White Mountains South

Active mine and cabin on the south rim of Silver Creek. I could find no trail.

Mine road near Sams Spring. That took a lot of dynamite.

Rock ring on the south ridge of Black Mtn.

One of a half dozen rock rings I saw  at a remote location on the Birch Creek  rim hike. These are the best rings in the best setting I've ever seen. Only a few elite hikers will ever see them.

• A paved road runs north from highway 163 on the crest for 10 miles. It allows for several one way hikes down ridges. Shady camps are along the way and at el 8600 is the Grandview Campground. It's free but asks for donations. I filled jugs at the historic Batchelder Spring at mp 26.4 on highway 163. I did every hike on this page in shorts. Nearly every hike has Indian rock rings so be careful to step around them.
• BIRCH CREEK RIM - a one way hike can be done from the Schulman Grove down the rim of Birch Creek. Leave a car at a pullout el 6600 on highway 163 at mp 34.6 then drive to the Schulman Grove on the crest road. The easiest start is the low trail from the visitor center but I wanted to go over Mexican Mine Peak el 10640+. I started at a TH just before the visitor center at N37 22988, W118 10886 el 10050. That trail soon joins the main trail and goes south up to the Mexican Mine then up to a saddle el 10450. It's a short walk south to the summit then it's best to return to the trail and follow it to the rim at 22683, 09619 el 9750. I walked it to 23277, 08780 el 9300 then 23430, 08074 el 8900 then in a third mile I came to a view of the craggy plateau where Indians lived in large numbers. I walked down a wash to a rock ring at 23228, 06968 el 8350 then went south down a narrow drainage that led to the main canyon. I followed that down to a dropoff el 8000 where large potholes had water but turning green from lack of rain. I then went south thru 22854, 06343 el 8050 and into a grassy fork and up that to the duplex at 22327, 06492 el 7950. Then I went up to saddle with a  ring at 22242, 06307 el 8050 and saw 3 more along the way. Next, I walked south on the ridge and stayed right of center under boulders and came back to center then saw 3 more rings then a mess of crags was in the way. I easily walked left of those then saw 3 more rings before reaching a flat next to peak 7890. I saw 6 of the best rings there. I walked over to one at 21400, 06845 el 7700 on the rim of the deep canyon to my right. I walked down that rim and  went thru 21120, 07013 el 7300 then hit bottom. The canyon goes into a scenic narrows blocked by a fall, so I took a right fork at 20956, 06986 el 6800 then went 400 feet to a main fork and went left. At the next main fork I goofed and went left, but should have stayed right in the main channel to a saddle at 20727, 07086 el 7150 where a mine road was in view. I went down from the saddle for a fifth mile and hit the road and went right on it to mp 34.5 on the highway. It's about a 7 hour hike and a dozen miles that can be done in shorts. If the peak is skipped then there is only about 600 gain of any consequence, mostly near the end. Newer maps show the trails around the visitor center. This is the best hike on this page. Posted 2019.
• DAN BENCHMARK el 8379 sits on the south rim of Silver Canyon. An easy one way hike can be done down the rim from the crest to the mouth. Take US 6 out of Bishop and follow signs to the canyon and leave a car at the mouth el 4400. Then either take the 4wd road up the canyon to the crest or drive 45 miles by way of Big Pine and follow signs to the Bristlecone Forest. Just before pavement ends, park at el 10050 across from a sign on the left that says Black Canyon Trail. The trail splits in a third mile. I stayed right and topped out at el 10200 then walked level thru N37 22781, W118 11797 el 10200 and in another 400 feet I was on the rim. I went down to 22958, 12613 el 9500 and could see a peak below with an OHV trail going over it. I headed for that but took a cycle trail skirting around the right side of the peak and into a saddle el 8150 behind it. The trail drops to the west down a canyon so I left it and walked along the left side of a peak thru 23041, 14350 el 8150 to get back on the rim then on to Dan BM at 23505, 15267. The reg was full of love notes. Just past that at 23534, 15361 el 8250 I came upon an Indian rock ring. That was a stunner. I kept following the easy rim and soon was stunned again by a cabin at an active mine. I could detect no trail for the mine. It was easy to go on down the rim to Silver Canyon Peak el 6890 then to a trail at 24011, 17135 el 6100 and down to the mouth. That took 5 and a half hours and the only effort of any consequence was the 500 feet up to the BM. Some patches of light brush were in the first mile but I could wear shorts thru that. This is just a long cakewalk. The registers need glass jars. Silver Peak Benchmark el 10800+ is the one at the head of the canyon with towers. Drive past the end of pavement and stay left at forks for nearly 4 miles to the top. The last third mile might need 4wd. There are good camps on the west side of the towers. Cold Benchmark el 11000+ is the highest around.It's a short hike to the summit at 23712, 10394. Some hikers use trails out of the Bristlecone Forest but that might entail a fee. Cheap hikers can use a parking area on the west side at el 10300. Posted 2019. 
• DAN BENCHMARK WEST TRAIL - miners built a trail to el 7000 on a ridge on the west side. Take the paved Laws Poleta Rd south from the Silver Creek Rd for .7 mile then turn on a good dirt road. Follow it a mile around a fence to a fork at N37 23518, W118 23415, 16425. Go left up into a canyon on mostly smooth 4wd for 2 miles where it tops out el 5700. The trail starts there and in a third air mile it splits. The right fork is easier. At 23415, 16425 el 6800 it splits again, the faint right fork being easier. It levels off next to a saddle at 23450, 16118 el 7000. I stopped there but it looked easy to go on up but a bit steep. Cycles use the trail but I couldn't figure where the miners were going. Posted 2019.
