Death Valley National Park
Keane Wonder Mine Trail
Keane Wonder Mine Trail
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National Monument
1933 National Park 1994 Park Size 3.4 million acres, 91% wilderness Annual Visitors 1.1 million Park Fee $30 Superintendent Mike Reynolds Park Partner Death Valley Natural History Association Location Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, CA, Nye County, NV |
The rugged landscape in and around Death Valley National Park has a rich history of boom-and-bust mining dating back to the mid-1800s. There are over 18,000 mining features preserved throughout the park. Though most mines proved unprofitable due to the scarcity of water and fuel and difficulties of transportation, a few operations were successful, including the Keane Wonder Mine.
The Keane Wonder Mine flourished in the early 20th century, and included a mile-long aerial tramway that transported 70 tons of gold ore per day during peak production. Many of the structures, including the tramway towers and terminals, are still present today, allowing visitors to ponder the rich human history of the site. The site was closed for over a decade to mitigate safety hazards. Since reopening in 2016, it has become one of the most popular historic sites in the park. A Fund-sponsored project installed a new educational sign at the site in 2017. Most of the work at the site had been focused on efforts to keep visitors safe, but the site still needed improvements. It was difficult for visitors to understand how and where to visit the most impressive infrastructure of the old mine. The Fund for People in Parks provided a grant to the Death Valley Natural History Association delineate the trails and parking so that visitors can better access the site. Construction was completed in December 2020. Project Cost: $24,832 Project Completed: 2020 The project will protect the site, but, more importantly, make sure visitors have a fun time coming up to see these aerial tramways rather than wandering off in some desert alluvial fan and not seeing much at all." |
