Driving Directions

I tried driving my low-clearance vehicle to the mine site and I had to stop due to the steep and rocky terrain.  I then spent about 1 mile hiking to the mine.  If you have an ATV, Jeep, Truck, or side-by-side, you would be able to get much closer than I did.  The road is dirt and can be pretty rough in parts.  I was going slow trying to avoid the rocks and potholes along the way.  Make sure to fuel up, bring extra food and water, and bring a full spare tire and tire changing equipment.  I even brought my satellite messenger just in case.

The mine is far from everything, so this isn’t a good adventure if you think you can just jump into the car and head out.  It will take some planning.

More driving directions can be found below for Insider Members:

Please be respectful of the mine and relics.  Please do not vandalize or take anything from this and other mining sites.

The “Desert Blossom” mine is located in Utah.   The mine is situated in a valley with a nice dirt road in the middle of it.  I have hidden the real name of the mine to protect it from people who are looking for a neat place to drink beers and shoot guns at.

This mine was once a decent sized operation as evident by the tailings and also the support buildings around the mine.  I found several building foundations and tons of mining artifacts.  I did also find a couple of rattlesnakes hiding, so be careful where you step!  I also found tons of Mormon crickets.

There is lots to see at the “Desert Blossom” mine.  I started first by heading to the mill.  It was of course much larger originally than in its current state.  Most likely, it was dismantled and the wood and machinery were taken to be used elsewhere.  I still found lots of interesting relics and signs of a strong mining operation here though.  It’s located on a steep hill.  The mill was probably about 4 floors in height.   I found all sorts of neat colored rocks around the mill.

The entrance to mine was just above the mill a little ways.  Near the entrance, are concrete foundations for what I think are a boiler or some type of hoist for the underground mining operations.

After exploring around for a bit near the mill, I hiked across the valley.  I found tons of artifacts, building foundations, barrels, and pieces of metal.  I even found a few other small mining prospects.

It’s not clear what many of these buildings were.  I thought the building with all the glass could have been an assay house, but I could be wrong.  On my way hiking back to my car, I took a few more pictures of the mill before driving off into the sunset.