We found an old safe and an ore cart along Mineral Creek in Cooney Canyon while searching for eight abandoned mines! These fascinating relics are just some of the many surprises that await you as you hike up Mineral Creek. The trailhead is about eight miles northeast of Glenwood, New Mexico at the mouth of Cooney Canyon in the Gila National Forest. The trail is well-defined for the most part; however, at some points along the way the trail disappears, and hikers must choose their own path. This is especially true at the many creek crossings that are required. Yes, your feet will get a little wet as you make your way up the creek! Along the way you'll see towering monoliths, a natural arch, an old bank safe that got washed down the canyon decades ago, mill ruins, and old mining cabins. Some parts of the hike are out in the full sun while other parts pass through shaded forest. Mineral Creek, though, is your steadfast companion during this beautiful hike.
Topographic maps show eight mine entrances along the creek with most of them being about three or four miles up the canyon. Justin from the Southern New Mexico Explorer channel (Justin's channel is here: / @abandoned_underground ) and I joined up and hiked the creek hoping to find the mines. We knew that the first mine in the canyon had already been sealed with concrete a long time ago. The next two mines we hiked to had substantial mill sites and ruins, but the portals to the underground workings were nowhere to be found. We suspect that decades of erosion coming down from the towering canyon walls has covered them up. Or the U.S. Forest Service deliberately blasted the mines shut years ago due to the popularity of the hike. After failing to find any underground access after we reached the third mine site, we decided to turn around and make our way back down through the sun-splashed canyon while zig-zagging across the sparkling creek. Perhaps we'll try to reach the other five mines in the farthest reaches of the canyon at a later date.
#ExploringAbandonedMines
#AbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#UndergroundExploration
#GilaNationalForest
#MineralCreek
#CooneyCanyon
#GlenwoodNewMexico
18 сен 2024
