The Keane Wonder Mine is a gorgeous abandoned mine in Death Valley. If you’re looking for something more than natural sights and want to be away from the crowds, this is an absolutely fantastic location to visit.
The mine was closed in 1912, yet because of Death Valley's unique dry climate, it is preserved much better than you would expect from something abandoned for more than 100 years. Many original wooden structures are still standing, though some recent repairs were done to preserve them for years.
We visited the mine in late November which was great timing - I would imagine it would be not nearly as fun in the scorching sun of Summer, yet short daylight somewhat limited our exploration, if I’d do it again I would come even earlier.
Accessing the mine parking lot requires driving on the unpaved gravel road. The road looks like it is accessible by passenger cars, we only saw SUVs in the parking lot.
As you would expect from such a location in California there is a warning about the dangers of the site.
The mine was closed in 1912, yet because of Death Valley's unique dry climate, it is preserved much better than you would expect from something abandoned for more than 100 years. Many original wooden structures are still standing, though some recent repairs were done to preserve them for years.
We visited the mine in late November which was great timing - I would imagine it would be not nearly as fun in the scorching sun of Summer, yet short daylight somewhat limited our exploration, if I’d do it again I would come even earlier.
Accessing the mine parking lot requires driving on the unpaved gravel road. The road looks like it is accessible by passenger cars, we only saw SUVs in the parking lot.
As you would expect from such a location in California there is a warning about the dangers of the site.
In addition to this warning entrances to the mines themselves are blocked with very heavy-duty bars.
There is well well-maintained out-and-back 13km trail with almost 700m elevation gain you can take, yet if you’re up for more adventures you can also take the dry creek bed starting to the right of the lower end of the aerial tramway.
We took this path up and walked down the official trail. Going up the dry creek bed makes you climb up (or around) many dried-out waterfalls. It is not particularly hard climbing but might be a challenge if you are afraid of high or have no experience rock climbing.
As you go by the creek bed you will find many old carts, cogwheels, and other equipment. If you have extra energy you can leave the creek bed and climb up to the aerial tramway structures to take a close look.
We find lots of artifacts along the way, such as this colander-like device, which seems to have been made from an ancient can.
As you get close to the upper terminus of the aerial tramway you get to explore an ancient garbage dump, which now consists of mostly empty cans which I can only assume was the source of food for miners. No plastic indicates this is a garbage dump from another era.
We also found this very well-preserved washtub which I think could still hold water - This reminds me of what my great-grandmother used to have in her house in a remote village.
And if you’re looking for something sturdier you can find some really well-preserved carts along the way.
The top terminus of the aerial tramway is very cool too with lots of exposed machinery. You can even see the old electric motor which probably was used to get things moving.
While there were a couple of other structures higher up the mountains to explore, we decided to leave them for next time as sunset was fast approaching and descended through the official trail, enjoying more great sights along the way.
In all, it was a day well spent and it is surely one of my favorite day trips from Las Vegas - around 2.5 hours away from “The Strip”. I would suggest leaving early so you have plenty of time to explore all the corners of Keane Wonder mine. On the way back you can visit Zabriskie Point which is an “Iconic Death Valley vista” and is particularly beautiful around sunset.
