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Death Valley-Northern

Northern Death Valley region of California, including the Cottonwood, Grapevine, Saline, and the Last Chance mountain ranges

25 posts

Rebecca Prospect Cabin

Rebecca Prospect Cabin

I’d known about this cabin and mine for a while, but it took a couple of years to get out there to it. It was once a minor cinnabar operation with a small open pit, but the area has some older prospects, and I wanted to see if rumors

Easy Pickings Cabin

Easy Pickings Cabin

This little, out-of-the-way cabin has been in pristine shape for a long time. I first visited the place in 2001 and was surprised to find the place so clean and in great shape. We made a return visit nine years later and found it to be in just as good

White Cliffs Petroglyphs

White Cliffs Petroglyphs

In 2010, Dan and I went out exploring Death Valley National Park. On one of the days of this multi-day trip, we took a long hike out into the remote backcountry and came across a small canyon of white rock. Carved into this soft volcanic ash, we found a series

Copper Queen-Sanger Group Mines

Copper Queen-Sanger Group Mines

The majority of my trips in 2008 had been out to the more remote parts of Death Valley, and this one was no exception. I met up with my dad and Dan for a challenging hike to an old mine site. We started near the Racetrack and crossed over the

Montgomery and Schroeder Mine

Montgomery and Schroeder Mine

Lemoigne's Wagon

Lemoigne's Wagon

This site took some searching and a few hints from a friend. At first, I thought this wagon was related to traffic on the old Skidoo to Keeler trail. But now, based on my research, I’m inclined to believe it was Lemoigne’s. What puzzled me was its location

Blackrock Well Historic Writing and Petroglyphs

Blackrock Well Historic Writing and Petroglyphs

In 2006, Dan and I hiked out to this petroglyph site we’ve wanted to check out for a while. It was a bit of a hike, but we were well rewarded. We were very surprised to find historical inscriptions by cowboy and miner Bill Keys (of Joshua Tree fame)