Keane Wonder Mine

We arose bright and early before the sun appeared over the mountains, and discussed our intentions for the day as the coffee stewed in the cafetière. We planned on making several stops, the primary site to see was Keane Wonder Mine.

The whole area was closed to the public in 2008 until the Park Services could make sure the region was safe. The mining equipment needed to be stable, the tramway and towers secured and over 50 mine shafts were gated. Keane Wonder Mine reopened in 2017.

There are countless remnants scattered across the mountainous acreage it occupies and in the wash below. Not to mention the Aerial Tramway that gains over 1,000 feet in elevation, built in 1907, with its cables still intact!

Getting to Keane Wonder Mine

Leaving the campsite at Stovepipe, we headed east and turned onto Daylight Pass Road. From there, another right turn took us onto Beaty Road, then left onto the unpaved road.

Semi-maintained dirt and gravel road. There's a small hill on the left and in the distance, mountains — Beginning of dirt road to the mine

This dirt road is around 3 miles long and snakes up to the base of the Funeral Mountains and crosses a large wash.

Dirt road winding across desert and off into the distant mountains of Death Valley towards Keane Wonder Mine — The dirt road which leads to Keane Mill and Mine

I love washes; there are always objects left from flash floods to photograph and today was no exception.

Old rusted barrel from the mining days washed down into a lower wash by flash floods near Keane Wonder Mine. Salt flat and mountains in the distance — Old barrel in the wash

We meandered closer and closer. Battered remnants tossed around in a devastating flash flood become more evident in the distance, then a sign appears.

Mine hazard area sign on the side of an unpaved gravel road with mountains in the horizon

Water and cyanide tanks, wood, metal and other debris scattered in a large wash. In the horizon a mountain range is just visible — Looking into the wash at the base of the mountains. Water and cyanide tanks are visible along with other debris

Suddenly you’re surrounded by it all in a small gravel car park. We had arrived!

As is the case with basically everything you come across in places like this and Joshua Tree, you ask yourself, “How on earth did these miners do what they did?” It’s tough enough for our modern vehicles. Not to mention all the materials and back-breaking work that went into making these sites ready. Then the arduous task of the mining itself!

The History of Keane Wonder Mine and Mill

The area of the mine was discovered by Jack Keane and Domingo Etcharren in 1904. Although Keane had been prospecting in the area since the 1890s, it wasn’t until 1903 that mining stakes were claimed.

Between 1904 to 1917 Keane Wonder Mine produced over one million dollars in gold and had the first big strike in the area.

Jack and Domingo sold their interest in 1907, and new owners enlarged the site with a 20-stamp processing mill, an ice plant and a mile-long aerial tramway.

Information plaque about Keane Wonder mine and mill. Old black and white picture of the mill when it was fully operational c1907

During peak production of the mine, the ore buckets would transport 70 tons of gold ore a day.

Due to the lack of raw material, by 1912 Keane Wonder Mine receded and officially closed. There were several attempts to revamp “Keane Wonder” over the next few decades, but in 1942, the mine closed its operation for good.

The First Encounter

While the van came to a halt, I hastily tossed open my door, camera in hand, and tried with all my might to exit. Realising after a few attempts, I should probably have unfastened my seatbelt first. I regained my composure, placed on my Indiana Jones hat to hide my reddened face and ignored Andrea’s raucous laughter. I was instead focusing on the treasures that lurked just beyond my viewfinder.

Loose gravel walking trail leading to the mill. No vegetation. Stark area in Death Valley — The trail to the mill and mine start at the carpark

There were unmistakable debris fields scattered throughout the wash on both sides of the parking lot. To the point, you could spend a decent amount of time exploring these before making your way up the trail to the mill remains.

Now, this is one of about 17,000 abandoned mining sites within Death Valley, and it is unique.

A short walk up the wide trail brings into view the large bones of the old mill and part of the aerial tramway system.

The same information plaque with the mill in the background

We spent some time milling around (pardon the pun) and reading the information sign with an old photograph. We then climbed up the steep embankment to get up close and enjoy the relics.

