Hike #1497
Dawn Mine Loop (Sunset Ridge Fire Road)
August 3, 2022

Hike Leader: Randy King

Meet at 8:00 am for hike at 8:30 am.
Rabbits will hike at 7:00 am.

Please print your own hike descriptions and maps.

GPS Data:
Distance:  6 or 7 miles
Elevation Gain:  About 1,400 ft.

Directions to Trailhead: For those heading west on the 210, exit Lake Avenue and head north. After 3.5 miles, turn left at the T onto Loma Alta Drive. After one mile, make a right on Chaney Trail.

For those heading east on the 210, take exit 22B for Arroyo Blvd. towards Windsor Ave. and turn left heading north. In 0.5 miles, turn right on Figueroa Drive. In 0.5 miles, turn left on N. Lincoln Ave. In 1 mile, turn right on W. Loma Alta Drive. In 0.6 miles, turn left on Chaney Trail.

The 1.2-mile Chaney Trail ends at a 3-way-junction with Mt. Lowe Road (right) annd Brown Mountain Truck Trail (left). Park in available spaces. Use this trailhead address:  Mt. Lowe Road Trailhead. There are no bathrooms or water fills at the trailhead, but there are some if you drive down the hill to the Millard campground parking area.

The Hike: You’ll start out east along the paved Mount Lowe Road. You’ll soon take a left onto the Sunset Ridge Trail. Eventually you’ll come to a junction where the Sunset Ridge Trail goes right, and the Sunset Trail goes left. Take the left option and continue through the canyon. Beware there are several creek crossings here. After another mile from the junction, you’ll come across the mine (metal grid bars entry). There’s plenty to explore here including caves, equipment, building foundations and more. Once you’ve had your fill, you’ll start going southward on the Sunset Ridge Trail. This trail can be difficult, but it offers sweeping views of the area. You’ll then go down some switchbacks, meet back up with Mount Lowe Road, and return to the parking area. We will go clockwise so we get the shaded valley part first which has water and cooler temps. Nice trail, make sure you bring plenty of water, and watch out for poison oak. Oaks, big cone spruce provide shade on north facing slopes. There are alders, maples, and bay trees in the canyon bottom. Good wildflowers in spring along the Sunset Ridge Trail 12W18.

For dozens of pictures of the trail itself and a complete and fun description see “Hiking Guy”
https://hikingguy.com/hiking-trails/best-la-hikes/dawn-mine-trail-hike/

History:  https://www.simpsoncity.com/hiking/dawnphotos.html. Over its 50-plus years, Dawn Mine produced more stories than gold. Enough gold was recovered to keep various over-optimistic operators looking for the bonanza that never came. Some unknown prospectors discovered gold in Millard Canyon in 1895 and small claims were staked and worked for 7 years with marginal results. Miner Bradford Peck named the mine for Dawn Ehrenfeld, little daughter of a friend from the Randsburg Mines. Michael Ryan bought the Dawn Mine in 1902. He bore tunnels into the canyon's rock walls and was successful for several years. He built a narrow trail up the steep slope to the Mt. Lowe Railway. Two mules, Jack and Jill, carried the ore to Dawn Station to be transferred to railcars and taken down to the valley for milling. After Ryan's death in 1929, the mines set idle for several years. In 1933 Ryan's widow leased the holdings to Hunger, Comstock, and Hilton, who bored a new, 1,200-foot tunnel and built a small mill. They had good success at first, but in spite of considerably more digging, the gold petered out. In a few more years the venture was closed down. In the 1940s and early 1950s, other miners gave it a try but with no positive results. 

AllTrails Map - Dawn Mine & Sunset Trail Loop

Updated::  2022-08-02