Reward Mine

If you're in the area you should make detour over to reward mine to experience driving into a mine! On a weekend don't be surprised if you have to wait for your turn to drive in. I would give the road up a rating of 3 due to the rockiness. For a more detailed review check the middle of my video linked.

Okay scratch my previous closure. There is another road still giving access a little south of what Google tells you to take. The road up has some 1 ft tall rocks to climb over. Not much problem in our Rubicon.

New road construction and very deep drainage ditch blocking access to the final 1 mile stretch to the mine. A few road closed signs on the way.

The trail is at least moderate, there are a number of off-camber areas but nothing too difficult. The trail gets 3 stars, nothing super interesting about it, but the mine itself gets a 5 for the unique factor. There were no other vehicles the whole way up and down, only a rancher with his horse trailer tending to the herd of cows nearby. I'd hesitate to bring anything without high-clearance to the trail. The mine itself is creepy as heck but definitely not to be missed. There is a large open area with a fire ring right outside the cave for camping. Nice view which overlooks the valley below and the mountain range across the way.

Pretty awesome run because really - when was the last time you drove into a MINE?! I ran this in a stock Sahara and had no trouble. While I was there a couple of guys in a Subaru tried to get up the road and couldn’t make it. Ford F-150 FX4 got up the trail no problem but skipped going into the mine because of low ceiling concerns. All in all good fun!

When in the area, you stop at the mine. Great time.

Put this on your list of "To-Do"!!! The trail itself is definitely on the moderate side now as it has gotten rockier and more dug out. Still doable in all 4wd vehicles with high clearance but 2wd is now questionable. The mine is awesome, temperature drop is immediate once you enter which was nice cause it was about 100 outside. Such a gem in the middle of nowhere right off the 395.

I would say this trail is more on the moderate side. Upper part has bigger rocks for cars on stock set ups, with a spotter you can get by.

Ran out there since I was in the area. Still one of my all time favorites. Old video is below.

Great trip if you're camping in the Alabama Hills area. The trail up to the mine is a little rocky, but most stock 4x4s should be able to make it. The mine entrance itself is large, but proceed with caution: we opted not to take a lifted Silverado or a GX470 with a roof rack inside, as both were too tall. Instead, we took a 2019 Ranger into the mine. Not quite sure how far in we went, but it doesn't take long to come to a wide open area that's large enough to turn a truck around. We could have gone deeper into the mine but we were running out of daylight outside so decided to turn around.

We were able to find the mine at night the trail is pretty straightforward but there was a split in the road that, at least in the dark, had me pause and get my bearings. The mine was so cool and the camping on the flat lands by it was peaceful and quiet

A great trail with an amazing experience. Not technical (even getting up to the mouth of Reward Mine was easily doable in 2wd with dry conditions), but very enjoyable. We highly recommend doing this before CA finds a reason to close it permanently.

Very fun to drive inside the mine, but a little creepy too! It was just my wife and I in one vehicle, down inside the mine by ourselves. Nothing weird happened, just a strange experience. We spend almost 10 minutes underground. I posted the dash cam video from my Jeep on YouTube, see link below.

This is a great little drive off the 395. Pretty easy with a few decent size rocks embedded to maneuver over. Driving inside is definitely a exciting drive. If you are anywhere near this place you must stop in.

Outstanding little side trip! The trail was easy and short. Very cool experience to drive inside a mine!

Reward mine is not to be missed while traveling along the 395. Only about 5 miles east off the highway, it's a quick detour to any off road traveler exploring what 395 has to offer. Located just outside of Manzanar, it's easy to find and get to with a high clearance vehicle. After about 5 miles of decent dirt road, the actual trail starts as you meet the foothills. Once the road turns into more challenging terrain you only have less than a mile to go. An experienced off roader could easily make it in 2wd if taken slow and with enough clearance (we've done it once before with only 2wd 1st gen Tundra). Mostly dry and loose rocky soil leads up to the mine entrance. Once you arrive at the top there is a large flat clearing at the mouth of the mine. We actually camped near the entrance of the mine and had a great view of the Eastern Sierras. We also took some cool night photography using the passing cars on the highway to great effect. No one was there to bother us that afternoon and into the evening. But before camping we had to see the inside of the mine! The mine entrance looks unreal when you first arrive. Super spooky and dark. Don't be afraid this thing has been standing for many years and at points actually is bigger inside than you'd imagine. My truck is a 1st gen Toyota Tundra with a 2.5" lift but also has a lumber rack. The highest point on the truck is 83 inches and we had about and inch or two of clearance at some points. The lowest part of the mine is at the beginning section. It really opens up as you go deeper. There are a few places you could turn around along the way but I'd suggest going till the end. There are numerous old ladders that go up vertical shafts. If you're adventurous enough you can climb up them and reach other sections of the mine. If you find your way high enough you can actually escape the mine though the top of the mountain. We managed to find a shaft that went all the way to the surface! Just be super careful as these ladders are easily 60yrs old. Definitely worth your time to stop by this old relic. Even with the internet broadcasting it's location I've never ran into anyone there. Good chance you'll have the same if it's not a busy weekend. PROTIP: If you go to the other side of the mine (basically the south side of the hill it's in) there are some pretty cool old mining equipment up the canyon you can climb on and check out. It's a good little hike that's worth it.

This is a must-do trail for any serious wheeler. It is not challenging to your vehicle or your wheeling skill, but it takes nerves of steel the first time you enter this cave. I strongly recommend that you record this first time with your GoPro, mounted inside the vehicle, so it can catch your verbal observations. I did just that in my video, below. The mine itself runs straight into the mountain, for about 3/4 mile. Even though it is a single lane route, there are turnabouts every 50 yards or so. It's hard to get lost, and 90% of the way in you reach a junction with three large routes. Two of them are blocked. The third one, on the right, runs deeper and further into the mine. You can drive it, slowly, nearly all the way to the end. At that point the mine is too narrow for your vehicle. You can gaze at the multicolored rock (which produces gold) and then turn around. If you're really bold you'll turn off your lights and experience utter darkness like you've never known it. There is not a lot of clearance. You will have to lower any antenna you have over 7 feet tall. As long as you're lifted no more than 4" with 37 inch tires you should be fine as well.

1st time here and it was really cool and unique. We had 3 rigs go first with some of us keeping eye on clearances. One rig has 39" tires with a moderate lift of 3 inches and he did just fine with 4-6 inches of clearance in tight spots. There are a few turnouts to do 3 point turns to turn around. I would say its a must visit if in the area.

Everybody should do this at least once. The worst part of the trail is just getting up the mine as it's pretty rocky, but it is doable. Of course the best part is driving through the mine to its deepest recesses. Oddly, the freaky part is that as the miners followed the vein the mine goes up and down and turns to the left and right so you never really see too far into the mine at once until it opens up at the end. Plenty of places to turn around with a Y-turn. Watch your overhead as has been mentioned in the excellent write up. Fun place to turn off the lights and see what being totally blind is like - nothing but the deepest of blackness. I gave it five-stars, because how often do you get to wheel underground?!

What a cool experience. It was extremely hot outside but once inside the mine it cooled off to a comfortable 70 degrees. Attached is the full video of us checking things out. Even though it is sort of funny, the chains are not for the scary effect, we are not haunting Scrooge. We just unhooked the jeep but didn't want to leave the tow bar out in the middle of the desert.

Awesome!!! How often do you get to drive deep into a mine. I was alone in my new and still stock 4RUNNER and it was totally spooky. What is really cool is the mine isn't straight of course and it has slight turns and ups and downs that never let you see too deep.