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 full size 4x4s. There are several early 1900s era cars and an abandoned grader with a flat tire along the trail. The trail is wet and slippery, fed from a nearby spring. On our right only yards before Clair Camp there was a small canyon and a road with signs that warned of active mining. We thought that to be the Radcliff and so we stayed out.
…confirming active mining at the Radcliff.
Henry Radcliff began mining for gold at the Radcliff mine in 1896 some 2400′ above the camp. The mine was purchased in 2012 and on our 2015 trip the camp was occupied by a family living in a trailer only confirming active mining at the Radcliff. There are several old structures in the camp and one of them looked as if it was being remodeled for habitation.
The south side of the camp is littered with mining equipment including loose stamps, a ball mill, several hoppers, two boilers and a large cyanide tank. Several tram cables are still hanging from the steep walls of the canyon. A cool stop on the way to the World Beater.
…only feet away from the many adits…
The next day after a night at the World Beater Cabin we spotted a back road to the Radcliff Mine from the World Beater Mine on the maps. We followed the road up and over the hillside and back down a steep switch back shelf road. About halfway down the switchback we were stopped by several large boulders that had slid down the hill onto the road. We tried to use our recovery straps and winches to pull the boulders out of the way but they were very sharp and kept cutting through our straps. We could hear equipment running at the modern Radcliff in the valley below us so we abandoned our pursuit of the Radcliff and turned back. Now when I look back at our tracks I realize we were only feet away from the many adits of the upper Radcliff shown on the USGS Topo and probably the tram works seen on other sites. USGS Topo shows no less than 28 adits in the area.
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My great Grandfather bought this mine for back taxes on the early 1900.
It stayed in the Clair family until around 1975.
We’re the newly belt cabin showing a fire place was were I lived as a young boy.
There should be a set of foot prints and hand prints which were my sister and mine.
If anyone would like to know more about this mine please fill free to email me.
I visited your camp in the Fall of 1957or’58. My Dad took me out of school to go on a desert exploration trip with his WWII Navy buddy. Both of them were farmers from Ventura County. After a stop in Ballarat, we drove up your canyon. I believe my Dad’s buddy may have previously visited your camp. The Clairs, I assume perhaps your Grandparents, we very hospitable. They even offered to allow us to stay in a cabin. Thank goodness. Winter weather had descended on the Pannamint Mountains. We were even invited to breakfast one morning. I remember exploring up the canyon to the World Beater Mine. The “mine head”, the old steam engines with the giant fly wheels were amazing. The aerial tramway for bring ore to your processing plant was also fascinating to a 11-12 year old. I remember a Clair coming up the canyon after working the week in Trona. Visiting Clair’s Camp is one of my favorite lifetime memories.
I would love to visit this Camp very soon before it gets hot. We were near there a few weeks ago with LOTS of rain, Amazing.
Thomas Clair. I do not see an email for you but would like to know more, What an amazing place to have lived. Any mines that can be explored nearby ?
Think we had a conversation about YOU and a map TODAY.
I am Garrison w. Clair 4th gen.
My parents and I also lived and not sure I did any work as I was a baby we sold the mine in the 8os.
I always loved going to clair camp plenty of nostalgic relics the before BLM dozed it all to include it in the death valley monument .today u will see nothing there but a old boiler that they. Could not get out of the moun tain..
Thanks Garrison. How awesome!