Keane mill slide show

Mine shaft from mills site
Ore bin
Tank and mill
Pulley system

The Path To The Top, Or Maybe NOT!

Now here is where there are three choices, but only one takes you to the top.

Three loose gravel walking trails. One lower one in the middle and one higher on the side of a mountain slope. — Which one?

The bottom-most trail you see takes you to the other side of the small hill where there is a closed-off mine tunnel. You will see it walking up the main trailhead from the parking lot.

Rusted iron safe with no door lying in the wash — Old mining safe

A fenced off mine shaft — A fenced-off mine shaft

exploratory mine shaft drilled into hard rock — A lower mine

Middle Trail – the wrong one

We didn’t notice the trail to our right, the top one, and because we were so eager to hike to the mine, we just kept walking. It started off looking promising.

Dirt, gravel trail ascending a rugged mountain with little to no vegetation in the arid desert of Death Valley — The wrong trail

We came across a collapsed structure. Then winding around, we saw a mine on the opposite side of the ravine.

Collapsed wooden structure which appears to be covering a large mine shaft or maybe a basement of some sort. On the side of the rugged mountain at Keane Wonder Mine

Some sort of metal building now collapsed. Part of the mining operation. Built within a gully of two mountains — Looks promising

We could see an old miners shovel propped up near the opening.

Open mine shaft going vertically in the side of the mountain . A miners shovel is leaning up against the rock face at the entrance — This was across the ravine, but we couldn’t see a way to get there

Then came the toilets.

This was when we should have turned around, but because we thought we were on the correct trail, we just kept climbing.

Small corrugated iron building with pitch metal roof on the side of the mountain trail. Built as a toilet for the miners — The loo

The middle trail became a steep, slippery incline. Spitting shale like rocks all along the way and then it stopped abruptly leaving you stranded on top.

Really loose gravel and rocks on the steep mountain trail with sheer drop off to the right — This was when we should have realised we were on the wrong trail!

Now once we got here, we noticed the trail we should have been hiking was on the next mountainside.

Should we go back and retrace our steps?

The top of the loose trail - dead ending at the top of the mountain. A sheer gulley either side. No vegetation. There is another trail on the opposite side going up the mountain towards Keane Wonder Mine — That’s the trail we should be on

We decided not to for a simple reason; I had on my Indiana Jones hat. That provided me with the calm, cool confidence of Harrison Ford to get us out of this situation, just like a real Hero.

View from the mountain overlooking a large dry ancient lake bed with mountains way off in the distance — We had come so far. Our options were to slide down the ravine or return the way we came.

Sliding on our asses down the side, we both reached the bottom with dignity and grace then clambered up to the correct trail.

View of dead end trail on side of mountain. photo taken from the other side of the gully — So we slide down! Not recommended

NOTE- If you choose to explore this trail, we recommend that you retrace your steps once you get to the old outhouse.

The Correct Trail – FINALLY

These pictures show what you’ll pass on the correct trail. (we took these photos on our way down!)

Large rusted metal container once used for water for processing gold — The trail snakes up the mountain and passes this water container

Lady wearing sunglasses, baseball cap, long sleeve shirt and hiking trousers, standing on the steep rugged mountain trail. She's looking at the camera and smiling. Background is nothing but an ancient lake bed and distant mountains. She is heading to Keane Wonder Mine — Yep…that’s Andrea!

Rugged, steep mountain trail in the desert of Death Valley — On the correct trail now

OK, now we were on the correct trail, and the aerial tramway towers were just ahead—time to stop and get some pics!

Four wooden and metal structures which are the tram towers, part of the aerial tramway which hauled gold ore from the top of the mountain to the mill — Tram towers. Remains of the aerial tramway

Aerial tramway structures on the mountain from a different angle. Looking down the mountain with the lake and distant mountain range

It should be relatively easy from here, right? Nope, this is where the trail begins to ascend drastically up the mountainside, and the tension cables on the towers show you how far up they go. We, however, were determined to get to the top.

