White Top Mountain road is located off of Hunter Mountain Road, in Death Valley National Park, California. A hilly and mountainous road connecting the Hidden Valley road to the White Top mining area district.
The road is approximately 11 miles in length and has an elevation gain from 4800 feet above sea level to 7000 feet. High clearance 4WD is recommended when wheeling this trail. The route is passable to high clearance 2WD in the first 5 miles. Beyond that distance, the NPS recommends high clearance 4WD because of 3 relatively small dry falls, 12-24″.
Travel beyond Burro Spring Junction is not recommended when wet or snow covered during winter months.
Once near the top of the trai, the Huntley Mining operations are visible.
The Lawrence Asbestos and Fluorspar claims located on the north slope of White Top Mountain two miles northeast of Burro Spring have been explored by several lessees over the years, but have produced only a few hundred tons of asbestos and fluorspar. Much scarring in the area has resulted from dozer prospecting and road building. The property consisted of three fluorspar claims, thirty-two asbestos claims, and a millsite under, location by R.H. Lawrence of Mojave. In 1970s the lessees proposed to develop the fluorspar deposits and ship the ore to Barstow via truck. Today the area consists of bulldozed prospects and a miner’s shack. Wright H. Huntley, pres., Huntley Industrial Minerals, Inc., to T.R. Goodwin,
Death Valley – Historic Resource Study – A History of Mining