Finding an Old Desert Mine!

So last weekend, my wife and I were out in 29 Palms... the weather was perfect, and I had the bug to go explore.  It was either that, or paint the house trim (an easy choice!).  A road on the map heading south off Highway 62 out by the airport that heads in the direction of Joshua Tree National Park caught my eye.  We've explored this area before (going to Marbolite Mine... here's the link Exploring Wide Open Spaces).  However, this road links off more to the southeast and the map shows that after about 10 - 12 miles of "road" (Jeep trail is more accurate) it reaches a series of mines (Gypsy Mine, Maria Mine, Goods Mine, and Golden Eagle Mine).  It's fairly remote, so as we pack the Jeep, I go through my mental list of safety items:

5 gallon Igloo container filled with water

Blanket, hats, light jackets

Fully charged cell phones (Note:  I also frequently check during the drive to see where we lose reception.  Always good to know how far away a phone call is!).

Extra food, full tank of gas

Since it's just my wife and me in our Jeep, we're careful, and I plan for the worst-case scenario... car trouble in the middle of the desert.  Auto club will never find us out here!!  With plenty of water, blankets, and food, we can be comfortable overnight if necessary, and I can hike to the top of a hill to place an emergency call.


After traveling what seemed like the necessary distance to reach the first mine (Gypsy) and not seeing anything, we were about ready to give up.  The road was deteriorating, it was getting later in the day, and mines are notoriously difficult to find.  Most are unmarked, and many have been filled in or sealed off by BLM for safety reasons.  As we exit the Jeep and look around, I notice a post off on the horizon.  Ah ha, there's the mine!!

Dang, false alarm.  Turns out to be a pole marking the 'SW Corner'.  Southwest corner of what??  What the heck?!  I have no idea, but a very strange place for this pole.  Truly is out in the middle of nowhere!  And no mine in site.  After exploring on foot, we notice another area off in the distance that looks promising, and it looks like the road heads in that general direction, so off in the Jeep we go.  If this isn't it, we'll head back.  Here's what we find.

I think I can make out the words "oro fino", which means "fine gold", and below it, "working" and much dimmer the word "mine".  Perhaps a sign staking out a working mine?  As we look around, I see something down in a gully that looks like a rock wall, and (drum roll please...) I notice the opening for a mine leading into the hill!!  I'm so excited I yell for my wife and immediately climb down into the gully to the mine entrance.

If it weren't for the stone walls outside the mine opening, I doubt we would have found it!  Based on my map, this has to be Gypsy Mine.  The other mines in the area will have to be saved for a future adventure, as we are running out of daylight.  But this was a great find, and we will definitely be back!

Gypsy Mine entrance

We discover multiple additional mine openings in the area... one is covered by wood to protect people from falling in (although the wood was rotten and likely would not hold much weight).  This opening appeared to drop at least 40-50 feet, and likely much more!

My guess is that all these openings (we found at least 4) lead to the same mine, which is probably quite extensive.  The opening on the left (my right) in the photo below is large.  It's a steep, short drop off and then looks like it cuts deep into the hillside.  You would need a ladder or rope to get down.

Here's an interesting marker with the words "oro fino #1" etched on the surface.  You can see another mine opening on the right.  Cool!!

The shadows are getting long, and we know it's time to head home, but what an awesome day!  Let me close with a view through the Jeep windshield as we're driving home... desert vista and clear blue skies.  No one around for miles and miles, and we didn't see another vehicle all afternoon.  Then again, this wasn't much of a road, and it was hard to find, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised!

Hope you enjoyed my little travelogue!  Important note:  Mines are extremely dangerous!  It's really fun to find these old mines, but please do not go inside!!