Man in t-shirt, hiking trousers, sunglasses and cowboy hat, squatting down on the rugged mountain hiking path, taking a breather before continuing up the trail — Steve taking a breather

We do stop at regular intervals to catch our breath, drink some water and enjoy the views. Even in February, it is warm, and there is no shade. Still, the scenery all around is remarkable

The mountain path appears to be getting steeper. The trail is barren with loose rocks and stone. There is a man in the far distance with a cowboy hat on. A long metal pipe runs parallel to the trail and goes up off into the mountains — Still a steep climb – we followed the pipe

As we rounded a bend in the trail, we came across a mine door. This was unexpected and raised our spirits; also, it gave us a chance to step out of the sun.

Wooden door and frame randomly built on the side of the mountain just off the walking trail to Keane Wonder Mine — Tucked away in the side of the mountain we came across this door

Man in t-shirt, cowboy hat, is coming out the the wooden mountain doorway with a big smile on his face. He is holding a camera — Look what I found inside!

Behind the wooden door in the mountain side there is another mine shaft with has a heavy gate enclosing it — Actually, it’s another mine. It was barred so we couldn’t enter

The heavy metal gate has thick slanting bars horizontally across the mine entrance

From inside the mine looking out through the wooden door of the mine shaft. The door is half open and the view is the sky, sunlight and mountainside near Keane Wonder Mine — From the inside looking out

I know I was filled with excitement to get to the top, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the feat of engineering spanning the canyon across the way.

Two of the supports of the aerial tramway, with one of the ore baskets still hanging in the centre

That’s when I noticed the ore bucket between the two towers! Suspended in animation waiting to complete its task the bucket holds steadfast against the elements.

The last remaining ore basket still suspended in mid air along the aerial tramway at Keane Wonder Mine

Almost There?

The end looked to be so close. Just a few hundred more feet in elevation and a few more corners and we should be there.

Barren rocky mountains, no vegetation. loose rocky trail. Remains of the aerial tramway lines and in the far distance, you can just make out Keane Wonder Mine — Still, a long way to go in my opinion (Andrea)

This spot appeared to be the most significant in elevation gain for the tension wires, which makes it all that much more intriguing. Plus people were once able to ride it up to the mine! Yeah, no thank you!

Same rocky trail ascending the mountain. The man in the cowboy hat is in the distance heading towards Keane Wonder Mine — And the trail keeps going and going and going and going…..

A rusted, single burner camping stove from the mining days abandoned on the side of the mountain in the rocks — Strange what you come across on the side of a mountain. This single camping burner..left by one of the miners maybe?

Four cocoon like insect nests hard to touch knitted closely together on a large stone sitting in the middle of the trail — Some sort of insect nest

At this vista, you get a good view of where you have come from and the relatively short distance left to reach the mine.

Looking down on the rocky mountain trail. In the distance there are salt flats, and behind those the mountain range is visible — Way, way down there!

The trail becomes less gradient, and with the end in sight, it seemed to take no time at all.

Trail continuing up the mountain. In the distance remains of Keane Wonder Mine and the large wheels which were part of the aerial tramway system — The end is near

Welcome to Keane Wonder Mine

Wood, metal and tin can debris have spilt into the wash below. Above, a pulley system and chain link fencing and the water pipe continue out of sight.

Keane Wonder Mine in the distance sits on the barren rocks of the mountainside — Keane Wonder Mine

We have arrived at the mine itself. I was in awe coming face to face with fragments of the past like these.

The quiet that now fills the air around that was once clamouring with drills, explosives and machinery feels spooky.

Man in cowboy hat and woman in baseball cap standing close infront of the ruins of the abandoned wooden frame stamp mill of Keane Wonder Mine — Yay, we finally made it

The miners camp up here consisted of housing, a cookhouse, and a supply shop. Even a post office was established in 1912 but closed two years later—all built at the top of the mountain.

