This page last updated on 05/02/2019
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| (Fig. 01) Click to Enlarge |
The area of I-15 south of Las Vegas covers a vast, large area. Especially if you include the northern portion of the Mojave National Preserve. Therefore, this section will include my pages for all of the sites and mines around Goodsprings, Nevada, the town of Nipton California and the Mojave National Preserve (Fig. 01).
The area surrounding Goodsprings probably contains more than 75 mines that all belonged to the Goodsprings Mining District, seen by the green shaded area in (Fig. 02).
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| (Fig. 02) Click to Enlarge |
The area is split by Sandy Valley Road which runs from Goodsprings, west to the town of Sandy Valley. Unfortunately, once you leave the main roads, there are relatively few areas to explore that don't require a 4WD vehicle. Even though the scale of the map in (Fig. 02) is not detailed enough to pinpoint the many mines found in the areas noted below, you will find detailed location maps on each of the linked pages. Clicking the titles below will provide more photos and detailed descriptions. |
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 Goodsprings: Generally, the term 'ghost town' is associated with a boom-town of the American West that, because the economic activity that once supported it has ceased to prosper, has become deserted or abandoned, yet still contains visible remains of what it once was. Once a thriving mining town and the recognized center of the Goodsprings Mining District, with a peak population of nearly 1,000 inhabitants, it now has a population of less than 230 residents. With only a handful of reminders that hearken back to its "glory" days, many falling into further decay with each passing year, Goodsprings can be truly classified as a modern day ghost town. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography |
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 Goodsprings Mining District: Generally speaking, the Goodsprings district is located west, north and south around the town of Goodsprings, covering an area of approximately 100 square miles. With over 75 mines and several hundred prospects in the southern end of the Spring Mountain Range in the south western part of Clark County, Nevada, it was the largest mining district in the state. |
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 Goodsprings Mining District (South). This portion of the Goodsprings Mining District, located at the southern end of the Spring Mountain Range, south of Goodsprings along the west side of NV-161, is filled with dozens of prospects, mines, shafts and adits, many of which are 400 to 500 feet up on steep mountain sides. Due to the difficulty in reaching some of these locations, many of them still have remains and equipment that hasn’t been picked clean. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography |
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 Yellow Pine Mines: In 1901, the Yellow Pine Mining Company was formed, which consolidated ownership of most of the area mines and built a mill in Goodsprings. Because of this large consolidation, this general area was often referred to as the Yellow Pine Mining District, however, it was just a area within the Goodsprings Mining District. In 1911 the company built a rail line to Jean to reduce the costs of shipping out the ore from its mines and mill. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography |
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 Rainbow Quarry & Aztec Tank: About seven miles north of town on the Goodsprings Bypass Road you bear left onto Potosi Mountain Road and travel about a half mile and bear right onto Pauline Mine Road. Traveling along the base of the large red sandstone outcrop this road takes you to the the Aztec Tank, Contact Mine, and Pauline Mine and an active sandstone quarry. At an elevation of around 5,000 feet, the drive across the desert here provides colorful scenery and great views of the Potosi Range. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography |
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 Mount Potosi: At 8,515 feet, Mount Potosi is a notable peak in the Spring Mountains located about 14 miles behind the town of Goodsprings. Besides being the home of 7 full power FM broadcasting stations it is most notably known for being the crash site that killed actress Carole Lombard and 22 others on January 16, 1942. Its summit is easily reachable from service road that runs along its ridges from the southern portion of the range, making it an easy option for a hike. The entire length of this road offers stupendous views in every direction. Hiking, Rock-hounding, Birding and Photography |
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 Sandy Valley Road - Nevada: There are literally dozens of old mine sites, shafts and adits located along this 10-mile road, many reachable by less than an hours hike. The ore deposits for this area fall into two primary classifications; gold-copper and lead-zinc. Clicking this link will take you to a page with nearly a half-dozen links to mine hikes in this area. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography
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 Sloan Canyon Petroglyph Site: The 48,438 acre Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area is located only a short distance south of Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada in the northwestern portion of the McCullough Mountain Range. It surrounds an additional area that has been designated as the North McCullough Wilderness Area. The centerpiece of this area is the Sloan Canyon Petroglyph Site, one of the most significant cultural resources in Southern Nevada. Its 318 recorded rock art panels contain more than 1,200 individual petroglyphs. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography
 Nipton, California - Summary Page: A previous owner once billed Nipton as, “The Gateway to the Mojave Desert”. Nipton is a privately owned, unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, California, on the northern edge of Mojave National Preserve, west of Searchlight, Nevada, with a population of nearly 20 people. Originally constructed in 1910 and refurbished in 2004, the adobe hotel, built in the Spanish Territorial style with a wrap-around-covered porch is advertised as a ‘bed & breakfast’. There are also several "eco-cabins" designed to provide a comfortable camping experience in the natural desert environment.There is also a trailer park, a small general store & gift shop, and a café that is open on most days. Now under new ownership, Nipton is now billed as "Magical Nipton". For pictures and a description of this "rebirth" click here ... Magical Nipton - 04/12/2019 Trip Notes. Photography |
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Mojave National Preserve - Summary Page: The Mojave National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. At 1,600,000 acres, it is the third largest unit of the National Park System in the contiguous United States. Its natural features include the Kelso Dunes, the Marl Mountains and the Cima Dome, as well as volcanic formations such as Hole-in-the-Wall and the Cinder Cone Lava Beds. The preserve also encloses the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area and Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve, which are both managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Click here for pictures and a description of the Mitchell Caverns ... Providence Mountains State Recreation Area. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography
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Goodsprings: Generally, the term 'ghost town' is associated with a boom-town of the American West that, because the economic activity that once supported it has ceased to prosper, has become deserted or abandoned, yet still contains visible remains of what it once was. Once a thriving mining town and the recognized center of the Goodsprings Mining District, with a peak population of nearly 1,000 inhabitants, it now has a population of less than 230 residents. With only a handful of reminders that hearken back to its "glory" days, many falling into further decay with each passing year, Goodsprings can be truly classified as a modern day ghost town. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography
Goodsprings Mining District (South). This portion of the Goodsprings Mining District, located at the southern end of the Spring Mountain Range, south of Goodsprings along the west side of NV-161, is filled with dozens of prospects, mines, shafts and adits, many of which are 400 to 500 feet up on steep mountain sides. Due to the difficulty in reaching some of these locations, many of them still have remains and equipment that hasn’t been picked clean. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography
Rainbow Quarry & Aztec Tank: About seven miles north of town on the Goodsprings Bypass Road you bear left onto Potosi Mountain Road and travel about a half mile and bear right onto Pauline Mine Road. Traveling along the base of the large red sandstone outcrop this road takes you to the the Aztec Tank, Contact Mine, and Pauline Mine and an active sandstone quarry. At an elevation of around 5,000 feet, the drive across the desert here provides colorful scenery and great views of the Potosi Range. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography
