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Report - - Leadfield Ghost Town (re-visited), Titus Canyon, Nevada/California, USA | European and International Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Leadfield Ghost Town (re-visited), Titus Canyon, Nevada/California, USA

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747_kirki

Death Valley is Mine
28DL Full Member
Decided to take the opportunity to re-visit the ghost town of Leadfield on the Titus Canyon Road, which enters Death Valley from Nevada and crosses into California. Previous visits here in ’04, ’07 and ’09 have always been in the height of summer, when 115+ degree temperatures mean you never want to explore too far from the car, for fear of treading on a rattler. In my experience I have found they tend to lie in areas around old buildings, and (along with Tarrantulas) like the shade of being just inside the entrance to a mine. :eek:

February is much better for getting out and about as the temperatures are high 60’s / low 70’s, so you aren't drinking a can of Gatorade every 10 minutes to keep refreshed. To get to Leadfield you have to take a 27-mile one-way dirty track for high-clearance vehicles only. The track climbs steeply up into the hills, with some fairly rutted and bumpy parts.

THE HISTORY BIT:
Leadfield was a mining boom town founded on wild and distorted advertising. 300 hopeful people swarmed here and a post office office was established in August 1926. By February 1927 the post office closed, and the town died. They never found the gold they were looking for here…


On with the pics…

If you’re driving Titus Canyon Road, you’re gonna kick-up some serious dirt trails on the way in. Cars 15 miles away on the nearby Daylight Pass will see where you’re headied. Dukes of Hazard eat your heart out! :tumbleweed
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Arriving in Leadfield (note small buildings on hillside - and massive tailings - a quick give-away sign of mining activity):
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There are multiple mine openings around Leadfield – some easily accessible, others requiring more of a climb to reach. The guys mining here must have had their work cut out – there are massive tailings all around, which shows how much they extracted in their short time here. National Park rangers have (unfortunately) blocked all the openings in Leadfield with metal bars (in the name of ‘Elf-‘n-Safety), and they are all incredibly well sealed
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Another sealed mine...:
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...with a strange 'modern' tunnel lining just behind the bars. Presumably added much later:
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Tailings just outside the mine (car all the way off in the background):
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Several old metal buildings built out of corrugated sheeting are scattered around the hillsides:
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Remains of other wooden buildings litter the place:
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Wasn’t sure what this could be – was it a toilet shack (round holes cut into the seat area)?:
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The rest of this ‘car / truck’ has long since gone – makes you wonder why / how it came to be left here:
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And a stone-based building too:
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This really is one amazing place. We didn’t see a soul on the road the whole time we were there. If you are planning to drive Titus Canyon Road, allow 2 – 2.5 hours, including time to explore Leadfield. And make sure your tyres are in good condition – you would NOT want a puncture out here!!! Watch out along the way for large rocks in the ‘road’ too. The way out is by literally driving through a Canyon (with huge walls either side of a very tight track). A great way to end the journey.
 
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