Bourke Lee wrote in the 1930s: "There is a Lost Burro Mine on almost every mountain." Prospectors spent so much time chasing their wandering burros through the desert hills that the animals became their best prospecting partners. The Lost Burro in the Cottonwood Mountains of northern Death Valley earned its name the same way, but unlike most of the stories, this one paid off.
The Lost Burro is the only gold mine in the Ubehebe District, a region otherwise known for lead, copper, and silver. It sits in a narrow canyon on the range between Hidden Valley and Racetrack Valley, reached by a rough 4WD spur off the Hidden Valley road. The cabin is falling apart and only a skeleton of the stamp mill still remains above it, but the site is well worth the drive.
