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Death Valley

Death Valley National Park

87 posts

Johnny Shoshone Spring

Johnny Shoshone Spring

Back in 2012, we visited little-known Johnny Shoshone Spring inside Death Valley National Park. It is a place I’ve been curious about for some time. The spring is not much more than a seep, but what is interesting is that this was a summer camp for Johnny Shoshone,

Wonder Mine

Wonder Mine

Back in February of 2012, Dan and I did some exploring to see what was left of this old mine. We had known about it for years but finally got around to actually getting up there. The hike was actually farther than we expected, but it was well worth the

Corkscrew Borax Mine

Corkscrew Borax Mine

A few years ago, I met up with some of the guys, and we hiked out to visit the ruins of the old Corkscrew Borax Mine. The mine was worked for colemanite (an ore of borax) in the 1950s by the US Borax Company. Surprisingly, for all of its development,

Three Bachelors Prospectors Camp

Three Bachelors Prospectors Camp

In 2018, we found a small prospector’s camp out in the wilderness of the Death Valley region. I named it because three cabin tent pads are scattered around the site. Interestingly, there isn’t a mine nearby; instead, a few prospects are spread out in the hills. The area

Fort Independence Soldier's Camp

Fort Independence Soldier's Camp

Back in 1862, Owens Valley was not quite as peaceful as it is today. White settlers were just moving in and starting up ranches. Prospectors were combing the hills in search of that elusive next big strike. The Paiute, Shoshone, and Kawaiisu people who lived here didn’t appreciate being

Harrisburg Flat Cabin

Harrisburg Flat Cabin

Back on a cool April day in 2013, Dan and I hiked out to a little cabin ruin near Harrisburg Flat in the Death Valley backcountry. (Harrisburg Flat is on the way to the old townsite of Skidoo.) These days, nothing much remains of that town or its former rival,

"Weather Station" Cabin

"Weather Station" Cabin

After spending the night at one of our favorite places down in Panamint Valley, we drove up into the mountains and parked the truck along the road. We gathered up our gear, packed a lunch, and started our hike into the canyon. We knew we would be gone the rest