Several years into exploring we surprisingly enough had never heard of New Idria. After binge watching Wonder Hussy’s YouTube Channel we realized the site was no secret and…
The Defense Mine is a popular jeep, 4×4, rock crawler and hiking destination located 2 miles up Stone Canyon in the western slopes of Panamint Valley. Discovered in…
The Winkeye Mine peaked our interest after watching a YouTube and reading a blog post by Justin Ames aka The Velvet Rocket. One of Justin’s earlier explorations before…
The Burgess Mine, a gold mine, sits high atop the ridge of the Inyo Mountains at 9600′ just SE of New York Butte. I thought I had read…
Unlike many of the sites we visit, Atolia has tons of data out on the web. Its relatively modern past from 1907 to 2007 combined with its extremely…
The Mission Mine has become the old standby for every trip to Joshua Tree and the Old Dale Mining District. It is easy to get to with a…
When a mine has its own Trip Advisor and Facebook you know its a popular destination. So why is the Reward Mine aka Brown Monster Mine such a…
On a sunny spring morning way back in 2015 we set out for our second trip to the Allegheny district. This time we had the Morning Glory stamp…
One of my favorite over-landing destinations the Whiteside Mine is a great explore. A relatively easy but distant destination that has plenty to offer for the novice explorer.…
Poker Flat history begins with the gold rush when extreme quantities of gold were pulled from the district as much as $700,00 per month (period values). Major hydraulic…
Like many offroaders we had driven right past the Gold Standard Mine on previous trips in our rush up to the Brooklyn Mine. Just north of JTNP the…
The Yuba Gold Dredge had been on our to do list for several years. Finally on a hot June day in 2018 on our way up to explore…
The Mugwump Mine is a drift mine only yards outside the town of Forest City along Oregon Creek below American Flat. We visited the Mugwump on a rainy…
Masonic is a true ghost town just a few miles north of Bodie. Originally founded as three towns by the Free Masons “Upper Town, Middle Town, and Lower…
Where is the Death Valley Mine you ask? Well, its not in Death Valley, it is smack dab in Mojave National Preserve. Mining the rich lead/silver/gold ore began…
The Carlyle Mine is a fairly popular explorers destination. There is a lot to draw an expolorer there. First of all its fairly easy to get to with…
Goldome is one of the largest most modern milling operations we have visited. The tunnels have been sealed but the milling operation remains wide open for the random…
In May of 2017 on a 4×4 trip from Washington, CA to Alleghany we stopped along side Washington Road at Washington Creek to let the dog go pee. Within…
Jim Crow Creek has a long and extensive mining history reaching back to the 1860’s including numerous “Bonanza” claims. On a hot summer day in July 2017 we…
I have known about the Tuolumne Gold Dredge for years, driven past it, viewed the plaque on the side of the road and even caught a glimpse from…
Some of my favorite mines to explore are the one man operations. The Golden Egg Mine was bought in 1940 by German immigrant Karl Schapel who worked the…
Hite Cove (aka Hites Cove) is small mining camp tucked along the Merced River. John Hite discovered gold here in 1862 and ran the mine for 17 years.…
Why another silver mine on this Gold site? Well, honestly I could not help myself. I stumbled upon Cerro Gordo on a California travel website that had mistakenly…
Silver was found at the Bonanza King mine in 1880. By 1882 a large vein was struct valued at $1200 per ton. The mine was sold that year…
The Moser Mine or Moser Claims are a series of workings shown on USGS Topo only as prospects. In actuality there are extensive works including numerous adits, several…
Aurora Nevada is a fascinating ex-ghost town with almost nothing too see. How can there be an ex-ghost town? Well, that is the interesting part of Aurora. Once…
The Big Horn Mine is located in the southern part of Mojave National Preserve. Most noted for Hilltop House, a cabin built in the 30’s by mine owners…
This seven stamp mill is around the corner from Bodie on the east side of Bodie Bluff on Bodie Rd as it exits Bodie toward Aurora. The mill…
Silver-lead mining began in 1882 at the Ibex Mine but was never very profitable and shut down by 1892. For the next 15 years the mines only resident…
The 16 to 1 Mine is one of the big boys on the block. Originally producing over one million ounces of gold the 16 to 1 is one…
