Dawn Mine Hike

Another one of my favorites to add to my list.
We took the echo mountain trail and hiked for 4 miles before we could the cave. It was an amazing day and the weather was to die for, it was foggy and witchy just line I like it.
This trail is intense, very little elevation but many, many, many rocks and boulders to cross through.
Once at the cave/​mine we climbed in, this was pretty easy to do, and the cave/​mine was also pretty small, just about 20 feet.
Please note that there is another mine on the other side of the mountain right by the water fall, I believe the pictures on Unilocal are from the mine next to the water fall and not the mine I was in today.
We went on a Sunday and it was starting to get very crowded by the time we left, so if you want to enjoy this in solitude go at 8 am or before, that’s what we did and it was awesome.
A good pair of hiking shoes is a MUST for this trail.

This is a GREAT ADVENTUROUS hike that takes you to an abandoned Gold mine of 1902! There are actually 2 mines, but the upper mine is not as awesome as the main mine next to the iconic 4 cylinder engine. The round trip to the lower mine from the Millard Campground trailhead is only 5.5 miles with an elevation gain of 1,200′. To be a little more adventurous, I would recommend checking out both mines and then making it a loop by hiking out of the canyon to Dawn Station on Mt Lowe Rd and back down the Sunset Ridge Trail. This makes it a round trip of 7.3 miles and 1,800′ gain. You can tell there has been a lot of trail work done recently, so the trail is not as bad as some of the reviews from the past might suggest. This is a MUST DO hike!
You can use this address, or the directions below since my GPS wanted to take me in a very indirect way.
4041 Chaney Tail, Altadena, Ca, 91 001
From the Westbound 210 Fwy/​exit Rt on Lake Ave /​Lt on Loma Alta Dr. /​Rt on Chaney Trail (at the yellow flashing light) to a gate that opens at 6am. From the gate go 1.4 miles to the 2^nd larger Millard Camp Ground parking lot. You need to display a Wilderness Adventure Parking Pass.
* Millard Camp Ground Trailhead (1,838′)
* 0.11 — Take the Sunset Ridge Trail to the
right just before the campground.
* 0.80 — Sunset Ridge Tr. reaches Mt Lowe Road.
* 1.04 — Take the Sunset Ridge Tr. on the Left.
* 1.50 — Dawn Mine Tr. Jct. Go Lt towards cabin
* 1.58 — Go RT at the first creek bed
Lt goes to top of Millard Falls in 0.14 miles
* 1.66 — Go LT at the rock outlined switchback jct
* This section is tranquil as you weave through the shrubs
and listen to the water stream.
* 1.75 — Go RT down the trail towards the creek.
Straight North goes to a Saucer Branch Falls
* 2.20 — The canyon walls start to narrow in as you
keep following the stream.
* 2.25 — Take a hard LT at the rock with painted arrow. Where your path is blocked by huge boulders. The trail goes left & higher up the canyon wall to avoid bouldering, but you still have to high step over some rocks and fallen trees. You might start to feel you’re lost and that you won’t find the mine, but you start seeing pieces of a rusty 4″ pipe & some wire cable… you’re almost there.
* 2.72 — 3,050 feet. You reach the iconic 4 cylinder engine up a small hill. The mine is immediately to the left behind the rock. Inside the mine is AWESOME. DARK, with up to 5″ of water on the ground, so make sure you take an extra pair of socks & a strong headlamp. When you reach the first junction in the mine, be aware there is a VERY DEEP section of water to the right of the wooden post where the trail registry is located. The mine goes quite a ways and branches off in different directions. When it’s time to go, you can go back the same way or adventure as Sammy, my dog, & I did to the 2^nd upper mine located upstream the creek 0.13 miles on the left side of the canyon wall and then head out the canyon to where it meets Mt Lowe Road. From the lower mine, head back down the small hill about 20 yards, then head N. East to the Left & follow the creek upstream. But as you make this turn, make note of the small ridge to the East, this is where you head out of the canyon on your way back.
* 2.85 — You reach the 2^nd upper mine up on the Left canyon wall. It’s dry, but only goes 30 feet and is not as interesting. Now head back to that Eastern Ridge that you made a note of earlier.
* 3.10 — Reach the Eastern Ridge, take the faint dirt trail to the LEFT towards the 3 orange ribbons. At the top of the ridge, immediately go LEFT and don’t miss the quick switchback turns on this steep trail.
* 3.74 — Reach Dawn Station on Mt Lowe (wide dirt) Road,
head to the RIGHT.
* 4.21 — Head RIGHT on the narrow dirt Sunset Ridge Trail
* 4.90 — Stay straight on the narrow dirt trail
* 5.80 — Back at the cabin /​Sunset R. Tr jctn
* 7.30 — Back at the Millard Campground trail head

First– Make sure you have an adventure pass before getting to the destination. The last thing you want is to get a parking ticket. You can buy at places like REI.
Second– Be ready to get your feet wet if you make it inside the mine! You will ALSO want to bring a head lamp. It is pitch black in there, and you won’t want to risk losing your phone in the dark to the cold, knee deep water.
Third– There are a few different ways to get to the mine. The way my group took was very strenuous… We were climbing trails that did not look like trails at all. And it was actually quite dangerous to say the least. It was one of the more difficult hikes I have done. It is also very easy to get lost. We were not ready for this adventure, and we ended up hiking 13.5 miles round trip. Watch for arrows and markers to lead the way.
It is a beautiful hike, with plenty to see. Everyone should experience this.

