1892	Land first leased for mineral exploration
1900	Leased again, for over 50 years
1913	Mining begins
1978	Mining ends; the pumps stop and the pit fills with water
1988	Legislature makes Hill Annex Mine a state park
1991	The state takes over operation from the IRRRB
2024	Park abolished by the Legislature; the DNR says mining was planned to resume in 2025

Over its working life the mine produced 63 million tons of iron ore, and the DNR says it was the sixth largest producer in the state. Equipment moved from horses to steam to electric power. When the high-grade ore played out, the mine was sold to the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) for $1. The IRRRB built a tour route, turned the clubhouse into a museum and ran mine tours for ten years before the state took over.

The DNR notes that the former pit became a lake used by osprey, gulls and loons, and that the site was a release site for peregrine falcons. The bedrock underneath dates back more than 2.7 billion years.

The museum collection

The clubhouse held two floors of mining exhibits. The DNR says the Clubhouse Museum near the gate "is still intact," and that the DNR, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation and community partners are discussing how to preserve its artifacts at a new public location. As of November 2026, the DNR page says "a decision has not yet been made on a location."

The passport stamp

Passport Club members do not need a Hill Annex stamp to complete the club. If you want it as a souvenir, the DNR says a copy of the stamp is temporarily at the DNR regional headquarters in Grand Rapids and another is at Scenic State Park near Bigfork. The park feed lists Scenic State Park as the contact for the former site, at 218-247-7215 or 218-571-2600.

Where to go instead

All three parks below are in the same part of the state. For more choices, see all Boundary Waters and Iron Range guides or the state park finder.

Park	Why go	Getting there (DNR)	Camping
Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park	Underground mine tours; the DNR's named stand-in for Iron Range mining history	Highway 169 or Highway 1 to Soudan; the mine is on the north side of town	Yes, including electric sites
Scenic State Park	Holds a copy of the Hill Annex passport stamp	7 miles east of Bigfork on County Road 7	Yes
McCarthy Beach State Park	A lake park north of Hibbing and Chisholm	From Hibbing, Highway 169 north to Highway 73 in Chisholm, then Highway 5 for 16 miles	Yes

Visiting the Soudan mine instead

The DNR fee schedule lists the Soudan Underground Mine Tour at $15 for adults and $10 for children aged 5 to 12, with no fee under 5, plus tax. It says daily tours generally run Memorial Day through Labor Day, with some weekend tours later in the fall. The DNR rules page adds that cave and mine tours for the current year can be reserved beginning April 1. Every vehicle entering a state park needs a vehicle permit, $7 a day or $35 a year according to the DNR permit page.

If you plan to camp at any of these parks, every site needs a reservation, bookable up to 120 days ahead. The state park reservation guide explains how the window opens.

Before you go

Do not drive to Calumet expecting to enter the park, see the pit or tour the clubhouse.
Skip the Hill Annex box on your passport; it is no longer required.
Pick up the souvenir stamp at Scenic State Park or the Grand Rapids DNR office if you want it.
For a mine tour, plan a summer trip to Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park and reserve from April 1.