On this trail adventure, we'll take you to the old town sites and mines of La Panta, Pamlico, Garfield, Sodaville, Rhodes, Belleville, Columbus, Candelaria, and Metallic City. At the beginning of this trip, the last place to get supplies and fill the gas tank before hitting the trail is the town of Hawthorne, so this is where we will stage and begin our adventure.
Hawthorne is located at the junction of U.S. 359 and U.S. 95, 312 miles north of Las Vegas and 135 miles south of Reno. Gas and lodging are readily available here, making it a good starting point. It also possesses a rich history of its own.
Over the years, Hawthorne has changed sizes repeatedly, usually in accordance with military conflicts. It was initially established as a shipping point for the mines. However, in the 1930s, it became one of the largest military ammunition storage facilities in the country. Because of the ammunition depot, Hawthorne has never gone the way of the ghost town. Gas, hotels, and RV parks are readily available.
After topping off the tank and loading the supplies, start your adventure by heading to the town of La Panta. From Hawthorne, drive south on U.S. 95 for approximately 8 miles, then turn right onto Garfield Flats Road. After about four miles, you will arrive at La Panta (38 degrees 29' 00" N/118 degrees 27' 00" W), which is where we hit the trail to Pamlico. At this point there are some old mining ruins to explore from the La Panta Mine, which was in operation in the 1870s and 1880s. After checking out the mine ruins, travel southwest on this trail past the Sunset Mine. You will stay on this trail for approximately 3 miles until you arrive at the remains of Pamlico (38 degrees 27' 58" N/118 degrees 28' 59" W).
Pamlico came to life with the founding of the Pamlico and La Panta mines. These two mines were credited with producing more than one million dollars in gold and remained viable well into the 1920s. In the 1930s, the mill was dismantled and moved to a new location, and the town was abandoned. Today, all that remains in Pamlico are the ruins of the mine and a few foundations.
Once you are done exploring this area, go back down the trail to Garfield Flat Road approximately 11 miles. At this point, you will see a trail going straight while the road veers to the left. Take this trail approximately 1 mile (38 degrees 22' 30" N/118 degrees 16' 53" W). This is the ghost town of Garfield. Silver was discovered here in the 1880s, and for a few years the Garfield mine was in full operation. In the 1890s, a 10-stamp mill was built nine miles south (38 degrees 20' 30"N/118 degrees 15' 45" W) near the Garfield Spring. Today the mill is gone, but foundations still remain.
From here we travel south to the town of Mina via Garfield Flat Road. At Mina, turn south on 95 and travel about 3.25 miles, then go east on the desert trail for 0.25 miles to the original town of Sodaville (38 degrees 20' 26" N/118 degrees 05' 49" W).