Found this one merely by topo. The adit is 1400 feet long with stopes, winzes and drifts galore. We didn’t enter as we were in no way prepared…
The Gold Bug Park features an underground tour of the authentic hard rock mining shaft of “Gold Bug Mine”. The mine started in 1888 and now has a…
The Kentucky Mill is one of the best preserved stamp mills I have had the pleasure to visit. A large part of that preservation is its more modern…
The Empire Mine has been on our list to explore for several years. We finally got a chance to drop in for the mine yard tour. The Empire…
Not much history on the Ophir Mine is out there. It does appear on USGS Topo but that’s about it. The Ophir is best know by off roaders…
Established in 1859 the town was named after the Alleghany Tunnel mine which was named after the Alleghany River. The town was home to the miners of the…
The Live Oak Mine is located up Keystone Canyon on the eastern side of the New York Mountains in Mojave National Preserve. We drove right up to the…
The Monte De Oro Mine’s stamp mill still stands in the woods only yards from the busy paved highway south of Woodleaf, CA. The dense forest hides it…
The North Fork Mine was worked from 1875 to the 1930’s with a 13 degree shaft 1000′ long and a crosscut 1000′ long and 3 levels of inclines…
Forest City California now called “Forest, CA” is a real lost gem. The town was once a booming gold rush town. Now several authentic buildings remain such as…
Originally I had written off the Kennedy as a mine to tour because it lacked a stamp mill or underground tour. Then in Oct 2014 we decided to…
Ballarat is the gateway to all things Panamint. Including all the canyons along the Panamint Range. The towns one resident Rock Novack runs a small store and museum…
The Eby Stamp Mill is an example of the type of facility used in hard rock gold mining to crush ore. It is one of the few stamp…
Malakoff Diggins is California’s largest hydraulic gold mine. There are no shafts (except for massive drain tunnels) because the gold was dug up by using high pressure water…
The Plumas-Eureka State Park consist of the Plumas-Eureka (Mohawk) Stamp Mill, the museum was built in the old miners barracks, the Eureka Tunnel, nearby Jamisin City and mine, and the…
A mining settlement established in 1850. In 1852 a snow avalanche destroyed the camp and it was not resettled for several years. Today a few period buildings remain…
Clair Camp is a popular 4×4 destination located 5 miles east of Ballarat. The road up Pleasant Canyon is flanked by dense vegetation and a tight squeeze for…
The mighty Plumbago Mine (aka lower Plumbago) and Stamp Mill has a long and rich history. Millions of dollars of high grade have been pulled from small pockets…
I added the Hiller Tunnel as a mine to visit because the 600 ft long tunnel is about as authentic as it gets. Though the tunnel is not…
A popular hiking destination located within Plumas-Eureka State Park. The Jamison was a top producer that once yielded a 52lb nugget. The mine site is also known as…
Not much is know about this 5 stamp mill other than the men pictured above restored it in 2012 to be placed in the Downieville Memorial Park along…
First settled in 1849 as “Nevada” but not incorporated until 1856 and the word “city” added in 1864. Today the town features many period buildings including hotels and…
The Lippincott Lead Mine aka Lead King Mine was discovered in 1906 and extensive works began by 1908. The mine, located in Racetrack Valley produced heavily during WWI.…
The Mexican Mine has been on our to do list for a while. It wasn’t until our third trip to the area we were able to find it.…
The stamps at the Herman Mine still stand tall as of our visit in May 2016 despite several forest fires sweeping the steep ravine below Deadwood Ridge. There…
According to Mindat.org the Hambey operated from 1900 to 1916 and sooner. Workings include underground openings comprised of a vertical 300 foot shaft with levels at 200 feet (the…
The Sunset Mine is located in the Old Dale Mining District just yards outside the Joshua Tree National Park boundary. Famous for the United States and California Flag…
Surrounded by Joshua Tree National Park on three sides, Eagle Mountain is more of a ghost city than a ghost town. Probably the largest and best preserved ghost…
Years ago on a trip from Arizona near the California border I opened up my handy dandy topo to look for gold mines nearby. We spotted the Gold…
We stumbled upon the Red Cloud Mine on route from Pleasant Canyon to South Park Canyon in Death Valley. After spending the night near Claire Camp at the…
