Tag: Death Valley

Death Valley National Park, located in eastern California and stretching into Nevada, is a land of extremes. It is the hottest, driest, and lowest national park in the United States, featuring the famously scorching Badwater Basin, which lies 282 feet below sea level. The park’s vast and varied landscape includes towering sand dunes, rugged mountains, and colorful badlands. Despite its harsh conditions, Death Valley is home to a surprising diversity of life, with unique plant and animal species adapted to the extreme environment. The park also boasts stunning geological features such as the salt flats, volcanic craters, and canyons, offering visitors a breathtaking glimpse into the power of nature. Starry night skies and striking sunrises and sunsets add to the park’s otherworldly beauty, making it a unique destination for adventure seekers and nature enthusiasts alike.

Cave Rock Spring Road

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Death Valley National Park 4x4 and Back Country Roads
Death Valley National Park 4×4 and Back Country Roads

Cave Rock Spring Road is a remote, roughly 12-mile one-way dirt 4WD spur in the Nevada Triangle portion of Death Valley National Park (and adjacent public lands), near Rhyolite and the Bullfrog Hills.

Trail / Road Description

Access begins near the Bullfrog turnoff on Rhyolite Road (between Nevada Highway 374 and the Rhyolite ghost town). The route winds through the western Bullfrog Hills into a large wash, where it splits. The south fork is Cave Rock Spring Road; it continues past the Hooligan (Happy Hooligan) Mine area and ends about 0.25 mile below the spring itself.

  • Distance: Approximately 12 miles one-way to the end of the road near the spring (the final short stretch into the spring area is closed to vehicles).
  • Conditions: Unmaintained dirt road with sandy sections in the wash. High-clearance 4WD is strongly recommended. Road conditions change with weather and flash floods; check with Death Valley National Park or the BLM before travel.
  • Terrain & scenery: High-desert hills and washes with sparse Great Basin vegetation (sagebrush, rabbitbrush, golden cholla). The road offers solitude, views of the Bullfrog Hills and Grapevine Mountains, and a tangible sense of the remote mining landscape that surrounded Rhyolite. Elevation near the spring is roughly 5,100–5,200 feet.
  • Key stops: The Hooligan/Happy Hooligan Mine (about 10.9–11 miles in) has mine dumps, sparse wood ruins, and debris. Beyond it, stone foundations appear before the road ends short of the spring.
  • The spring: Cave Rock Spring is a small seep surrounded by a dense thicket of desert broom. It is not a reliable potable water source today and is often affected by wild burros. The name likely refers to the rocky setting of the seep.

This is remote backcountry. Carry ample water, be self-reliant, respect historic artifacts (leave them in place), and be prepared for changing conditions. It does not connect through to other major routes.

History of Cave Rock Spring and Its Connection to Rhyolite

Cave Rock Spring sits in the broader Bullfrog Mining District on the east slope of the Grapevine Mountains / Bullfrog Hills area, roughly 10–12 miles west of the Rhyolite / Bullfrog vicinity.

Rhyolite exploded into existence after prospectors Shorty Harris and E. L. Cross discovered gold in 1904, launching the Bullfrog rush. By 1907–1908 the town briefly supported several thousand people (estimates range up to ~5,000–10,000 in the district) with banks, a stock exchange, railroads, electricity, and other amenities. Water was the critical limiting resource in this arid country. Early on it was hauled by wagon at high cost ($2–5 per barrel). Multiple companies later piped water from various local springs into town.

Cave Rock Spring itself was a minor seep rather than a primary long-distance piped source for the main Rhyolite townsite (those came from springs such as Indian Springs and others). It formed part of the network of small springs and seeps that supported mining, wood camps (including nearby Mexican Camp), travel, and livestock across the Bullfrog Hills during the boom. Nearby, the Happy Hooligan (Hooligan) Mine was discovered in May 1905. By early 1906 it had its own camp with a boardinghouse, blacksmith shop, and store-saloon; a road was built and the property was heavily promoted. The high-grade surface ore was quickly worked out, and the mine was abandoned by the end of 1907. Only dumps, sparse ruins, and debris remain.

