Tag: Trails

4×4 trails offer enthusiasts an exhilarating blend of rugged adventure and natural beauty. These trails wind through diverse terrain, from dense forests and rocky mountainsides to muddy river crossings and sandy dunes, presenting a challenging playground for off-road vehicles. Each trail brings its own unique obstacles and breathtaking vistas, inviting drivers to test their skill and their vehicle’s capabilities. Whether navigating steep inclines, conquering deep mud pits, or maneuvering around fallen logs, 4×4 trails provide an immersive experience in the heart of untamed landscapes, where every turn promises both adrenaline-pumping excitement and moments of serene wilderness immersion.

Old Mojave Road

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The Old Mojave Road (Government Road) is an east-west route that enters the Mojave National Preserve off the highway 95 in Nevada, and Afton Canyon on the west side.  Some sections are rough and sandy; 4 x 4 recommended. Roads can become slick, muddy and impassable after rains. Be sure to inquire about road conditions, especially if you plan to cross Soda Dry Lake.

The railroad monument along the Old Mojave Road in the Mojave National Preserve.
The railroad monument along the Old Mojave Road in the Mojave National Preserve.

The Mojave Road is party of the Old Spanish Trail, which is a 700 mile long historical trade route that connected the northern New Mexico settlements near Santa Fe, New Mexico with those of Los Angeles, California. The Old Spanish trail’s rugged terrain discouraged the use of wagons. It was always a pack route, mainly used by men and mules. Used by Indians to transport goods from the southwest to trade with the Chumash and other coastal tribes, this route later served the cause of westward expansion. Military forts were established along the route to protect key water sources and provide assistance for travelers.

The route at one time was for all intents and purposes lost until Dennis Casebier and Friends researched the route and reestablished the trail as if it know today and is a popular four-wheel drive road.

The eastern section of the Old Mojave Road leaves US 95 in Nevada near Laughlin moving westward.  The eastern section climbs up to Fort Piute and continues past an old corral one a rocky climb.  Once up on the plateau, the road continues to travel west to Nipton Road.

Bert Smith's Cabin located in the Mojave National Reserve
Bert Smith’s Cabin located in the Mojave National Reserve

The central section starts at Nipton Road and continues west to Kelbaker road near Baker, CA.  The road starts rather narrow with high brush offering the opportunity for some new desert pin-striping.

Government Holes in the central section of the Old Mojave Road.
Government Holes in the central section of the Old Mojave Road.

A short declination which offers the only real obstacle near Rock Spring.  Burt Smiths cabin and the Government Holes water offer short hikes and distractions from the trail.  Once you cross the Kelso Cima Road, about 5 miles of  “whoop de doos” will rock you to sleep.  The center section offers the most to see, and if you choose one section, this would be it in our opinion.

The western section leaves Kelbaker road and continues west into the dry soda lake south of Baker.  The western section of the route can best be described as dry and sandy.  A larger mine complex and Afton Canyon are the major sights.

Afton Canyon in the Mojave National Preserve.
Afton Canyon in the Mojave National Preserve.

In addition to over 100 miles of 4×4 trail, the Old Mojave road offers access to mines, old homesteads, and other 4×4 routes.  The Old Mojave can be run either way and in a single long day, or in thirds with access being provided from Kelbaker road out of Baker or the Nipton Road in the the East.  However, for the best experience, take your time and run the trail in Multiple days and overnight in one of many primitive or established Campgrounds.

Old Mojave Road Trail Map

Lost Burro Mine

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Founded in 1907 when Bert Shively picked up a rock to throw at some stray burros and discovered gold, the Lost burro Mine is a great destination in Death Valley. The mine was operated from 1907 to the 1970s, with its greatest production of gold being from 1912 – 1917. The road into the mine is just 1.1 mile from Hunter Mountain road located in Death Valley National Park.  The trail is very easy to pass and suitable for most stock SUVs, although it does get narrow in two places.

