Overview

Monarch Canyon is a nice, 1.1-mile hike down a rugged canyon to a spring in the Death Valley Wilderness Area. The route passes several historical mining structures along the way, Monarch Mine, which is a stout detour from the main hike to Monarch Spring.

Monarch Mine, not visible from the wash, sits high in the cliffs back from the top of the chute. A miner's trail runs steeply up the west side of the mill to the top of the ore chute, and then back to the mine. No mine is safe, and the entrance of this one is collapsing, but it seemed safe enough to enter briefly. Be careful around the mining structures to avoid damaging them or causing cave-ins.

Presented here are photos of Monarch Mine. For a detailed description of the route, including directions, maps, GPS coordinates, and photos, see Monarch Canyon.