First you’ll need:
1. Comfy shoes.
2. Sandals or shoes for the ride back home
3. A camel back (my boyfriend and I were good off of one)
4. Snacks AND sandwiches
5. A GoPro
6. A flashlight if you’re brave enough to go into the mine
Make sure you dress comfy, and start the hike early! It starts to get hot in certain areas, but there are shady areas with a nice breeze. Be prepared for this hike, it’s not an easy hike, but it’s a bunch of fun. Hopping over tree trunks, going under tree trunks, and climbing rocks. It’s about a 2 hour hike to get to the mine with one little snack break. They’re pink ribbons to follow and arrows that were sprayed on rocks. Careful when you first go into the mine you might hit your head! There’s no way you’ll get out that mine with dry feet, which is why I suggest to bring an extra pair for the ride back home. If you have a go pro all good, no need to worry about it getting wet, but if all you have is your phone I suggest getting a waterproof case or put leave it in your backpack just incase it falls in one of the pools in the mine or even the stream! Don’t forget to sign the book when you get past the little tunnel part of the mine. :)

I love this hike. 1. It is not a glorified walk. 2. It’s a great workout. 3. Totally surrounded by nature because you’re in the canyon. 4. Lots of rock scrambling, boulder-​hopping, stream-​crossing.
That said, it’s not really for beginners or the unprepared. A map is helpful, but you might lose the trail a few times because it’s not clearly marked. Don’t panic. You’re basically following the water up, then back. There are some arrows and cairns and tape, but you have to make a lot of judgement calls. My rule for this hike is: if it seems too precarious, you’ve probably lost the trail. You don’t have to scale any rock faces or climb up tree roots to get there… just backtrack, and find the more reasonable path.
The mine is cool, but if you want to go inside, bring a headlamp or flashlight… water shoes or just take your socks off. I don’t recommend using a phone flashlight because it helps to have both hands free to brace yourself again the rock walls– the logs and boards you can step on are not stable, they just help your feet stay a bit drier.
Display your adventure pass when you park. Bring lots of water. Wear long pants. Have fun!

1. BRING EXTRA SHOES AND SOCKS
2. WEAR PANTS YOU CAN ROLL UP TO YOUR THIGHS
3. BRING A GOOD FLASHLIGHT
I have never been inside a mine! The trail left me out of breath at times and sore from rock scrambling. It felt great! There are plenty of colorful ribbons to help you out along the way and towards the end there are spray painted arrows leading you to the mine. The trail is a bit tough to navigate. You must wear pants and I would even wear long sleeves as you go through brush and some poison oak. Very doable though. We only got lost once on the way back and it was an easy fix because it literally leads you to a dead end. Go left at the fork on the way back! Lol. As for the mine. awesome creepy! There is a map in a plastic ziploc for you to look at (not take) of all the tunnels. Water was to knee level at times. Loved all the echos and darkness. We didn’t see any animals or much wildlife. Oh, yeah… we we ALONE on the trial the entire time and in the mine. Very nice! That doesn’t happen too often anymore.

Very interesting hiking experience. Basically stick to your right except when you pass the cabin and when you see the creek the first time. If you turn left when you see the creek, you will end up at the top of the waterfall and there is no trail to go further from there. Follow the pink/​orange/​white ribbons, black arrows on the boulders.
We brought flashlight and went into the mine. But there was 5-​inch-​deep water in the mine. So, we came out of the mine after 5 – 10 minutes. It was 80 degrees outside and in the mine, it was about 65 degrees.
We brought our 8-​year old boy with us. It took us about 3 hours to get there and a little more than an hour to get back.

I couldn’t find it… I took the fire road and wound up somewhere completely different. Whenever I would up with alright though, but it certainly wasn’t the mine I was hoping to discover.

We started the trail around 8 am and finished around 12 (2.5 hrs up and 1.5 down) we forgot our adventure pass and parked at the bottom of the hill and hiked up. If this happens to you there is a trail at the first bend of the paved road that will take up straight up the mountain so you’re not trekking up the main road. The trail is clearly marked if you know what your looking for. There were stacked rocks, ribbons, and arrows showing the way. You may go awhile without seeing any but always be on the look out and you can’t go wrong. We didn’t go in the mine because it was just my husband and I and I’m a worrier and didn’t want something to happen with no one else around. We passed quite a few people on the way down that said they had taken many wrong turns– it’s always a good idea to do your homework on a trail before starting! I also would not recommend taking dogs as you have to scale very large boulders. We saw one snake up by the mine and there was one area of the trail that had a lot of hornets.