The Lost Burrow Mine is located off Hunter Mountain Road in Death Valley National Park, CA
The Lost Burrow Mine is located off Hunter Mountain Road in Death Valley National Park, CA

As you approach the site, there is evidence of human occupation and the large amount of tin cans and artifacts gradually increase the closer you get to the mine site.  There is a long history of haunting and curses place upon people who remove artifacts from the location.  There are at least four structures still standing at the site.  The main cabin, a storage cabin, outhouse and the mine located high above on a cliff.  You can enter the cabin and storage cabin but posted warnings of Hantavirus warn of the potential danger.

The Lost Burrow Mine
The Lost Burrow Mine

The Upper Mill

The upper mill site is accessible using a steep short trail and well worth the effort.  The structure appears to be reinforced with guy wires to help maintain its state.  Much of the pulley system remains intact and the terrain and remote location reminds us of what these men endured to survive in this location.

The cabin found at the Lost Burrow Mine is in good shape.
The cabin found at the Lost Burrow Mine is in good shape.

There is evidence of many people returning removed items in the hopes of removing the curse. There are two buildings at the site with the Mill located just to the North.  Two short hikes to the hills above offer amazing views of the Racetrack Valley and Hunter Mountain.

The Lost Burrow Mine cabin interior
The Lost Burrow Mine cabin interior

Lost Burro Mine Video

Lost Burro Mine Trail Map

Carrara Nevada – Nye County Ghost Town

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Carrara in Nye County Nevada

Carrara Ghost town is a small ghost town and marble mine located about ten miles south of Beatty in Nye County, Nevada on the east side of US 95.

In 1904 first attempts to quarry the high quality marble at the Carrara site. These initial efforts failed with the inability to produce larger slabs from the highly fractured and unstable marble.  More suitable deposits of marble are found in 1911. The American Carrara Marble Company laid out the Carrara town. The town was named for Carrara, Italy, which produced world class marble. 

A Metropolis in waiting

The marble is hauled by a standard cable railway down three miles from the quarry to town. This designed utilized town cars on a single track. At the midway point, siding in the tracked allowed the two trains to pass each other in opposing directions. The car at the top of the track loaded with marble would supply all the pull the empty car at the bottom of the track up the mountain on a free return.

Rail lines were already available in the Vegas and Tonopah Railroad. Water is pumped from Gold Center, NV using a nine mile long pipe line. The supply was generous enough to allow the town to boast a town fountain, which would shoot water six feet into the air. The fountain was built by the Marble Company to promote the appearance of longevity for the fledgling town.

The rail road line to town is completed in 1914. Soon thereafter, large marble blocks, which could weight up to 15 tons, are shipped to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, the large marble blocks are cut to size, finished and polished.

Eventually, the company with founded the town lost profits. The towns people saw hardship and soon moved away. With the exception of a few hangers on, the town is gone in 1924.

The town boasted a newspaper appropriately named the Carrara Obelisk ( 5/8/1913 – 09/1916 ), a post office, hotel, store, saloon and restaurant to serve the 150 people who called the place home. The site contained  about 40 buildings. The post office was open from May 5, 1913 to September 15, 2914.

Carrara Town Summary

NameCarrara Nevada
LocationNye County, Nevada
Population 150
Post OfficeMay 5, 1913 – September 15, 2914
NewspapersCarrara Obelisk Feb 7, 1914 – Sept 9, 1916
Carrara Miner July 21, 1929

Carrara Trail Map

Resources

Skidoo California – Inyo County Ghost Town

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Skidoo California was famous in the first decade of the 20th century when gold had been found in Inyo County and the town established in 1905. The towns existence was support by the output and economy driven by the gold mines. Within a decade the town was left deserted abandoned. At this time few structures remain and access to the mines are closed to prevent accidents.

