Walking Wild & Free

Redlands Canyon 1

Redlands Canyon

Redlands Canyon 1

Redlands Canyon

Hike down a very remote canyon to narrows and views over a working mine.

Total Distance: 6.8 miles out & back	Elevation Gain: 2,397ft. (4,245ft. to 2,096ft.)
Difficulty: Strenuous	5-10 Mile Difficulty: Very Strenuous
View Rating: 2.0 out of 5.0 stars2.0	Author’s Rating: 2.0 out of 5.0 stars2.0
Visitor Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]	Visitor Difficulty Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]
Pets: No	Horses: Yes
Best Seasons: October-May	Special Permits: None
Water Availability: No potable water	Overnight Options: Dispersed camping permitted at least 100 feet from any water source
Trailhead Amenities: None	Crowd Factor: Solitude
Trailhead Access: 2.3
Uses:	Trail Surface:
Features:	Hazards:

Mile-by-Mile: Redlands Canyon

0.0 Redlands Canyon Road at the spur to Emmett’s Cabin (4,246ft.). The spur leads to a not-so-old miner’s cabin and related junk, including an old school bus. This road also marks the boundary of Death Valley National Park. The continuation of the road is in Manley Peak Wilderness. As with most wilderness areas, vehicles are not allowed beyond this point. That said, there’s nothing to stop you from continuing down the road in a vehicle, and you probably wouldn’t even know that you’ve left the park. Still, due to the rough character of the road and its wilderness status, it’s best to continue on foot. Begin walking west on the old road downcanyon. The road appears to end after about 2.2 miles; shortly after this, the canyon seems to exit Manley Peak Wilderness. Exactly who owns this land is up for grabs – however, unless signs prohibit it, you can continue down to Redlands Spring. A few small dryfalls may pose miner challenges. (35.940608, -117.129858)

2.7 Redlands Spring (2,567ft.). If you can get through the growth around the spring, you may be able to reach a set of narrows. (35.937256, -117.169655)

3.4 More or less end of narrows (2,096ft.). You’re fairly near the canyon mouth at this point, which means you’re too close to the active Briggs Mine. The mine area is private; please don’t trespass. (35.936812, -117.176812)

History & More

Do not enter the Briggs Mine area – it is both private property and an active mine with heavy equipment and dangerous chemicals in use.

The Briggs Mine is a fairly new addition to the mining efforts in the Panamint Mountains. In 1996, a company out of Colorado (specializing in uranium mines) constructed a pit gold mine on the site, although sources indicate that silver has also been extracted. An ore shaft found a gold body about 10ft. thick. As of 2009, about 17 tons of gold had been extracted from the mine.

In 2004, the Briggs Mine shut down operations to begin cyanide treatment of its leftover talus. This raised concerns with the environmental groups, who remembered previous lapses in water safety by the same company in Montana. However, in recent years, the company has won awards not only for its safe operating procedures but also for cleaning hazardous materials from old mine sites, even in the Panamint Mountains.

Before the creation of the Briggs Mine, Redlands Canyon was the site of the largest dryfall in the Panamint Mountains – Manly Fall. Like Manly Beacon near Zabriskie Point, the dryfall was named for William Manly who helped rescue the 49ers who gave Death Valley its name. The dryfall was likely covered by mining efforts.

Henry Briggs’ cabin once sat on Manly Flat, where the mine is now functional. He often shared his prospector’s abode with the likes of Seldom Seen Slim – a colorful character around nearby Ballarat.

Download Route Map

Driving Directions

Trailhead is at the end of Redlands Canyon Road (accessible via the Warm Spring Canyon Road in Butte Valley).