What can I say, one of the coolest mining camps around. Only 30 remote minutes from Mariposa. The Sweetwater mining camp has a long and well documented history.…
Located just east of Ballarat up Pleasant Canyon around the corner from Clair Camp only yards outside Death Valley National Park the World Beater Mine and Cabin are…
The Discovery Dondero Mine was submitted by Sean Berry-Kelly who also took the photos. Sean writes; “This is now an abandoned mine, down a 2 mile access road…
One of my all time favorites. The Lost Burro almost has it all. A well preserved cabin with bed, table and artifacts, many open underground shafts to explore,…
In the foothills above the affluent San Jose suburb of Almaden Valley lies dozens of mercury mines and the ruins from nearly 140 years of mining operations. The…
William “Burro” H. Schmidt began gold mining in the area in 1906. Rather than haul his ore over the steep hill to the smelter in Mojave he decided…
The Old Dutch Cleanser Company obtained its pumice from this mine from 1923 to 1947. I know this is a gold mine site but I just could not resist…
Located in Mesquite Canyon between Burro Schmidt Tunnel and Garlock lies a group of six tunnels according to USGS Historic Topo. I couldn’t find any real history on…
Bonnie Claire began it’s life as a mining camp named Thorpe’s Well in the 1880’s. It became a town in 1904. Later the Bonnie Clare and Bullfrog Mining Company purchased…
Gwin Mine was posted by an anonymous author who wrote, “It was once the fostoria mine & then asenator bought it. It is really neat & is what…
We visited Harrisburg in 2014. Moderately preserved with moderate vandalism, sadly. Harrisburg is located in Death Valley National Park only a short distance west of the Eureka Mine.…
Cashier Mill is located in Death Valley National Park only a short distance east of Harrisburg, California. The Eureka Mine that fed the mill was opened in 1905…
The Eureka Mine is located in Death Valley National Park only a short distance west of the Harrisburg, California. The mine was opened in 1905 by Shorty Harris…
With Lake Don Pedro water levels at an all time low in November 2014 and much ado in the press we set out down Highway 49 to take…
I found this mine searching USGS Historic Topo maps near La Grange. The maps show two shafts only a few minutes north of La Grange. Mindat.org indicates a…
We have driven by and through Chinese Camp several times over the years on our travels up and down Highway 49 but never stopped. But now with Lake…
The Tarantula Mine can only be seen when Lake Don Pedro is at extremely low levels as it was when we visited in November 2014. Part of the…
The Argonaut is the site of the worst gold mining disaster in California History. On August 27th, 1922, 47 immigrant miners became trapped at the 4,650 foot level…
Located right off old Highway 49 is what used to be the North Star Mine (according to USGS Topo) now owned by Sutter Gold Mining Inc.. Sutter Gold…
The Keystone Mine was a significant contributor to gold production in the Mother Lode producing $24,000,000 in gold to a depth of 2680′ from 1851 until it’s close…
The Newton is the only copper mine so far that we have visited and added to this site. It sits only yards off highway 88 so it was…
Its amazing that one of California’s most productive mines has faded into a barely visible steel structure among the trees and has even been used as a cell…
Opened as the Rancheria Mine in 1853 and renamed the South Mayflower Mine in 1893. In 1899 it became the Bunker Hill Consolidated Mine and operated until 1922…
Mining began in the 1850’s with an 8 stamp mill added in 1867. The mine reached a depth of 3030′ on incline and a drift connected to the…
I have never seen a headframe so twisted, mangled and distorted. I really wonder how this happened, to much load, wind, who knows? The claim is composed of…
Certainly one of my all time favorites. The giant stamp mill sits right next to a well maintained gravel road only a short distance from the highway. Virtually…
Not much is known about the Ryan Mine except it has a 400′ deep shaft and produced 1700 tons of ore in 1940. We were able to drive…
The Green Mine is located just east of Mi-Wuk Village. I found it on a USGS Historic Topo map showing a shaft and a structure, I also found…
The Dawn Mine Trail was a popular moderate 2.2 mile hike past Millard Falls up to Dawn Mine but the trail was closed and fenced by forest service due to a…