After the Rhyolite boom collapsed (Montgomery-Shoshone Mine closed in 1911; power cut by 1916; the town essentially abandoned by the early 1920s), remote springs like Cave Rock continued intermittent use and later became watering points for wild burros. The road and spring today preserve a quiet link to the water-scarce realities of the short-lived Rhyolite-era camps and minor mines that surrounded the famous ghost town.

Note: Rhyolite itself lies just outside the national park boundary on mixed federal and private land and is managed primarily by the BLM. The Nevada Triangle (including this road) is within Death Valley National Park. Always verify current access and conditions, as flash floods and other factors can affect remote dirt roads.

Old Railroad Grade Road

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Old Railroad Grade Road (and the related historic LV&T grades near Rhyolite) follows remnants of early-1900s railroad beds in the Nevada Triangle portion of Death Valley National Park and adjacent public land near the Rhyolite ghost town and Beatty, Nevada.

Trail Description

The named Old Railroad Grade Road is a short, relatively easy ~4.1-mile full-width dirt/two-track route near Beatty. The western section is well-graded and wide; farther along it transitions to rockier two-track with some washout transitions (one a bit more pronounced). It passes near the local airport and an old Nevada gun club range area. Technical rating is low (around 2/easy on common off-road scales). High-clearance vehicles, SUVs, side-by-sides, ATVs, and dirt bikes handle it well in dry conditions; standard passenger cars may struggle on the rougher sections. Best seasons are fall, winter, and spring. Expect typical desert conditions: sharp rocks that can puncture tires, potential rattlesnakes, and limited cell service (often just a bar of LTE). Beatty provides nearby fuel, food, and supplies.

More historically significant (and scenic for railroad enthusiasts) are the visible remnants of the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad “high line” grade. This runs from the Rhyolite area northward through the Bullfrog Hills, with cuts, fills, and the old roadbed still evident for roughly 12 miles through what is now Death Valley National Park lands in the Nevada Triangle. Sections are driveable or walkable in places (from near Rhyolite toward the Original Bullfrog Mine area, Mud Summit, and farther north toward Currie’s Wells in good conditions), though flash flooding and erosion can change accessibility. The grade is often clearly visible against the desert floor. It offers quiet high-desert scenery, solitude, and a strong sense of the boom-era landscape with minimal modern development.

Rhyolite itself (just outside the park boundary, on mixed federal/private land managed in part by BLM) is the natural starting point. The well-preserved Mission Revival-style Las Vegas & Tonopah depot still stands at the north end of town, along with other ruins (Cook Bank, Bottle House, etc.). The Goldwell Open Air Museum is nearby. Always check current conditions with the National Park Service or local sources, as desert roads can wash out, and respect private property and ARPA protections (leave artifacts in place).

History of Railroads in the Area

The early 1900s gold strikes at Tonopah (1900), Goldfield (1902–03), and especially the Bullfrog District (Rhyolite area, 1904) triggered a short but intense railroad-building boom. Between roughly 1904 and 1907, several companies raced to lay hundreds of miles of track to serve the mining camps, haul ore and supplies, and capture passenger traffic. Beatty became a key junction (sometimes called the “Chicago of the West” for its rail activity), with three lines converging on the district.

Key railroads:

  • Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad (LV&T): Built by Senator William A. Clark (1905–07). It ran northwest from Las Vegas ~198 miles to Goldfield, with service through Beatty and directly into Rhyolite (first train arrived December 1906). The challenging “high line” section climbed from Beatty through Rhyolite and the Bullfrog Hills (including steep grades requiring helper engines). A handsome Mission Revival depot was completed in Rhyolite in 1908. The line suffered from high operating costs, lighter-than-expected traffic after the mines underperformed, and the Panic of 1907. Northern sections (including the high line west/north of Rhyolite) were largely abandoned around 1914 after consolidation; overall LV&T operations ended by 1918, and much of the Las Vegas–Beatty alignment was later used for U.S. Highway 95.
  • Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad (BG or BGRR): Incorporated 1905, built 1906–07 southward from Goldfield to Beatty and Rhyolite (~82 miles originally). It competed directly for Bullfrog District traffic and later shared or leased trackage. Operations continued in reduced form into the late 1920s (ended ~1928).
  • Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad (T&T): Built by “Borax” Smith northward from Ludlow, California (reaching the Beatty/Gold Center area in 1907). It connected via the Bullfrog Goldfield tracks and outlasted the pure gold-boom lines thanks in part to borax traffic, operating until 1940 (rails later removed for WWII scrap).

