A rutted hill climb on Dripping...
A rutted hill climb on Dripping Spring Trail is easier for longer 4x4s.
Dripping Spring Trail continues up the canyon in a southwesterly direction, the most difficult obstacle of this trail just ahead. Known as the Waterfall, it consists of a series of rocky steps and bordering boulders just difficult enough to cause body damage or high-centering for the inattentive.
Eventually the trail emerges from the confining canyon into a broad and sandy wash. The moderately rated Dripping Spring Trail ends where it meets up with another 4x4 trail in the desert flats. A right turn and traveling to the northwest ultimately leads through the La Posa North Camping Area and to Highway 95 just south of Quartzsite.
The Desert Queen and Glory Hole Mine Trails in the Granite Wash Mountains are further to the east, near Vicksburg. The Desert Queen Trail is easy four-wheeling. The second, a branch route to the Glory Hole Mine, is just a bit more difficult.
In March 1909, a colorful local from Salome named Dick Wick Hall reported that he had discovered rich gold ore deposits. The rush was on and the town of Winchester quickly developed, complete with a wide variety of businesses and services. In just two months it had grown to about two thousand residents. But, yields of gold at nearby Desert Queen Mine and Desert Mine dwindled rapidly. Winchester was abandoned in short order. Remnants of the town do not exist because the buildings were dismantled and the materials recycled for use elsewhere.
Remnants of an old cabin, an ore loading hopper, and mine shafts still stand at the Desert Queen Mine site.
Dr. Bob at a big step on Dripping...
Dr. Bob at a big step on Dripping Spring Trail.
Just north of the Desert Queen Mine, the trail branches hard to the left, crossing Calcite Wash. Another road that leads straight ahead dead-ends at additional mine sites.
The 4x4 route rejoins Calcite Wash and follows it northward. After traveling one mile, a road intersects at the right, which is the continuation of the Desert Queen Mine Trail eastward to Calcite Mine. It ultimately leads to the town of Salome farther to the east.
The start of the Glory Hole Mine Trail is from that intersection northward, continuing up Calcite Wash. While not a particularly difficult route, the trail does include a section of narrow shelf road that requires driver attention. The long climb from the wash bottom includes a couple of loose spots, continues past a couple of mine shafts, and then culminates at the saddle. Here, we experience powerfully scenic views to the north. The narrow road then descends from the saddle into a small valley. Here are found remains of a concrete foundation and other miscellanea left by miners. Apparently, there had been a more recent attempt to mine in the area as a nearby stone marker indicates a mining claim dated 1968.
There is a network of 4x4 trails to the north, accessible from Glory Hole Mine Trail at this location. Perhaps many of those trails were created during World War II. One of several secret General Patton Tank Training areas in the west was located at the Camp Bouse WWII Desert Training Center in nearby Butler Valley. It was used by the 9th Armored Tank Group in 1943 and 1944 to become combat ready for the upcoming battles with the German Afrika Korps in the deserts of northern African. Their training had concentrated around a new tank design optimized for night-time warfare.
The trail continues up the mountainside a few hundred more yards. It can be driven up to one of the tailings piles of Glory Hole Mine. There are several shafts and adits nearby, with the principal mine shaft just a short hike above. The Glory Hole Mine was one of the most productive in the entire region, producing $100,000 in the first few days of operation.
 Superb views of the Granite...  Superb views of the Granite Wash Mountains from the shelf road. |  Remnants of a miner's cabin...  Remnants of a miner's cabin at Desert Queen Mine. |  On the trail to Glory Hole...  On the trail to Glory Hole Mine. |