40 |
BENNETTVILLE |
DISTANCE: 2.6 miles round-trip
HIKING TIME: 1 hour
SEASON: June–October
DIFFICULTY: easy
The remote high-country region of Bennettville was the site of a nineteenth-century silver mining community. Although the town thrived only from 1882 to 1884, it was the primary reason for the construction of Tioga Pass Rd. from the west. The road was built in anticipation of the riches to be mined. Ultimately, no valuable minerals were ever extracted, and Bennettville quickly became a ghost town.
A mostly level trail leads to the two buildings that remain from Bennettville’s heyday: the assay office and barn/bunkhouse. An open mine tunnel lined with railcar tracks can also be seen, as well as some rusting mining equipment. Much of the machinery and supplies for this mine was hauled here from the May Lundy Mine over Dore Pass. Men and animals carried several tons of equipment on their backs and on sleds, sometimes through driving snowstorms in the middle of winter at this 10,000-foot elevation.
You can extend this hike to 4.0 miles round-trip by following the trail 0.5 mile uphill from the mine buildings to small Shell Lake, or proceed past another small pothole lake to Fantail Lake and another mine site a half mile farther. To head back to the campground, retrace your steps.
From the Tioga Pass entrance to Yosemite National Park, drive east on Hwy. 120 for 2.0 miles to the left turnoff for Saddlebag Lake. Turn left onto Saddlebag Lake Rd. and then an immediate left again to enter Junction Campground. The trail begins at the campground entrance.