Rhyolite itself exploded after the 1904 discovery by Shorty Harris and E.L. Cross, peaking around 1907–08 with thousands of residents, banks, an opera house, electricity, and multiple rail connections. The Montgomery-Shoshone and other mines never sustained the boom; the town collapsed rapidly (last train roughly 1918 or earlier on some lines; population near zero by the early 1920s). Rails were progressively abandoned and pulled up (many for wartime scrap in the 1940s). Today the grades, the Rhyolite depot, scattered ties/artifacts, and the surrounding desert landscape preserve the story of this brief, competitive railroad era that briefly linked remote Nevada mining camps to the outside world.

These remnants offer an evocative way to experience the landscape much as it appeared over a century ago—quiet, open desert with the subtle engineering scars of cuts and fills still readable on the ground. Always travel prepared, stay on existing routes, and verify road status, as conditions in this remote area change with weather.

Back County Camping in Death Valley National Park

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Primitive backcountry camping in Death Valley National Park offers profound solitude amid vast desert landscapes, with few other people, excellent wildlife viewing, and some of the darkest night skies in the United States.

Homestake, Death Valley
Homestake, Death Valley

Death Valley encompasses more than 3 million acres of designated wilderness (over 93% of the park). Away from developed areas and popular roads, campers often experience true isolation—nights without the sounds or lights of other visitors, under an immense canopy of stars. The park is an International Dark Sky Park (Gold Tier level), with exceptionally clear, dry air and minimal light pollution. On moonless nights the Milky Way can stretch horizon to horizon, and celestial objects invisible from most urban or suburban locations become visible. Backcountry locations far from Furnace Creek or Stovepipe Wells provide the darkest viewing.

Wildlife viewing opportunities arise from the park’s surprising diversity of habitats—colorful badlands, canyons, alluvial fans, springs, and higher-elevation woodlands. Desert bighorn sheep, coyotes, kit foxes, lizards, snakes, birds, and smaller mammals inhabit the area. Springs and water sources are critical for wildlife; camping near them is restricted to protect these fragile habitats. Visitors should never feed or approach animals.

NPS Directives on Campsite Locations, Campfires, Water, and Related Rules

Campsite locations

  • Dispersed (backcountry) camping is generally allowed at least one mile from any paved road, developed area, or “day-use only” dirt road.
  • Roadside (vehicle-accessible) camping along many dirt roads is permitted only in previously disturbed areas immediately adjacent to the roadway (vehicles must stay on designated roads; off-road driving is prohibited). The wilderness boundary typically begins 50 feet from the centerline of most dirt roads.
  • Certain popular corridors (Echo Canyon, Hole in the Wall, Cottonwood Canyon/Marble Canyon, and Greenwater Valley/Furnace Creek Wash) require mandatory paid permits ($10/night) for designated or limited dispersed roadside sites; these are reserved online via Recreation.gov up to six months in advance. Overnight backpacking in those corridors is allowed farther than one mile from the road centerline.
  • All other roadside camping, backpacking, or canyoneering is free and permits are recommended (not mandatory); obtain them at Furnace Creek Visitor Center, Stovepipe Wells Ranger Station, the self-service drop box, or online.
  • Prohibited areas include: the valley floor from Ashford Mill north to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes; Eureka and Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes; within one mile of Greenwater Canyon or Darwin Falls Trail; many “day-use only” roads (Titus Canyon, Mosaic Canyon, West Side Road, Wildrose Road, Skidoo Road, Aguereberry Point Road, first 8 miles of Cottonwood Canyon Road, etc.); and near certain historic mining sites.
  • Camp at least 100 feet from any flowing stream, spring, or natural body of water (some older guidance references 100–200 yards; follow the stricter current rule).
  • Group size is limited to 12 people and no more than 4 vehicles; larger groups must split up and camp/travel at least ½ mile apart.
  • Maximum stay is generally 30 days per calendar year (some developed sites have shorter limits). Camp only in previously disturbed spots where possible and practice Leave No Trace.

