California Photo Scout

Thieves will be prosecuted: Lost Burro Mine

Lost Burro Gold Mine is a remote mining camp in Death Valley’s backcountry. Extremely well preserved due to the dry winds and a curse that keeps people from stealing items, the mine is an exceptional destination for photographers. The mining camp is located in a narrow side canyon that provides good shooting opportunities.

The roughnecks who braved the hard conditions of Death Valley didn’t get rich, but left an account of their lives behind that still fascinates visitors 100 years later.

Due to the remote location, you will most likely have the mine to yourself. Nobody will get in your way but nobody will help you if you get into trouble either. Take your time and discover the fascination of the old mining camps spread throughout the mountains of Death Valley.

How to get there

Get gas at Stovepipe Wells before heading out into the wilderness. Even if you have sufficient gasoline, it is a good idea to start these trails with a full tank. The gasoline at Furnace Creek is more expensive, but they have three grades, diesel and propane while Stovepipe Wells only has regular unleaded gas. Olancha, located outside Death Valley on CA-190 has the last cheap gas before heading into Death Valley NP. Drivers sometimes underestimate the vast distances in Death Valley and end up stranded.

Map of Lost Burro Mine

From Stovepipe Wells, take CA-190 east and take Scotty’s Castle road north at the next intersection. After 33 miles you will get to a ranger station. Shortly after the ranger station, turn left onto Ubehebe Crater Road. Follow this road for 5 miles and then take the Racetrack Valley Dirt road. After 20 miles you will arrive at Teakettle Junction, a famous destination by itself. People hang their teakettle with a personal inscription and a memento inside.

At Teakettle Junction, turn left towards Hunter Mountain onto Hidden Valley Road. The side trail that leads to Lost Burro Mine is 3.2 miles from this point. First, you will drive through Lost Burro Gap, a narrow canyon, before entering Hidden Valley.

From the dirt trail intersection, the spur to your right leads to Lost Burro Mine. This trail gets very rugged after a while. Since the mine is only a little over one mile up this road, I recommend parking at the intersection or at the side of the road a few hundred meters uphill. I left my car at N36 43.638 W117 30.671 and walked the last bit.

Teakettle Junction with Hidden Valley Road

GPS position

N36 43.422 W117 31.314

How to photograph the Lost Burro Mine in Death Valley

Lost Burro Mine Cabin

As always, only take photographs and leave everything else undisturbed for others to discover again. The cabin is still in use today as a shelter. You can step inside to take photographs of the cabin and of the items the prospectors left behind. Just remember to close the door behind you when you leave, to keep the coyotes out.

Avoid using flash when shooting inside to preserve the colors and texture of your subjects. Turn up ISO levels to suit your needs or use a tripod if you have to. Certainly, a matter of taste, I find that digital noise goes well with these old, dusty subjects. If you cannot resist the lure of your tripod, consider bracketing your exposure and underexposing, to recover the highlights of the outside. Later you can stack your images to create an HDR photo.

Close to the cabin, you will find the outhouse. Incorporating the surrounding yucca trees, you can create surreal landscape photos featuring the outhouse. Use your camera handheld and change your position and focal length while examining the composition. Keep in mind to look where you step to avoid making close contact with a rattlesnake.

Mill: Lost Burro Mine

Another main attraction is the stamp mill. From the hill, you have exceptional views of the camp below. Using a medium telephoto lens, you can isolate the cabin from the camp. Hidden valley, which stretches in the distance behind the cabin, makes an excellent backdrop.

The mill itself still has some heavy machinery dangling from a decaying support structure. The old cast iron wheels are not very interesting. You can get the best shots with the valley as the backdrop and the mill in the foreground. Incorporating some of the foreground debris in your picture can dramatically improve the results.

The mining shaft, old wheelbarrows, stoves, signs and bullet-ridden barrels are just some of the subjects you can find at this mine.

Keep in mind to stay safe and tread lightly!

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

The light can be good throughout the day. Come during the cooler season to avoid the immense heat of Death Valley.

Time required

You need about two hours to explore the mine. Getting there and back however is a major undertaking and takes the better part of the day. Think about combining the trip with a visit to the famous Racetrack Valley.

Equipment

• Wide-Angle Lens
• Normal Lens
• CP Filter
• Lens Hood
• Tripod
• Spare batteries or power inverter and charger for your car
• Storage (memory cards, netbook/laptop, image tank)
• Water for two days
• Food and snacks
• Tire repair kit, tire sealant, spare tire, jack
• GPS device / maps
• Flashlight
• First Aid kit

Fees

The entrance fee to Death Valley is $20. You can pay at Stovepipe Wells or the Furnace Creek visitor center. Stovepipe Wells has only a ticket vending machine.

Difficulty Getting There

You should not attempt the drive in a sedan. A Subaru Outback and any stock SUV can make the drive. Park rangers usually advise you against driving this road, no matter what car you drive.

Carefully study the wording on your rental car contract. Most contracts forbid off-pavement driving, while some contracts forbid driving on un-maintained roads. Technically the park service maintains this road, since they grade it occasionally. If you become stuck, it may be impossible to get a commercial towing service out here. You will have to rely on the kindness of strangers.

Fortunately, this route is popular. I have met several other cars out here.

Difficulty Photographing

The countless items provide ample space for snakes and scorpions to hide and for you to cut yourself. Remember that you are far away from help and therefore need to pay even more attention than usual to prevent accidents. Look where you step and make some noise.

California is seismically active. There is not much to see inside the mineshaft and since you never know how the rocks have shifted in the past 100 years, I recommend not entering the shaft.

Close Locations

• Death Valley Racetrack
• Ubehebe Crater
• Scotty’s Castle
• Titus Canyon and Leadfield Ghost Town
• Wildflowers in Death Valley
• Mesquite Flat Dunes (near Stovepipe Wells)
• Badwater
• Salt Pan Polygons
• Zabriskie Point
• Saline Valley
• Saline Valley Dunes
• Father Crowley Point
• Darwin Falls
• Cerro Gordo

Useful Resources

Death Valley Backcountry Roads and useful camping information

Death Valley Photos

Death Valley National Park Site

A video mostly about the drive

Subscribe to my feed and be the first to learn about the secret places to photograph.

If you like this post, use the buttons below to bookmark it or vote for it.

Tweet This! :: E-Mail This!
Do you find this post de.licio.us? Tell people that you reddit!