• BLACK CANYON RIM - the west rim is a good one. Drive south from Bishop on US 395 for a mile or two and turn east at the sign for Warm Springs Rd. Drive to the end of pavement then keep going on a graded road as it bends south for 3 miles to the mouth of Black Canyon and leave a car at a pullout there. Then drive nearly 40 miles to the Grandview Campground on the crest then keep going another 1.1 miles to a saddle el 8600 and turn on FR 7S130. That short road ends in a fifth mile where a cycle trail starts reading  N37 20888, W118 11260. Walk the trail down into Black Canyon then get on an OHV trail at 20923, 12549 el 7800. Walk that as it circles left into a saddle el 8250 then it goes down the other side. When it veers left, leave it and go to a saddle at 20543, 13224 el 8150 then down into a canyon on the other side and up a steep slope to a flat at 20325, 13830 el 8500. Peak 8840+ is a quarter mile to the west and makes a good side trip. It has a reg in a bag but needs a glass jar. Keep going down the rim and over some minor peaks. At the last wooded peak el 7960+, I skirted along the left side at 18592, 14362 el 7900 then on to 18259, 14579 el 7500 where the rest of the rim was in view. There are some rubbly patches but nothing serious to get down to the mouth. If it was all nice and smooth there would be a dirt bike trail the whole way. I saw 8 rock rings. The last 5 are at 19089, 14019 then 18843, 14070. Two more are in the next saddle el 7850 then a big one is a tenth mile more. That took nearly 6 hours with about 1500 gain with 600 of it strenuous but half that is up the optional peak. Posted 2019.
• BIRCH CREEK PLATEAU el 8000+ is what I call a 4 square mile area south of Birch Creek with a nice forest and rock formations. I was expecting it to be infested with rock rings and wasn't disappointed. I counted 2 dozen just wandering around in the south half and likely missed plenty. This access is off limits to most hikers because only OHVs can get at it but hikers with cars can get in using the Birch Creek rim hike. Take highway 168 to mp INY 33.7 and go up Mollie Gibson Canyon (soft gravel) to a fork at N37 20616, W118 09036. There is a good road on the left bank .27 air mile before the fork. When it dips back into the wash, go a few feet then move to the right channel and go to the fork then turn right. I followed it to a bad spot then started down a ridge there at 22183, 08368 el 8600 and came to a ring at 22220, 08142 then another just past it. Step around the rings to avoid disturbing even a single rock. Next, I dropped into the canyon to the north and climbed up a point at 22274, 07711 then curved left to get on the rim where I  could walk NE down an easy canyon. I left the canyon at 22291, 07141 and walked rolling ground to a  ring at 22305, 06841. I kept going east past more rings to a duplex at 22327, 06492 then one with a big tree in it at 22406, 06416. 300 feet past that is another good one then I made a U-turn and came back to a sunny one at 22387, 06897. Then I went high to one at 22518, 06990 and stayed high another tenth mile then dropped down to the left to a big one at 22554, 07160. I kept walking nearly level and merged into a creekbed. I could have stayed in that to the exit fork at 22759, 07629 but took a detour by going up a right fork at 22687, 07494 and up to a ring in a saddle at 22733, 07346. Then I went thru a gap at 22813, 07261 to get to the rim of the next canyon for a good view. Then I went up the rim to the exit fork and followed that west and up to a road at 22711, 08026. I walked west on that and down to a tricky T at a wash. I went right a few feet to the road again and back to the start. I spent 4 hours and not much strenous gain. If backpacking I might try coming down from the Schulman Grove then slog out on the road. The only water I saw was a fast drip in a crack at 22310, 07006 but hard to get tubing at it. Maybe there's more downstream. Big rains would leave potholes of water. Posted September, 2019.
• SAMS SPRING MINE LOOP - an easy loop can be done using a washed out road. Leave a car at mp 37.8 on highway 163 then drive to mp 34.6 and park at a pullout. Walk up the highway to mp 34.5 and start up the old road. It goes as high as el 7300 then drops down a wash. It exits on the left at N37 20444, W118 07245 el 7050 then goes into the next canyon and ends at mine structures el 6650. A trail can be seen behind the tall structure. It goes around a corner then drops to a flat with cabin ruins. Then it goes down a point at 20766, 06438 el 6400 and ends at a smooth creekbed. It's easy walking down that to a spring gushing out of a cliff el 6100.  It's easy walking the creekbed  on to Sams Spring then at the mouth there is a road crossing that can be walked past Antelope Spring back to the start. That took nearly 4 hours with less than 1000 gain, all easy. That turned out a lot better than I was expecting. Posted 2019.
• BLACK MOUNTAIN el 9083 is a short hike. Take the crest road north from highway 163 for .8 mile to FR 4S01B. Go a fifth mile on that then stay left at a fork and stay on the main road for nearly 5 miles to a shady camp area el 8450 near the end, and that's the last turnaround.  It's easy 4wd and mtn bikeable. Walk north on the remaining fifth mile of road then game trails continue on to the smooth north ridge of the east peak. Go up to N37 16446, W118 12759 el 8800 where an obvious trail skirts into a saddle el 8700 then it's obvious the rest of the way to an ammo box at 16022, 13503. For the descent, I went down the south ridge. At 15761, 13577 el 8700 I came to a rock ring then another at 15707, 13569. But the first good one is at 15538, 13594 el 8450 with a smaller one 70 feet beyond. Another good one is at 15440, 13606 el 8250 with 2 more in the next 250 feet. There is where I moved right to get near the center of the ridge and walked down to the final leg at 13880, 13861 el 5850 and then to mp 23.3 on highway 163 where I left a cycle. It took an hour to the summit then 2 and a half hours down to 163. Posted 2019.