Campfires

  • Traditional campfires (wood or charcoal that contact the ground) are not allowed in the backcountry.
  • Portable gas stoves are permitted.
  • Fire pans or other fireproof barriers that keep the fire completely off the natural surface are allowed in many areas (below 3,000 feet year-round; above 3,000 feet only from approximately September 16 to June 14). Wood gathering is prohibited; all ash and unburned material must be packed out. Check current fire restrictions, as they can change.
  • In designated primitive campgrounds (e.g., Wildrose area), fires may be restricted or limited to provided grates during high-fire-danger periods.

Water and other essentials

  • There is no potable water in the backcountry. Natural springs are unreliable, often dry, and can be contaminated (e.g., by wildlife or other sources). Carry all the water you will need—commonly one gallon or more per person per day in hot weather—or carefully cache it in advance. Purify any backcountry water before drinking.
  • Pack out all trash, leftover food, and (in many situations) human waste. Bury human waste at least 6 inches deep and 200 feet from water sources; pack out toilet paper.
  • Pets are restricted: they are not allowed on trails or in wilderness areas and must stay within 50 feet of roads or developed areas.
  • Cell service is nonexistent in most of the park. Self-reliance is essential—carry extra food, water, spare tires/repair kits, maps, and a communication plan. High-clearance (and often 4WD) vehicles are required for most backcountry roads.

Primitive backcountry camping here rewards careful preparation with solitude, wildlife encounters, and unparalleled night skies. Always check current conditions, road status, and regulations on the official NPS Death Valley website (nps.gov/deva) before your trip, as rules and access can change with weather, fire danger, or management needs.

Schwab California

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Schwab, also spelled Schwaub, was a short-lived gold mining camp and ghost town in Inyo County, California, situated in the Funeral Mountains on the eastern edge of Death Valley. Located approximately 12 miles north of Ryan at an elevation of 3,389 feet (1,033 m), the townsite lies in Echo Canyon within the Echo-Lee Mining District. Today, it is a largely abandoned site within or near Death Valley National Park, accessible via desert roads best traveled in winter. Little remains beyond scattered ruins, leveled tent sites, piles of rusted tin cans, broken glass, and remnants of the nearby Stray Horse (or Inyo) Mine.

Schwab, California - “In the afternoon the townsite company drinks tea,” Death Valley Chuck-Walla magazine, Vol 2. No. 1, June 1907
Schwab, California – “In the afternoon the townsite company drinks tea,” Death Valley Chuck-Walla magazine, Vol 2. No. 1, June 1907

Founding and Early Development (1905–1906)

The town originated during the intense mining boom that swept the Death Valley region following the 1904 gold strike at Rhyolite, Nevada. Prospectors fanned out in search of extensions of the rich Bullfrog District deposits, including rumored lost mines like the Breyfogle. In January 1905, Mormon prospectors Chet Leavitt and Moroni Hicks discovered a promising quartz ledge known as the Stray Horse in Echo Canyon on the west side of the Funeral Range. Initial assays were disappointing, but a richer vein higher up led them to stake over 20 claims, including the Inyo Mine. They formed the Inyo Gold Mining Company with investors from Provo, Utah.

By late 1905—around Christmas—the townsite began to take shape down Echo Canyon. It was named Schwab in honor of Charles M. Schwab, the prominent American steel magnate (not to be confused with the later financier Charles R. Schwab). Schwab had invested heavily in regional mining ventures, including the nearby Skibo Mining Company (named after his Scottish castle) and claims resembling Rhyolite’s lucrative Montgomery-Shoshone Mine. The townsite was laid out just below the Skibo mine to support workers. Construction accelerated in early 1907, with supplies—including five boxcars of tents and equipment—shipped by rail to the area. A post office opened on March 18, 1907, with Eugene P. Houtz as postmaster (it closed permanently on August 15, 1907).

