Exploring Abandoned Mines in California's Piute Mountain Range

Exploring Abandoned Mines in California's Piute Mountain Range

The Piute Mountains are part of the Sequoia National Forest in Kern County, Ca. They lie between the Kern River to the west and the Mojave Desert to the east. Large scale gold mining in the Piutes began in the late 1860’s and early 1870’s but faded out around the turn of the century. The great depression brought on another flury of activity and many old mines were reopened as low buget operations.

In this video, I show you four old gold mines and one dolomite mine that I found during a camping trip last July. At the mine sites I found two adits, a miner’s cabin, and a stone arrastra. Although these mines are pretty small, they were still very enjoyable to explore. I hope you guys find them as interesting as I did.

13 Comments

  1. Sue Girling on March 31, 2021 at 1:14 pm

    Hi, that cabin was a cool find, I wonder how old it was ??. those mines although small were still interesting. Thank you for sharing, much love. xx💖

  2. PHARRAOH on March 31, 2021 at 1:16 pm

    just yesterday, I was watching Andy Griffith and it was the one where he and Helen Crump get stuck in a old mine when it collapsed and Barney organized a crew to dig them out.

  3. No Angel on March 31, 2021 at 1:23 pm

    Please keep an eye out for any freshly dug areas. There is two missing toddlers from California City. I believe they are buried in an abandoned mining area or in the desert near California City or Bakersfield.

  4. ronnie cardy on March 31, 2021 at 1:27 pm

    Nice cabin 👌

  5. shawn burton on March 31, 2021 at 1:34 pm

    Been hunting piute mtn for years never seen those mines.

  6. Lars Mohler on March 31, 2021 at 1:37 pm

    Nice finds. Thanks for taking us along.

  7. Robert Hardwick on March 31, 2021 at 1:45 pm

    Id be on the watch for mountain lions!

  8. Steven School Alchemy on March 31, 2021 at 1:45 pm

    Cool bananas!

  9. SoCal Outdoor Explorer on March 31, 2021 at 1:49 pm

    Another awesome video. What are your resources that you use to find your locations?

  10. bobsg35 on March 31, 2021 at 1:50 pm

    Looks like that place gets a lot of traffic.

  11. Ralph Patrick on March 31, 2021 at 2:03 pm

    I’m so jealous! My age and health prevent me from exploring. Thanks for sharing!

  12. Cheycasters on March 31, 2021 at 2:09 pm

    Cool! Iv’e never heard of that arrasta?? El Paso’s too Piutes! Thanks.for theses vids…

  13. Kevin Brennan on March 31, 2021 at 2:11 pm

    I will never understand the mine of a vandal or thief. What a wonderful asset { NOT }, to the community they are.. At least the place, has not been shot to shit..

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