Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → Death Valley → Keane Wonder Mine

Location: Beatty Junction area, Death Valley

Time Required: 2-3 hours (including time for exploring)

Distance: ~3 miles roundtrip

Elevation Gain/Loss: 1400 -1700 feet (depending on how much exploring you do)

Red Tape/Notes: Access to Death Valley is $25/vehicle for a 7 day pass. Trailhead access is at the end of a 3 mile dirt road, which (as of early 2018) was quite reasonable, even for low clearance vehicles; the site is clearly marked on the Death Valley visitor maps, although as of 2018 the map still shows the area as closed (it reopened in late 2017). All the mine shafts/openings we found were blocked off. Additional detail on the hike can be found here, but it’s really quite straightforward.

What’s Nearby?: Keane Wonder Mill, Keane Canyon, Titus Canyon, Leadfield Ghost Town

Closed in 2008 due to safety concerns, the Keane Wonder Mine and surrounding area were re-opened in late 2017. The nearly ten year effort to improve safety included structural modifications to the tramway and tramway terminals and sealing off more than 50 open mines. People like us are terribly disappointed when mine openings are sealed, because we get great joy from exploring them, but we also understand the safety and legal concerns associated with having them open. On the plus side, the area is still really cool, and well worth exploring, particularly since it’s a fairly short hike to reach the area. The site is extensive (not surprising considering it was one of Death Valley’s most successful gold mines) and once you reach the tramway terminal, you can explore off to the right, where a trail leads down, or you can explore up to the left, where a water tank and fencing are clearly visible (the fencing blocks off numerous mine shafts and openings). Most people will walk to the mill site at the bottom of the trail and won’t bother coming up to the mine site, and they’re missing a lot by staying down there.

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → Death Valley → Keane Wonder Mine