At its peak, Schwab supported a modest population of around 200 people. It featured basic services: a blacksmith shop, boarding house, general store, bakery, restaurant, and at least one saloon (housed in a tent). Infrastructure included a telephone line connected to Rhyolite via the Lee and Echo camps and a daily stage line. The Echo Miners Union provided some labor organization. The nearby Stray Horse/Inyo Mine served as the economic anchor, though the town primarily functioned as a supply and housing hub for the broader Echo-Lee District.

Unique Governance: The “Women of Schwab” (1907)

One of the most distinctive aspects of Schwab was its ownership and promotion by women—an unusual occurrence in the rough-and-tumble mining camps of the American West. The townsite company was taken over by three women: Gertrude Fesler (a young stockbroker from Chicago who had moved to Rhyolite to broker mining deals), Mrs. F.W. Dunn (of San Bernardino, who received her husband’s interest), and Helen H. Black (who bought out her husband’s share). They marketed the camp with promotional materials proclaiming it “A Mining Camp Built by Ladies: One of the Most Unique Wonders of the New West.” Contemporary newspapers, such as The Bullfrog Miner (March 1907) and Death Valley Chuck-Walla (June 1907), highlighted the novelty of women running a mining town, noting details like the owners drinking afternoon tea in the main tent.

The women reportedly enforced a “respectable” moral code, driving out saloons, gambling, and prostitution. Some contemporary and later accounts (including historian Lingenfelter) suggested this “dry” policy caused most of the male population to leave, accelerating the town’s collapse. However, archaeological evidence—such as beer and wine bottles, champagne bottle caps (agraffes), and dumps near the main tent—indicates that drinking persisted to some degree. Historians now emphasize that economic and logistical factors were the primary drivers of decline, not moral reforms.

Decline and Abandonment (1907 Onward)

Schwab’s boom was brief and fragile, mirroring the fate of many Death Valley mining camps. The Financial Panic of 1907 devastated regional mining investments, including those tied to Charles M. Schwab. Ore quality proved inconsistent, and Schwab’s location was disadvantaged: it depended on the more accessible Lee Camp for shipments, assays, and transport, with no direct route for miners. Most operations in the Echo-Lee District shut down, except for Lee Camp itself (which benefited from rail access). By August 1907, the post office closed, businesses folded, and the town rapidly emptied. Supplies were hauled away, leaving behind tent bases, wooden cellars, and debris.

The Inyo Gold Mining Company continued intermittent operations at the mine into the 1920s–1940s, but the townsite itself was abandoned within a year of its founding. Some later activity occurred after 1928, but Schwab never revived as a community.

Legacy and Current Status

Today, Schwab is a classic California ghost town with minimal visible structures—primarily scattered ruins, mine tailings, and historical debris in Echo Canyon. The Stray Horse/Inyo Mine workings remain, though they are often confused with the townsite itself. Two wooden crosses mark possible graves, one labeled “A Death Valley Victim – 1907.” The site offers a glimpse into the fleeting 1905–1907 mining excitement in Death Valley and stands as a reminder of the boom-and-bust cycle driven by speculation, distant capital (like Schwab’s investments), and harsh desert conditions.

Schwab’s story highlights the role of women in Western mining towns, the broader Death Valley gold rush, and the economic vulnerabilities of early 20th-century prospecting. It remains a point of interest for hikers, historians, and visitors to Death Valley National Park, though it lacks the dramatic intact buildings of better-known sites like Bodie or Rhyolite.

The town of Schwab is situated just below the Inyo and Skibo camps at the junction of the wagon roads leading up the east arm of Echo canyon and to Death Valley on the south. In other words, Schwab is located in the north or upper branch of Echo Canyon, astride the main Echo-Lee wagon road, across a small ridge from the present Inyo ruins, and about 1-1/2 miles from those ruins. At this location, evidence of the old townsite may be found.