And now for another slide show – keane wonder mine

This mine shaft is at the very top of the mountain.
The pulley system
Complete drill
Pulley for some of the cables – hoist
Cable spool

Huge metal water container situated under the workings of the the main mechanics of the aerial tramway of Keane Wonder Mine. There are large letters on the side spelling out WATER

And Now For The Mineshaft Itself – Just Follow The Rails

Minecart tracks lead us in the direction of the mine entrance hidden just out of view. The wood-framed overhang looked extremely unsteady.

remains of ore cart rails leading to a small mine shaft at Keane Wonder Mine

We stopped to read a small sign before proceeding. Believe it or not, something on this sign that had never occurred to us was unstable explosives!

Danger sign at the entrance of the mine. It reads: Unsafe mine openings and hallways. Deadly gas and lack of oxygen. Cave-ins and decayed timbers. Unsafe ladders and rotten structures. Unstable explosives

One at a time, we carefully entered the mine. Even though all of these mines look the same, we wanted to get some photos.

Wooden door frame and door entrance to Keane Wonder Mine protruding from the rock face of the mountain

Wood timbers used as support inside the rock mine shaft with the mine tunnel going horizontally into the mountain.

Close up view of the interior of the mine shaft showing some support timbers and a metal pipe used as an air vent — Can you see the air vent?

Photo taken from inside the Keane Wonder Mine shaft. Timber supports are visible and the door frame. Looking out onto the mountain. There is one timber support which has fallen horizontally across the shaft — Inside looking out

I would say we spent a good hour exploring and relaxing in the shade.

It’s these moments when you sit, listening to the slight breeze brushing through the landscape, that these ghostly places feel alive.

It may remind you of a scene from a post-apocalyptic world, hearing metal clanging and scratching against tattered wreckage. No other sounds can be heard, and the air feels ominously thick.

Chilling reminders that human activity here has long vanished, yet still lives on.

At the entrance of the Keane Wonder Mine looking out at the ore cart rails which continue to the edge of the mountain where there is a sheer drop. There are large boulders and a sparse small bush to the left side

Time To Make A Move

The sun was continuing to race across the sky, and we begin our descent. Going down should be quicker. However, after the long journey up, both of our legs and knees were screaming at us.

Rocky Mountain terrain with a barely visible trail. The man in a cowboy hat can be seen in the distance descending the mountain. — And the hike begins in reverse – Steve is in the distance

We are not the most experienced hikers out there, and this one was taxing because of the steep ascent. Add to that, the heat and no shade and you can become tired very quickly.

We kept our eyes on the ground beneath our feet as one wrong step; you could slide right off the edge.

Narrow rocky trail hugging the mountain side on the descent. — The trail hugs the mountain, but it’s a sheer drop if you slip and parts of the trail have been washed out

Every time we stopped for water or a quick rest, we saw a myriad of mines dotting the hillsides. Some seem to be right in the middle of the mountain with no way to get there.

Zoomed in photo of mine shaft entrance in the middle of a sheer faced rock wall with no access seen — We zoomed in on this mine shaft. It’s across the other side of the canyon

A massive flash flood or heavy rains have washed away portions of those trails along with some sections of the one we were on.

Narrow rocky trail on the mountain on the decent — Does it look worse going down?

It took us less than half the time to get down, and once at the bottom, we returned to the car. Refilling with water and food, we just sat, reflecting on our little excursion.

These trips are also tests for us personally. We are pushing ourselves a little more each time to go further. What we did wrong, how to correct it, and what we did right and our favourite highlights.

Nearing the bottom of the mountain trail of Keane Wonder Mine. Part of the mill is in view and in the distance a minivan can be seen in the carpark. A mountain range is in the horizon and the lake bed is visible — Last part of the decent with our car in the distant

What Did We Really Think of Keane Wonder Mine?

Kean Wonder Mine was one of the tougher hikes we have done to date, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The fact that it has a tramway is a huge draw; you can tell what a massive undertaking went into this operation. The toughness and ruggedness of the landscape, the sheer size of the area, the number of mines found, let alone the ones yet to be.

That is what I genuinely love about Death Valley and why I continue to look at all the mountain ranges and wonder what they still hide.

From the smooth asphalt and air conditioning, you can’t see any of the things we did.

I think something once engraved in the human spirit might be slipping away—the need to discover. We used to venture off into the unknown because it was exciting and romantic.