Keane Wonder Mine
DEATH VALLEY
Arguably the easiest mines to access within Death Valley National Park, Keane Wonder Mine is also one of the best. Just a few miles down a dirt road lies the remnants of this mill and mine, but it’s what you can’t see that’s so special. The first thing I noticed about Keane were the tram towers along the top of the mountain leading to God-knows-where. When it comes to abandoned mines, you’re lucky to come across one that still has tracks let alone the illustrious ore cart, but the Keane Wonder Mine tram system is still in incredible shape, all the way down to the hanging ore baskets suspended 1000 feet in the air as if time just stopped. This ingenuity allowed the miners to transport all of that ore along the mountain tops hauling more than 600 lbs. over vistas and canyons for over a mile! Pretty impressive when you consider the entire system was built by hand and mule.
Getting There
If you’re heading up the 190 through Furnace Creek, your first turnoff to the right after Harmony Borax Works will be the Beatty Cutoff. Turn here and follow the road 5.6 miles until you see the brown sign indicating Keane Wonder Mine on the right hand side (of the paved road, on your left after you turn 🤪).
The almost three mile road out to the mine is unpaved but freshly grated thanks to our friend Hurricane Hilary. There are still signs of the previous destruction along the roadside. A 4x4 is not necessary and any crossover can easily make the trek. This road will dead end at a small roundabout that leads to a few parking spaces.
This was one of my first drives through Death Valley and what really struck me was how many people I didn’t see around this part of the park. The lack of parking spaces indicated to me that clearly not a lot of people come that way. In fact, while I was there I saw a total of two cars in about three hours. Which is crazy, because the road is super accessible and the site is kind of a hidden gem in comparison to other mines in the area.
The Goods
Keane Wonder Mine was basically made up of two parts: the mill and the mine. The mill is just up an incline a few hundred yards away from the parking lot. You will find tons of materials all over the general area leading up the hill, and you may want to go check them out, but keep in mind when handling these items that mercury, cyanide, and arsenic were the main chemicals used to wash the minerals and tailings back then, so unless you’re actively looking for a way to off yourself, better think twice.
At the top of the hill is a large water tank to the left and directly in front is the surprisingly intact ore chute. Thanks to the parks department, this piece of machinery has been restored, as can be seen by the addition of cables and new steel braces holding up a support beam. What they did not think to replace or restore the completely illegible placard that greets you is beyond me. And finally, all the way up on the top of the hill beyond the chute are two trams with cables still attached.
Down around the chute you’ll find all kinds of defunct machinery: wheels, tanks, cogs, the remnants of a cooling pool, as well as some large structures that housed something, but I couldn’t venture to guess what. Across the ravine you’ll see some wildly smooth cuts into the rock wall that look like a waterfall had been flowing there for a thousand years. My understanding is that this is a particularly precarious hiking trail that also leads to the mine above, but I can assure you, I did not find out.
If you’re not feeling satisfied with all the cool shit at the mill, there is still the mine itself as well as the remaining tram towers to discover. Follow the mine road around the back of the hill, and it’ll take you straight to the mine entrance and a view of the remaining trams. This hike is only two miles roundtrip, but you’ll find the incline to be extremely steep and the entire way in full sun. There are no places to stop and rest so I’d call this particular leg of the trail difficult and strenuous.
While the parks department did close Keane Wonder Mine from 2008 to 2017 in order to restore some of the failing and dilapidated structures, they also enclosed 50 mine shafts. The area is riddled with countless more so while you’re more than encouraged to wander around and inspect the ruins, I’d suggest not getting too far off the beaten path. We have a saying in Nevada - stay out, stay alive.
Afterthoughts
I didn’t know just what to expect and was surprised to still see so many remnants scattered all over in a national park; I guess I expected more clean-up to prevent liability on their part. Either way, I was pleasantly surprised. The structures are in great condition thanks to the park’s restoration efforts and there’s so much to discover. The road isn’t particularly rough so it really should be a much busier spot, but I quickly learned that most tourists stick to their cars and drive the loop (Badwater, Artists Drive, Golden Canyon) so even if you don’t have the couple hours to hike all the way to the top, it is at least worth a quick stop to explore the immediate area.
Something else that dawned on me as I stood in the sun, kind of baking to death through my thin sweatshirt, huffing from the hike and hearing the occasional pop from my knees was the sheer toughness and fortitude it took to be a miner 150 years ago. No wonder it was all drinking and whoring on the weekends. What an indescribably hard life to live. So I guess I wasn’t all that surprised when I found out recently that after selling his share of the claim, Jack Keane returned to Ireland and instead of growing old on his mountain of money, he got in not one but TWO separate shooting incidents and ended up spending 17 years in prison.
Like, WTF bro?! You hit the lottery!
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