May 2022 News

The last two months since the March news update have been exciting! We've had a few changes here, mainly with the addition of a great new author Hugh Smith! Please check out his impressive trip report on the Hanging Valley and Tungstar Mine, if you haven't already. It is a great write-up!

If you would like to contribute to this site with research or by writing a trip report, let me know on the Contact page. Also, see the Contribute page.

New trips since the last news update

Hanging Valley and Tungstar Mines

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, surging worldwide demand for tungsten led to the opening of several tungsten mines in the High Sierra above Bishop. Two small but relatively high-grade ore bodies were discovered on the west side of Mt. Tom, which would become the Hanging Valley Mine and

Starbuck's ExploringHugh M. Smith

Golden Bee Mine

Most people who visit the Cholla Cactus Garden in Joshua Tree don’t know that there is an old mine with an interesting bit of history just a few miles away gazing down on them. There are a few small prospects scattered along this side of the Hexie Mountains but two

Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck

Sauerkraut Trail Petroglyphs

Early in 2021, we were on a trip into the wilds of Death Valley to hunt down some lesser-known petroglyph sites in the area. This site is a mile-long set of ancient petroglyphs along an old Native American trail. It is a fascinating site. We were really surprised at just

Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck

Fortynine Palms Oasis

The Fortynine Palms Oasis is a popular and well-traveled hike to a shady palm oasis just outside of Twentynine Palms. The trail was once part of an old Indian trail. The Serrano and Chemehuevi Indians knew this oasis well and ate fruit from the palms and used the fronds in

Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck

Riggs Cabin

Out near Baker, is the Riggs Cabin at the old Riggs Mine. We first went out there on a chilly January day in 2004. I’ve been back many times over the years. It makes a nice place to camp. The oldest mine in the Silurian Hills, the Riggs Mine was

Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck

Trips with new photos

Jake’s Cabin

We’ve been going to Jake’s Cabin for more than twenty years now. It is a great place to camp out in the middle of nowhere. The cabin is part of an old prospecting camp. A tin can dump is scattered nearby and a small shaft is hidden down

Starbuck's ExploringGuy Starbuck

I've decided not to send out an email for every new post anymore. It's a little too much. So instead, I'll just occasionally send out news summaries like this for updates.

Coming up: I have some work to do on the backend of the site and a few hundred trips to post. I'm going to try and get a few more trip reports out in the next couple of weeks.

Stay cool and have a great summer!