Trail Report: Calico - Panamint Mines

[mkjeepers]

I checked out a few more mines in the Calico area in the last week or so. The ones pictured here are in the Wall St canyon area.

A couple of weeks ago I took the new Jeep out to the Panamint Mts. to explore a few mine sites on my list. The first was the Ruth mine, which has quite a few structures still present. From there I headed for Balarat and a couple of mine sites in that area. It's sure nice having a fast Jeep LOL. The new JK has a 19 gal gas tank which was sure welcomed when I found out that Trona still dosen't have a gas station.

Check out the slideshows for more pix.

The Calico mnes
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/n...view=slideshow







These mines date way back - notice the square nails in the wooden structures.












Panamint Mts Mines
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/n...view=slideshow

The Ruth mine







Ghost town of Balarat










This mine site was blocked w/ a gate




Nice old car




Another site

[DaK]

Thanks for sharing. we are headed out there this weekend.

Bummer the rains never hit well enough to green the place up.

[Mike]

Awesome pics Mike! Did you hike up to the mine overlooking the Ghost town from inside the park? Also, where is Ruth Mine?

[explorer1]

Awesome PIcs. I have not been to Death Valley/Panamint valley since November and this makes me NEED to get back out there. Thanks for sharing.

Chris

[mkjeepers]

Awesome pics Mike! Did you hike up to the mine overlooking the Ghost town from inside the park? Also, where is Ruth Mine?

I parked at the Doran gate keeper and hiked across the face of the mountain. It's a pretty challenging hike, and there are some interesting lava caves all across the face. I went into the town to get some water after 3+ hours of hiking.....they took all the drinking fountains out.....

The Ruth mine is on the Argus Mt side of the Panamint Vly (Searle Dry Lake Vly) just a few miles north of Trona. When I was there BLM had hired a contractor to "refurbush" the mine site and make it accessable to the public.

The work consisted of destroying the mill building - which "was" huge - and a few other out buildings, plugging up all the mine shafts and hauling away the tailings and the cyanide tanks,..... etc. Not too much left....just what was in the pictures.

[mkjeepers]

Awesome PIcs. I have not been to Death Valley/Panamint valley since November and this makes me NEED to get back out there. Thanks for sharing.

Chris

I think we all "NEED" to get to these old sites ASAP before they are torn down or restricted from the public. Last year Clair Camp had some considerable damage done to it by someone running a buldozer over a few of the buildings and piling them up in a heep. In Arizona the Marinez mine is no longer accessable by 4x4, you have have to walk the approx mile to the site now. And of course the Barker ranch was burnt to the ground a couple of years ago.

I'll post some pictures of a couple more of the Panamint mine a little later.

[explorer1]

I think we all "NEED" to get to these old sites ASAP before they are torn down or restricted from the public. Last year Clair Camp had some considerable damage done to it by someone running a buldozer over a few of the buildings and piling them up in a heep. In Arizona the Marinez mine is no longer accessable by 4x4, you have have to walk the approx mile to the site now. And of course the Barker ranch was burnt to the ground a couple of years ago.

I'll post some pictures of a couple more of the Panamint mine a little later.

Agreed, We all need to get out there before they all get closed or torn down. I have pictures of the changes that Inyo mine has seen in the last 20 years. Mostly natural changes with buildings falling but some damage done from people. It is crazy to see the change over the years.