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Livingston Mill

Livingston Mill

Two mills and a camp with 22 buildings. The Livingston is one of the most intact mining operations I've seen in Idaho, and it has a caretaker who lives on-site. On the way in, we spotted the word "Trump" painted on one of the buildings. When

Pipes Canyon

Pipes Canyon

Pipes Canyon is a pleasant and easy hike. The trail heads out from the visitor center at the Pioneertown Mountains Preserve and follows the canyon up into a riparian habitat. The canyon is usually dry, but water does occasionally surface to support this isolated oasis. Keep an eye out for

Sun Sword and Whale Rock Petroglyphs

Sun Sword and Whale Rock Petroglyphs

With a tip from a friend, I went out searching for a remote set of petroglyphs in the backcountry wilderness of Joshua Tree National Park in early 2020. I had a few clues in my search. I was looking for petroglyphs that were near an old campsite and hidden on

Hunting Grounds Mill

Hunting Grounds Mill

Canebrake Skeleton Pictographs

Canebrake Skeleton Pictographs

Hidden in a granite rock shelter near an ancient Kumeyaay village site is a unique set of pictographs. Most of these pictographs are typical of the La Rumorosa Style, but what is unusual here are the skeleton figures. I have not seen them anywhere else in the Kumeyaay territory. Some

Lemoigne Mine

Lemoigne Mine

Jean François de Lamoignon (shortened to Jean or John Lemoigne) was a black-bearded Frenchman who differed from most of the other early Death Valley prospectors; he was a well-educated mining engineer. He came to Death Valley around 1879 to supervise the Eagle Borax Works. Unfortunately, by the time he had

Owlhead Mountains Slot Canyons

Owlhead Mountains Slot Canyons

Back in early 2019, I met up with Dale and Brian to explore some slot canyons in the southern reaches of Death Valley – namely in the Owlhead Mountains.