Located along the 1 mile El Cariso Nature trail is an abandoned mine with an unsealed entrance. A favorite spot among hikers and an easy hike. Access to…
The El Doarado Mine is located at the northern edge of the Whiskytown National Recreation Area. The nps.gov site makes no mention of the mine so it is…
Murphys was originally known as Murphys Camp, named after brothers John and Daniel who began placer mining in the area in 1848. Claims were limited to 8 sq/ft…
On Main Street in Georgetown is a restored stamp mill from the Slate Mountain Mine. The mine was a few miles south east of town. The mill was…
Lucky me! I was perusing local USGS Historic Topo’s and came across this awesome find. From Google Earth I could clearly see a mine shaft, a ball mill,…
There are hundreds of mines and several headframes in the gold rich hills east of Goldfield NV. Prominent are the Florence Mine, the Little Florence Mine, The Laguna…
There are hundreds of mines and several headframes in the gold rich hills east of Goldfield NV. Prominent are the Florence Mine, the Little Florence Mine, The Laguna…
Between Carson City and Las Vegas lies Goldfield, a boomtown that began in 1903 with the discovery of gold. Much of the town was destroyed by a fire…
Located only 1 mile north of Searchlight NV and only a few yards off Highway 95 the Southern Nevada Mine is in remarkable condition. The mill house still…
The Lucy Gray is a popular 4X4 destination. Several structures are still standing in the camp and many adits have been sealed with bat gates but doubtful all as…
The Blue Light Mine has a fascinating yet grim history. Brothers Nicholas and Glen Anderson entered the mine in 2002 and never made it out. Notorius for low…
The Noonday is one of three mines frequented in the Shoshone Mines group. Along with the War Eagle and the Columbia these mines are popular among underground enthusiast.…
The Columbia is one of three mines frequented in the Shoshone Mines group. Along with the War Eagle and the Noonday these mines are popular among underground enthusiast.…
Noonday Camp consist of upper and lower camp as shown in the USGS topo map in the photo gallery below. No structures remain only foundations with the exception…
The War Eagle is an extremely popular destination for underground adventurist, very little remains at the surface. Massive tailings are indicative of the extensive tunneling. The mine runs…
Don’t let the name fool you. This federal government owned mining site began operation in the early 1900. Modern operations began after WWII and continued into the 80′s.…
Bodie is the king of the ghost towns and also the most authentic mining town remaining in California. You wont find any hot dogs or souvenirs here (well,…
I stumbled upon some photos of the Yellow Jacket Mine, New York Mine, Caledonia Mine, and the Kentucky Mine. All seemed haunted, abandoned and isolated in the middle of…
Briggs Camp is a popular 4×4 destination with a well cared for cabin. The Cabin was built by Harry Briggs a miner and is now cared for by…
Everyone knows the Barker Ranch as the Manson Family hideout and probable location for several Manson Family murder clandestine graves. Located in Death Valley’s Goler Canyon. The ranch…
Several miles up the rugged and remote Jail Canyon exist the remarkably unaltered Corona Mine. The road up Jail Canyon has been washed away by flash flood many…
Want to buy a gold mine? There are plenty for sale near Standard Hill, W. W. Bowers first found gold here in March of 1894. There are dozens…
Founded in 1852 by French miners who struct gold in the nearby Tuolomne River La Grange was a mostly lawless town after mining all but ceased by 1880.…
When I found this on Google Earth I thought the satellite image showed a standing stamp mill. However when we drove by we could see it was…
Mount Gaines is a huge operation with a long history of owners, financial battles and politics that continue to today. Just search google and you will find scattered…
I got excited searching USGS Historical Topo’s when I stumbled upon St Marys Mine. I got even more excited when I saw what looked like a standing stamp mill…
We took off on a warm summer day to look for mines near highway 49 south of Lake McClure and made a pass through Hornitos. I call…
On a trip from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon we stumbled upon Chloride after a stop for gas in Uranus. Gold and other minerals were first discovered…
Sutter’s Mill is a replica Sawmill located in Coloma at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. Though it is not a gold mill it has a strong tie to…
