Reconnoitering in the Great Basin & Eastern Sierra By 4x4

RECONNOITERING IN THE EASTERN SIERRA NEVADA & GREAT BASIN
BY 4-WHEEL-DRIVE
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4x4 Trails:
Blind Spring Hill
(Mono County, California)

Trail Difficulty:	Moderate
Season:	All year, but snow does linger on approach road in winter and early spring
Elevations:	5972' @ beginning of trail, 6900-7100 on summit of range
Cell phone Signal:	None to faint
Running Surface Water?:	No
Trail Travel Density:	Low – you'll likely be by yourself
Nearest Supplies/Emergency Aid:	Benton (US6); antique store @ Old Benton has sodas, snacks

A lot of exploring bang for the buck – that pretty much sums up Blind Spring Hill. With lots of mines, ruins and scenery compacted in such a small area, one could spend a day or two exploring on and around Blind Spring Hill. Blind Spring Hill is comprised of a small range along the west side of US6. Benton and Benton Hot Springs both are placed on each side of the Hill's northern end. In between and south of those two towns the Hill are accessed and immediately the fun begins.

Blind Spring Hill was first prospected in 1865 as an outgrowth of miners and prospectors from nearby Montgomery City, located at the foot of the White Mountains to the east. Important silver mines, such as the Diana and the Comanche, were located and the Blind Springs Mining District was formed. Water was a problem as the Hill contained none, but water was located on both sides; so the town of Benton – named after J.E. Benton – was formed and a post office was opened in 1866.

Benton became the civic center of the Blind Springs District, and was Mono County's largest town for a time. The Bentonian proclaimed the regions riches and other civic news. The mines prospered and so did Benton on into the 1870s, which attracted Remi Nadeau's teams northward (Nadeau thrived by hauling rich ores from Cerro Gordo and Lookout much further south), contracting to haul the processed ores south to the Southern Pacific Railroad, where he also hauled the ores of the afore mentioned towns.

By the early 1880s, the Carson & Colorado Railroad began to lay narrow gauge tracks over Montgomery Pass and down the east side of Blind Spring Hill, building a center called Benton Station, four miles east of the original Benton. This situation cut out Nadeau's teams, but the ores of Blind Spring Hill could now be shipped directly by rail.

All looked well for the Blind Spring Hill region, but soon problems set in when the major mines on the Hill tapped into a fault line at depth, cutting off their sources of silver. Trying to find which direction the silver vein continued downward proved to be in vain. By the early 1900s, Benton shriveled in importance to that of nearby Benton Station.

Today both Bentons maintain a small but steady population and neither has lost their scenic beauty that dominates the region.

To reach the only remaining access road to Blind Spring Hill, drive to what is now called Benton Hot Springs on all modern maps – this is the original Benton. In the middle of the quaint and scenic town, turn south on Yellow Jacket Road. This road will be paved for about a mile, then turn to a well maintained dirt road. At a point 3.3 miles south of Benton, a small crest is reached with a cattle guard across the road. Turn east here, on the north side of the fence. A scraggly road runs directly along the fence line due east – ignore it, but continue along the road running northeast. This road will climb up the face of Blind Spring Hill to access its summit. At the top, roads will splinter off seemingly everywhere to access mines and prospects. Roads run from fairly smooth to rough and rocky. Some of the steeper climbs have basketball size stones that are loose or bedrock. On one short steep section I engaged my rear locker because both axles were scrambling for traction on loose rock. On the summit, the road I took north a short distance was in fine shape.

As of the writing of this original page, I have not yet fully explored Blind Spring Hill. In April of 2004, Graham C. and myself tapped into the heart of the Hill in my 2002 Toyota Tacoma 4x4, but ventured no further due to time constraints. What we did see opened our eyes to the potential of the fun the Hill contains for a full day of exploration, maybe even an overnight camp parked on the hilltop with its nearly 360° view. Herewith are photos of the fun we had in such a short time.

Update: On Christmas Day, 2004, Graham C. and I returned to the top of Blind Spring Hill and resumed where we left off in April. We spent about six hours on the summit, exploring along the main road north to the southern face of China Peak. Toward sundown we then drove west along the road to the upper portion of Comanche Gulch and explored a large area of tailings on the south side of the gulch against the northern face of Diana Peak. But we've still not covered everything, there's much left to see and explore.

Be careful around mines! I cannot stress this enough! Graham and I found several open holes that had loose collars and invite disaster to the foolhardy.

Click Image to Enlarge	Entry point for Blind Spring Hill fun. My truck is parked at the fence line 3.3 miles south of Benton Hot Springs on the side of Yellow Jacket Road; the road that accesses the Hill can be seen running beyond and up the hill.
A short way from Yellow Jacket Road our byway starts to climb. Some areas tend to be rocky, but otherwise pose no major problems.	Mine camp part way up the Hill. Contains four rock structures and a view west into Glass Mountain country.
	Continuing up the Hill, the White Mountains begin to come into view. Mount Montgomery dominates.
Another mine and camp.	Yet another large mine and camp
Graham C. stands upon the tailing and collar of one shaft. The Glass Mountain region provides a beautiful backdrop. If Graham took two steps further, he'd have one heck of a drop into the cavernous maw of a deep mine.
Upon the summit of the Hill, the White Mountains form a dramatic scene. From here and north,
On Christmas Day, 2004, Graham C. and I returned to Blind Spring Hill and explored the top of the ridge. This view is sighting northward across Comanche Gulch.	An indicator of the date of ruins are these square nails, which generally date a ruin before the 1890s.
These ruins are found in Cornucopia Gulch.	Graham C. taking a walk along this supported roadway in Cornucopia Gulch.
This set of stone ruins are found in Cornucopia Gulch.	Large tailings piles are seen on the southern face of China Peak.
View westward across the lower slopes of Buscones Peak toward Glass Mountain.	Sighting north from China Peak down into Barasco Gulch, we found this massive stone wall far below.
Stone ruins on China Peak. View east to Mount Montgomery in the White Mountains.	Graham C. photographing one of several stone ruins on China Peak. The White Mountains scenically form the background.
Yours truly atop China Peak.
Care must be taken when exploring mines atop Blind Spring Hill. Note that this adit runs underneath the roadway, as indicated by my truck parked atop.	Ruins in upper Comanche Gulch.
More ruins in upper Comanche Gulch.	Ruins at a larger complex of multiple adits and levels on the northern face of Diana Peak, in the upper part of Comanche Gulch.
Mine complex and stone ruins in the upper portion of Comanche Gulch, on the northern face of Diana Peak.	Graham C. explores a mine adit near this stone ruin, which incorporates a large boulder as part of its structure.

References
Maps For Reference	Inyo National Forest: White Mountain Ranger District USGS Topos: Benton Hot Springs, Benton
Books	“INYO-MONO SUV TRAILS: A GUDE TO 40 INTERESTING AND SCENIC FOUR-WHEELING EXCURSIONS IN INYO & MONO COUNTIES” - Roger Mitchel
	“THE STORY OF EARLY MONO COUNTY” - Ella Cain
	“THE SILVER SEEKERS: THEY TAMED CALIFORNIA'S LAST FRONTIER” - Remi Nadeau

Page Revised: 08/14/2006