Bonanza Trail

The Bonanza Trail is a scenic and rugged 4WD route that winds through the historic mining region of the El Paso Mountains. This remote trail takes adventurers through a landscape rich with stories of gold prospectors, pioneer settlers, and mining camps that thrived during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

As you navigate the rocky and sandy terrain, you'll pass historic sites that provide a glimpse into the area's past. The Bonanza Gulch Post Office is believed to have been built in the 1930s and once served the local mining community. Further along, interpretive signs highlight the experiences of gold seekers who hurried through on their way to the Mother Lode in the Sierra Nevada, only to return seeking their fortunes in these hills. Evidence of their persistence can still be seen in abandoned tunnels, weathered structures, and scattered mining remnants. A much more advanced and abandoned commercial mine is on the far western end, at the border of Red Rock Canyon State Park.

An abundance of dispersed camping can be found on the higher elevations out of the wash, and one can stay at any of the remaining structures along the washy area—just use the occupied signs that vary by building. Use at your own risk.

As a side of history, at one time, these cabins were officially adopted via the BLM Adopt-A-Cabin program. An older document from the BLM describes the program as: "It was a volunteer partnership arrangement administered by the Ridgecrest Field Office from the late 1980s to 2005. It operated under the ambitious but ultimately untenable goal of saving historical-period mining cabins in the region, largely for recreational reuse. Under the auspices of the program, several mining cabins in the Study Area were renovated, including the Beveridge Ridge Cabin in Inyo County. Inarguably, the work under the program prevented the collapse of several buildings. However, concerns over the lack of collection of baseline condition data prior to initiating work and the absence of involvement of BLM cultural resource managers brought an end to the program."