Reaching the Summit Mine is challenging enough, but for the truly determined explorer in the Lundy Canyon area, there's an even more elusive goal: the Tip Top Mine. Perched at 11,000 feet just below the summit of 11,182-foot Mount Scowden, this remote mine site requires real effort and determination to visit.
For what it lacks in mine workings, the Tip Top more than makes up for in views. From this lofty perch, you're rewarded with a breathtaking panorama of jagged peaks in every direction. The palpable isolation here gives you a visceral understanding of what miners endured as they worked in this thin air.
History
The Tip Top Mine was developed during the late 1880s rush in the Homer mining district. Like the nearby Summit and May Lundy mines, the Tip Top exploited mineralization formed where granodiorite intruded into older metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. These contact zones created the ideal conditions for gold-bearing quartz veins to form as hydrothermal fluids deposited precious metals along fractures in the heated rock.
The miners here faced a logistical challenge that bordered on the ludicrous. Looking down from their mine, they could see the town of Lundy in the valley far below, tantalizingly close as the crow flies, yet requiring a grueling journey following the same long trail that leads up there today. Any ore worth processing had to be transported by mule or burro all the way back over the crest and down the steep slopes into Lake Canyon, making only the richest veins economically viable.
According to local lore, this remote location also once served as a dramatic hideout. An early Lundy resident who had run afoul of the law fled to this crest and constructed a stone barricade to defend himself. While the spot provided excellent defensive positioning with command of both approaching trails, the fugitive overlooked one critical detail: no water source. The authorities waited him out and eventually, overcome by thirst, he surrendered.
Directions
Follow the directions to get to the Summit Mine. Getting to that spot by itself is no easy task!
