Mines View Park

Baguio City started off as an American mining town in the early 20th Century, and one of its continuing enticements is Mines View Park.

Mines View Park is one of the most popular and most visited parks in Baguio City. A ridge located at the extreme northeast side of the city, past The Mansion and Wright Park, Mines View Park boasts of an awe-inspiring panoramic vista of Benguet's gold and copper mines and the adjacent highlands of Cordillera mountains. It is a magnificent vision to feast your eyes on and should not be ignored when visiting Baguio.

The main attraction in the early 1970s through the 1980s was tossing coins down the cliff edge where little children find them even through the smallest cracks of the earth below. This later developed into children deftly catching coins very using homemade cups on sticks.

The main attractions in Mines View Park nowadays would be the souvenir and silverworks stores by the park. The park entrance is itself lined with stalls hawking indigenous handicraft including woodcarvings, locally made silver products and jewelry, baskets, brooms, sweaters, blankets, and an assortment of other bits and pieces. There are also food stalls selling food and beverages. There are good bargains at the stores but it is best to check and compare prices before purchasing any items. There is an open parking area right where the stores are located. The souvenirs stalls are proliferating, extending to the sides of Gilbraltar Road and Outlook. In general the wares are the same that can be acquired in the dry goods section of the Baguio City Market, but the assortments here are somewhat better.

To arrive at the observation deck, you need to go down a snaking stone-covered stairway right near the park entrance. Care should be observed when navigating the stairway just after a rainfall, as the steps can be exceptionally slippery. There are several benches at the promontory where you can sit down, have a break and delight in the view. For a few pesos you can rent binoculars to fully relish the view. There are also some professional photographers in the area if you desire to have your picture taken. A visit to the park should also be scheduled earlier in the day, as the view may be obscured when the fog starts rolling in during the afternoons, but this occurs only on certain months of the year.