Skidoo, CA 1907
Skidoo California, 1907

Right here on the border line between California and Nevada, just a few miles from arid within speaking distance of Nevada’s big, bonanza gold camps of Goldfield, Rhyolite, Tonopah, California promises to give birth to the most wonderful gold mines America has yet produced . . . . Here the golden goddess is again singing her siren song of enchantment and California is again beckoning to the world with a finger of gold: and the world is listening, and looking, and coming–TO SKIDOO!

Rhyolite Herald, 4 January 1907

Skidoo, originally known as Hoveck, is typical of mining towns, which flourished so long as the mines continued to produce. The small town of Hoveck was named for Matt Hoveck, who managed the Skidoo mine. The town was named Skidoo in 1907. The name Skidoo was derived from the slang phrase “23 Skidoo” which was quite popular at this time.

Cook's horse-drawn wagon at Death Valley's gold mining camp, Skiddo.
Cook’s horse-drawn wagon at Death Valley’s gold mining camp, Skiddo.

The Skidoo Mine operated from 1906 and 1917. During operation the mine produced about 75,000 ounces of gold, which would have been worth about 1.6 million dollars. The mill in Skidoo was the only desert mill which operated complete using water. The water to power the mill was piped in from Telescope Peak was a feat of engineering and work of this still scars the landscape.

The Skidoo Mine is located 65 miles north of Trona, California, at
6500 ft. elevation. The property was established in 1906; the mill
erected in 190?. The mill burned and was reconstructed in 1913.
Owner: Skidoo Mines Co., Skidoo, CA. C. W. Cross, president, and
Crynski , superintendent .

Two systems of quartz veins occur in a pegmatite granite. The main
vein system strikes M-SE and the other E~W. The veins average from
18″ to 2 ‘ in width, with a maximum of 4’.

The ore is free milling and values average about $15.00 per ton. Ore
is hauled to the mill through tunnels. The mill equipment consists
of: ten 850-lb. stamps, five 1150-lb. stamps and amalgamation tables.
Table tailings run to the cyanide plant and precipitated in zinc boxes.
The mill is operated by water conveyed in an 8″ pipeline 21 miles
from Telescope Peak. The pipe was installed at a cost of over $200,000
35 men were employed at the mine mill. Total production to date over
$1,500,000,

California State Mining Bureau’s “Report of State Mineralogist,” 1915-16, Report XV:
Rare Air Photograph of Skidoo California Taken from the air in 1923
Rare Air Photograph of Skidoo California Taken from the air in 1923

The remains of the town of Skidoo are located within Death Valley National Monument and Inyo County.

The fifteen-stamp mill built by the Skidoo Mines Company is a rare surviving example of an early 20th-century gravity-feed system for separating gold from its ore.

Town Summary

NameSkidoo
LocationInyo County, California
Latitude, Longitude36.4355016, -117.1475604
GNIS1656631
Elevation5689 ft / 1734 m
NewspaperSkidoo News
National Register of Places74000349

Skidoo Trail Map

Resouces

Chloride City California – Inyo County Ghost Town

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Chloride City California is located within Death Valley National Park and Inyo County, California. The town arose out of silver discoveries in nearby Chloride Cliff in 1873 and is one of the earliest of the Death Valley mines.

The first road through Death Valley was constructed from Chloride City, California to San Bernardino, California which was the nearest town 180 miles away. In the 1870’s ore was shipped out using trains of pack mules which would return carrying food and supplies to the camp. The mines of this small community struggled on for a few years, but by 1880 no mines were producing and everybody had moved on.

Crowells Mill under construction in Chloride City, CA about 1915
Crowells Mill under construction in Chloride City, CA about 1915

The nearby Bullfrog, Nevada, gold discovery excitement of 1904 brought in new capital. The Chloride Cliff Mine was bought by investors in nearby Rhyolite and re-opened in 1908. Sufficient ore was produced in subsequent years to warrant the construction of a cyanide mill in 1916. By 1918 the camp was deserted again.

The ghost town contains numerous adits, dumps and the grave of James McKay, of whom nothing is known. The town also holds the remains of three stamp mills.

Chloride City Trail Map