I found this stamp mill searching the internet. No real information other than it is near Salado Creek off Hunt Rd near Milton, CA. You can see it…
A standing 5 stamp mill in LA County, next to a freeway? Hard to believe but true. A website created by the late Hugh Blanchard chronicles much gold…
The “May Lundy Mine” is located at 11,000 ft on the east side of Mt. Scowden near the Tioga Crest. I doubt anyone has been up there for…
Not much info is out there on this mine other than production data from the late 1800’s, early 1900’s and a few pictures. The mine’s claim to fame…
The Big Bell Mine (Death Valley) is located in the Chloride Cliffs between Chloride City and the Keane Wonder Mine. Most certainly named after the Big Bell in…
Chloride City is best known for the ruins of several “dug out” style dwellings (east of the pin) accessible by 4 wheel drive vehicles only. Also known for…
So why on earth is there a Nevada ghost town on a California Gold Rush site? Because Rhyolite was the queen of Death Valley’s gold boom. The town…
The Keane Wonder Mine (Death Valley) was discovered by Jack Keane in the early 1900’s along the Chloride Cliffs below Chloride City. In 1906 investors made the mine…
The Wall Street two stamp mill is located in the Joshua Tree National Park. The dry desert air along with the corrugated roof and heavy timbers have kept…
Skidoo, located in Death Valley National Park was famous in the early 1900′s. Producing over 75,000 ounces of gold. But by 1917 the town was abandoned. The only…
This Southern California gold mine located in Joshua Tree National Park has been plugged with expanding foam then covered with dirt. But the original stamp mill exist in…
This 5 stamp mill sits in a small roadside park across the street from the “Native Sons of the Golden West” building in Auburn. The park also has…
The old town of Coloma has some residents but is generally considered a ghost town. The only residents are museum/park workers and a few miners. Several original buildings…
Here is where the great California Gold Rush began in Jan 1848. James Marshall found gold after trying to clear a larger channel for the water from his…
Old Sacramento features scores of original period buildings from the Gold Rush, almost all of which have been transformed into restaurants and tourist shops.Train rides, steam boats and…
Mariposa is a true California Gold Rush town without a doubt. It started as a mining camp 6 miles away near a small creek called Aqua Fria in…
Sutter’s Fort is certainly no mining town but it holds a strong tie to the great California Gold Rush. The fort was built in 1839 as a trade…
This small California mining town was occupied by thousands of miners only shortly after the discovery of gold in the area. Dozens of banks, saloons, stores and hotels…
Martin Murphy Jr. Historical Park located in Sunnyvale is home to this 5 stamp Hendy Stamp Mill. The Joshua Hendy Iron Works company was well known for building…
There were hundreds of “Eagle” mines in the West but this is the real deal. So close to the millions of residents of LA county but so remote…
Discovered in 1895 by Tom Vincent the Big Horn Mine was named after the sheep he was hunting. He sold the mine and it was worked for many…
USGS historic topo maps show dozens or maybe hundreds of mines around the town of Bodie. Particularly Silver Hill and Bodie Bluff. So much that satellite images of…
The owners have closed the mine tours. After a landslide at the mine they were no longer able to continue tours due to the insurance company. I believe…
This is the real deal. The Eagle and High Peak mines are open for guided tours through a 100o’ tunnel up and down ladders and stairs. Lots of…
The Castaic Mine is perhaps one of the most infamous LA area gold mines. It is here that legendary gold mine explorer Hugh Blanchard met his death. Property…
Greenhorn Park has a ball mill; an arrastra, which is a primitive mill used to grind gold or silver ore; a stamp mill; a blacksmith shop; and a…
Sometimes the temptation to go ghost towning and exploring abandoned mine shafts is overwhelming. On a family road trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon I couldn’t help…
The Chemung mine operated from 1909 to 1938. Mining both high grade and low grade ore totaling one million in production. During this time three mills were erected…
Calico Ghost Town is a former silver mining town that was transformed into a family attraction by Walter Knot of Knot’s Berry Farm fame in 1951. Walter replaced…