Berkeley Pit in Butte Gets 4 out of 5 Stars Overall on Trip Advisor [WATCH]
Who would think? Apparently, tourists to Butte, Montana's Berkeley Pit give the Superfund "tourist attraction" a generous thumbs up with 4 out of 5 stars. Let's take a look at some of the reviews.
(The following excerpts are taken directly from TripAdvisor as of 3/9/2018)
"The Pit" in Butte
I would have liked to go nearer the pit itself, but this is probably not possible for security reasons.
The lady in the gift shop was HILARIOUS
OK, it's the world's largest whatever it is - toxic lake or mining waste dump or something. And there's this lady, I think her name is barb, in the gift shop, and she is HILARIOUS and she says, "There's only one rule: NO SWIMMING!" ... they literally fire off sirens every minute to keep birds from landing on this thing.
Worth It
Well worth the stop and the $1 entrance fee if you have the slightest interest in mining. Or, even if you are just a big kid who likes to imagine digging a gigantic hole in the ground.
Sight to see in Butte.
You don't really get a good idea of how big and deep the pit actually is. Having seen the pit when it was in operation in the early 80's compared to the present state is like day and night. Crazy to think of all the minerals that were taken out of the mine and what it took to make it happen.
Berkeley Lake
The pit is currently filling with water which contains heavy metals from the former mining operations. The new mining operations can be seen in the background of photo #2. You can also visit this observation deck as part of the Butte Trolley Tour which makes a stop here.