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On Memorial Day, my wife and I were headed back to Rancho Cucamonga from Bishop, CA. We started very early and headed to the basically non-existing town of Swansea. Swansea is the start of the Swansea - Cerro Gordo Road that climbs up to the Burgess Mine and then follows the crest of the Inyo Mountains for a bit before dropping down to the Ghost Town of Cerro Gordo.
The turn off to the trail is not marked well. The only sign is far off of the main road and is starting to be overgrown:
The road climbs quickly and constantly for the first 12 miles. The views are wonderful. In the first 3 miles, you will find Tram Structures above you:
After this you will get to a mildly rough area that willl be easier if you shift into 4WD:
At the top of the rough area is a short steep climb that leads to a great photo opportunity:
But if you are more interested in 4WD challenges, take the right-hand trail at the base of the climb. It is a small waterfall, but is the most technical obstacle that you will find heading in this direction on the road.
As you crest the hill, you see the view of the road ahead of you:
There are many views down into the Owens Valley from this part of the trail. This is only one:
At about 4 miles into the trail, you will reach a steep climb that will take you to the most dangerous part of the road:
Unfortunately, I didn't take any shots of this spot, but it is a mildly technical rock-crawling section that is on a VERY narrow section of the trail. A mistake here would end up with a roll-over that would drop you at least 1000 feet. Next time, I will make sure that I get some pics.
At the top, there continue to be excellent views of the Owens Valley:
The road ceases it's steady climb for a bit and, after wandering over various terrains, heads for a forest of Pinon Pines:
The trees in this section are close and touch the sides of our Jeep often. Eventually, we start climbing a rough, steep hill that winds up through the forest. Once the crest is reached, the trees disappear and the great views return:
We followed the road to it's upper reaches near the base of New York Butte:
This point is just below 9900 feet above sea level. From there, we back-tracked to the Burgess Mine:
There are great views in almost every direction from the mine. The Saline Valley (part of Death Valley NP):
Owens Dry Lake:
The road ahead:
The road ahead followed the crest of the Inyo Mtns. The Saline Valley on the east and the Owens valley on the west until we approached the Traverse Station of the Salt Tramway:
This tramway used to start in the bottom of the Saline Valley and was used to transport some of the purest salt over the mountains to be sent to be processed.
To be continued...
The turn off to the trail is not marked well. The only sign is far off of the main road and is starting to be overgrown:
The road climbs quickly and constantly for the first 12 miles. The views are wonderful. In the first 3 miles, you will find Tram Structures above you:
After this you will get to a mildly rough area that willl be easier if you shift into 4WD:
At the top of the rough area is a short steep climb that leads to a great photo opportunity:
But if you are more interested in 4WD challenges, take the right-hand trail at the base of the climb. It is a small waterfall, but is the most technical obstacle that you will find heading in this direction on the road.
As you crest the hill, you see the view of the road ahead of you:
There are many views down into the Owens Valley from this part of the trail. This is only one:
At about 4 miles into the trail, you will reach a steep climb that will take you to the most dangerous part of the road:
Unfortunately, I didn't take any shots of this spot, but it is a mildly technical rock-crawling section that is on a VERY narrow section of the trail. A mistake here would end up with a roll-over that would drop you at least 1000 feet. Next time, I will make sure that I get some pics.
At the top, there continue to be excellent views of the Owens Valley:
The road ceases it's steady climb for a bit and, after wandering over various terrains, heads for a forest of Pinon Pines:
The trees in this section are close and touch the sides of our Jeep often. Eventually, we start climbing a rough, steep hill that winds up through the forest. Once the crest is reached, the trees disappear and the great views return:
We followed the road to it's upper reaches near the base of New York Butte:
This point is just below 9900 feet above sea level. From there, we back-tracked to the Burgess Mine:
There are great views in almost every direction from the mine. The Saline Valley (part of Death Valley NP):
Owens Dry Lake:
The road ahead:
The road ahead followed the crest of the Inyo Mtns. The Saline Valley on the east and the Owens valley on the west until we approached the Traverse Station of the Salt Tramway:
This tramway used to start in the bottom of the Saline Valley and was used to transport some of the purest salt over the mountains to be sent to be processed.
To be continued...
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