The remains consist of seven leveled tent sites, some with ow and crude stone retaining walls remaining. More tent sites were once present, but have been erased by high water in the adjacent wash during Death Valley’s infrequent but violent flash floods. Two of the tent sites have eroded cellars behind them, about ten feet square and five feet deep. Since an immense pile of broken 1900 to 1910-dated beer bottles is located directly behind one of these tent-cellar sites, it is safe to say that this was the tent saloon, where once twenty-nine men were counted drinking at one time. The townsite covers several hundred feet along the-shallow wash which marks the northern branch of Echo Canyon, and remains are mostly restricted to the west side of that wash On the east side, however, is another tent location, and a shallow, unmarked grave, a lonely monument to one prospector who ended his days during the brief life of Schwab. About 300 yards to the west of the townsite is a crude derrick, the remains of Schwab’s well. The well site is dry and completely filled in, but numerous five gallon cans are scattered along the trail from the well to the townsite.

Rhyolite Herald of 22 February 1907.

Town Summary

NameSchwab, California
LocationDeath Valley National Park, California
Latitude, Longitude36.505, -116.7236
Elevation3,340 feet
Population200
Post Office

Schwab Map

References

Pebble Pincusion (Chaenactis carphoclinia)

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Scientific Name: Chaenactis carphoclinia A. Gray (primarily var. carphoclinia in Death Valley and most of its range)

Pebble Pincusion (Chaenactis carphoclinia) Found near Ashford Mill, Death Valley National Park. Photo Heather Rathbun
Pebble Pincusion (Chaenactis carphoclinia) Found near Ashford Mill, Death Valley National Park. Photo Heather Rathbun

Scientific Taxonomy

  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Clade: Tracheophytes (vascular plants)
  • Clade: Angiosperms (flowering plants)
  • Clade: Eudicots
  • Clade: Asterids
  • Order: Asterales
  • Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower or Daisy family)
  • Genus:Chaenactis (pincushions or dustymaidens)
  • Species:Chaenactis carphoclinia A. Gray

Common names include Pebble Pincushion, Pincushion Flower, and Straw-bed Pincushion. Two varieties exist: the widespread var. carphoclinia (smaller plant, common in Death Valley) and the rarer var. peirsonii (larger, limited to southern California’s Santa Rosa Mountains).

Description

Pebble Pincushion is a native annual forb/herb that grows from an erect, branching stem (usually one main stem) reaching 4–16 inches (10–40 cm) tall, occasionally up to 2 feet (60 cm) in favorable conditions. The stems are whitish-pubescent (hairy).

Leaves are green, mostly linear, and pinnately dissected or lobed (basal leaves highly divided and wither early; cauline leaves smaller with slender petioles), up to 4–10 cm long.

The inflorescence consists of 1–several small discoid flower heads (no ray flowers) per stem, each 0.25–1 cm wide. Heads feature white to pinkish-tinted disk florets with enlarged outer corollas and prominently exserted (protruding) anthers. Flat, sharp-pointed phyllaries (bracts) line the heads and often appear reddish. The fruit is a small achene tipped with a scaly pappus.

The plant resembles other desert Chaenactis species (e.g., Esteve’s Pincushion), but is generally smaller with multiple cream-to-white heads per stem.

Blooms

As a desert annual, Pebble Pincushion germinates after winter rains and blooms primarily in spring (January/February/March through May or June, depending on elevation and rainfall). In Death Valley, it is a signature species during “superbloom” years, often peaking in March–April alongside other desert annuals. The flowers are visited by bees, butterflies, and other small insects for nectar and pollen.

Range and Habitat

Pebble Pincushion is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Its range spans Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Baja California, and Sonora—primarily in the Mojave Desert, with extensions into the Sonoran Desert, southern Great Basin, and northwestern Chihuahuan Desert. Elevations range from 300–6,200 feet (90–1,900 m).

It thrives in rocky, gravelly, or sandy soils, including washes, open plains, mesas, slopes, and flats within desert shrublands. In Death Valley National Park, it is commonly found in gravelly washes and rocky areas (e.g., near Emigrant Pass, Badwater, and Mosaic Canyon), where it can form dense displays after sufficient winter precipitation. Seeds may be consumed by birds, small mammals, and desert tortoises.

Pebble Pincushion growing in typical Death Valley habitat—gravelly washes with mixed desert annuals under clear desert skies.

This hardy annual plays a key role in desert ecosystems as a quick-response bloomer that stabilizes soil and supports pollinators and wildlife following rainy periods.