TEMPLE BAR VIA BACK ROAD. Take Bluebird Canyon down
to Hualapai Wash, backtrack to Gregg's Hideout Road, watch for sign
at Temple Bar turnoff. Follow dirt road to Temple Bar - or - turn
off Pearce Ferry Road onto Gregg's Hideout Road and watch for Temple
Bar turnoff. Interesting mines, views of Lake Mead.
GRAPEVINE WASH - SPRING HIKING TRAILS - ROASTING PITS
- PEARCE FERRY -DRY FALLS - GYPSUM CLIFFS. East on Meadview Blvd in
Meadview, turn right on Shore and left onto BLM 145. Follow road
north into wash, pass Lucky 7 windmill, turn right into next wash
then right again to find Anasazi Yucca Roasting Pits. 1/2 mile south
of Grapevine Springs turn right into Lost Cable. A 6 to 6 1/2 mile
hike to Dry Falls and the two canyons in back. Hike up Grapevine
Springs Canyon but be prepared to climb up three small waterfalls.
Gypsum cliffs on both sides of wash 2 miles north. Pearce Ferry
Landing can be reached if you continue to the north arriving at the
lake edge. Over the ridge is what is left of a mining site.
Grapevine wash was known as the OLD UTE TRAIL and was used for
hundreds of years by the Anasazi crossing the Colorado River. They
either turned left at what is now the Diamond Bar Ranch to travel to
the Hopi Mesa or right to go to California.
POPE MINE - CHALCEDONY WASH. Turn left at milepost
25 on highway 93. Follow dirt road to mine, fairly well posted, then
continue down road for 9 miles. Chalcedony found laying on the
ground and up into the light colored hills. Continue down road 1/2
mile to reach Colorado River. You need a guide.
SECRET PASS - HIDDEN ARCH. From highway 68 turn
left on Estrella. Turn right and follow dirt road. Secret Pass
entrance is difficult to find but the hike is fantastic. This is the
trail used from Mineral Park into the Oatman area mines. Further
down the road turn left and park. Hidden Arch is up in the heavy
rock formations above the parking area. You need a guide.
CYCLOPIC-FRY-OWENS MINES. Turn off Pearce Ferry at
mile 16. Dirt road into low hills. Cyclopic is an open pit gold
mine. Owens is located on Senator Mountain. Some of these mines are
again in production.
PATAYA ROAD. The road just beyond the Music
Mountain Road turns right across and just southeast of the dry lake,
Red Lake. This was an old Indian route that now intersects with
Stockton Hill Road.
WINDY POINT-SADDLEBACK-PICNIC AREA. Turn at
milepost 51 off highway 93. Follow road to top. Great picnic and
hiking area. Continuing on this road 2 miles, you reach the hiking
trail up CHERUM PEAK. Following the road you find many mines and
eventually circle back to Chloride. This is a wild horse range for
the remaining herd of 110 horses with bloodlines of the Sorraias
horses brought by the first Spaniards.
COTTONWOOD COVE - KATHERINE'S LANDING. At milepost
46 on highway 93, turn right and follow dirt road to cove.
Interesting mine activity to the right going down cut. Turn left
before starting down cut and follow road into Katherine's Mine area.
Road closed at steep gorge. Very interesting 4x4 drive. Some working
mines in the area.
MUSIC MOUNTAIN MINES -
CLAY SPRINGS RANCH - HELL'S CANYON. Off Antares Rd turn left at
first road. Follow road around Willow Canyon Ranch and up a steep,
shale-covered road. This is Hell's Canyon and it ends on Hualapai
reservation land. Continuing on Antares, the next road is to the
Clay Springs Ranch. Continue up the steep grade to intersect the
Buck and Doe road. Back on Antares Road, you next come to the Music
Mountain Mill along the road. The next road left takes you to many
mines, including Ellen Jane, Rosebud, Lucky Cuss, Bonanza King. A
steep road leads over the mountain and back to the Clay Springs
Road.
GOLD BASIN MINES.
Includes Blue Bird, Gold Hill, Golden Gate, Malco, Excelsior,
Senator, Owens, Fry, and King Tut mines. Gold Basin cemetery is
located off Gregg's Hideout Road on right. What remains of the mill
is on the left. Unique fossil "strewn" meteorite fragments have been
found over a wide area here. Largest collection ever found outside
Antarctica with many still there. Peanut to softball size fragments.
For more click on: Meteorites.
TODD BASIN MINES. Off
highway 93 at milepost 56, turn left. Go around the sludge pond and
up the road. Many skeletons of buildings are left. One mine has
arsenate crystals covering walls of the tunnel. A guide would help.
IRON MOUNTAIN GARNET MINE. Just past the Diamond
Bar Ranch turn right on road and follow up the mountain. Ray's Place
is still standing with a large apricot tree. Road is washed out very
badly. Follow to top - hiking is best. The view of Red Lake is
great. Deep garnet mine is on outside of mountain looking into the
dry lake.
MEADVIEW OVERLOOK - LAKE MEAD CITY OVERLOOK.
Follow Diamond Bar (Grand Canyon West) Road. Just before Hualapai
reservation signs, turn left. Continue with turns to left at fork.
The first road goes to Lake Mead City overlook and the second ends
at the Meadview overlook. The main road continues to the right with
an overlook of Grand Canyon West airstrip A guide is very helpful to
find these overlooks and the Anasazi roasting pits and caves.
PETROGLYPH WASH - BONELLI LANDING - JAMES BAY.
Turn off highway 93 at milepost 20 (Temple Bar turnoff) and then
turn left at Bonelli turnoff. Bonelli is to your right. The turnoff
to Petroglyph Wash is to your left on NPS 71. There is a loop road.
The road to James Bay is NPS 73. Old Pope Mine is NPS 72. Area has
many petroglyphs.
FIG SPRINGS. This is on the old Goldroad. Leave
Rte 66 eleven miles beyond the McConnico turnoff, then turn on
Navajo - to Garnet - to Dawson. Dawson is a narrow, rocky dirt road.
One mile to the west, against the volcanic rocks, you will find two
springs, a marsh, two rock houses, a swimming pool and a rock
enclosed yard with a rock barbecue and mesquite and palo verde
trees. At the edge of the cattail filled marsh is a fig tree that,
according to history buffs, was planted by Friar Garces when he and
Indian guides passed through the area in 1776.
NOTE: A printed pamphlet
containing more Hiking and 4-wheeling trips can be purchased at the
Meadview Chamber of Commerce.