If you’re looking for a climbing, scaling, crawling over and under, sometimes jungle like experience filled with plenty of mosquitos, spiders, butterflies, dragonflies, snakes, bumps, scrapes and bruising this is the hike for you!
I can admit, for a hike short in mileage it sure made me it’s b*tch! My boyfriend and I had decided to hike to the Dawn Mine vs hiking Mt Wilson but boy did we really have to work for it. Getting there was a trek! We took several wrong turns so it took a lot longer than it did heading back from the mine. We started the hike at 11A and were finished by 4P, including wrong turns, back tracking and spending time in the mine.
We had printed out extremely detailed instructions to which I yelled «crazy mother f*cker» at least a dozen times at. This is definitely not the hike for the faint at heart. Be prepared to take some wrong turns. I think our instructions were too detailed.
Once finally reaching the mine, I really had no intention of going in but we met a guy who was up there and we both decided we’d go in. He had a good flashlight, headlamp, and we had our flashlights on our phones.
Going into the mine and exploring so many different tunnels was probably the coolest part. I was scared silly of course but what a cool experience! Someone had set up a system for the water the drain out a bit so it surely wasn’t calf deep when we went in. Most areas were around 4 inches deep, except for the 50 foot deep area which you absolutely do not want to f with.
I’d sum up directions in simple form. Park at the trail head (Sunset Ridge) above the Millard parking lot (where an Adventure Pass is not needed and some shade is provided by trees).
Proceed up the fire road, passing the sign in book. Don’t turn either way onto any trail, continue past this and look towards your left for the Sunset Ridge Trail 12W18. Take this trail until you come to a fork in the road and hang a left down below the cabin. Once on this trail you’ll hit another point at the creek where you can turn left or right, hang a right and this is where I say basically stick to the right hand side the entire time always following what appears to be a trail.
There are times you’ll seem confused or not really see a clear path, take a few steps always in search for something that appears to be it and more than likely that’s it. I guess my main stress point here is Keep Right on the way in and on the way out keep Left and this helps you follow the trail best. Look at for cairns and ribbons tied to things to help you along the way. Of course there will be tons of weaving left to right and crossing over the stream but keep Right or you will end up going to wrong way (which we did at least 2 or 3x). You’ll eventually start to see black arrows painted on boulders, continue to follow these up and you’ll get there!
Descending and coming back to where you’ve parked should take roughly 90 or so minutes give or take how swiftly you’re moving.
I’d say its a hike that is more than moderate but I can see how if you get it right the first time, it can be somewhat moderate. I have a good feeling we went through a lot more than we needed to have to get to the mine.
My advice is start early in the day, so in case you do take a few wrong turns you still have plenty of time to get back on track and don’t give up once getting to the mine. I’d also say don’t get to the mine and take a picture of the entrance like I was all set to do. Go in! It’s scary looking but how many times have you explored an old gold mine. Bring flashlights and headlamps it’s pitch black inside.
Pack snacks and water. My boyfriend drank his entire 3L camelbak. I had 1.5 liters of mine. We had one or two snacks in total. Sunscreen and a hat/​visor aren’t a bad idea either, and pants are probably a REALLY good idea!
Happy Trails!

This hike is about 7 miles round trip with about 2000′ elevation gain/​loss.
The hike is not that difficult, but can be a challenging hike in terms of obstacles. If climbing over rocks and boulders and hiking through high brush is not your thing, then I would skip this hike.
For me, it was an interesting hike. Most of the trail is single file and there are lots of rocks and boulders to climb over and around. There are also a few streams that you must cross. The elevation really does not seem tough. Parts of the trail are both shaded and unshaded.
Once at your destination, you will see a tiny opening in the rock which designates the opening to the old mine. It’s small with a lot of humidity and dampness. There is also some water to trek through, depending on how far you decide to go. It’s interesting to experience once.
parking — small lot. Adventure pass required

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. This is definitely a hike for adventure seekers! This 5 mile round trip hike is not too difficult, but definitely not for beginners… especially if you choose to take the exact same path to and from. There’s so much foliage, logs, creeks, and rocks or boulders that you have to hike through, under, over, around, etc. You won’t find trail runners on this hike.
Since there is no clear trail, you should always look out for signs that other hikers have left to show you you’re on the right track. There may be many moments when you’ll wonder if you’re even going in the right direction at all, but just look for spray painted arrows, stacked rocks, ribbons, and (I hate to say it) even trash. There are also many moments where you’ll feel like there’s no way to go forward, but you’ll just need to tap into that flexible, acrobatic, bouldering mindset and you’ll be okay.
If you don’t pay attention, you may get lost for a few minutes, but it’s not impossible to find your way back to the right path. I try to look backward as I walk forward so that I can get a visual of the path back.
The mine itself… I can’t really tell you because after staring into the small tunnel, my claustrophobia prevented me from going all the way in. It was, however, a great feeling to know that we actually made it! I hiked with a friend, but I’ve seen multiple hikers doing this one solo.
A few tips:
— Bring lots of water and food or snacks to munch along the way. Also just in case you get lost on a trail for longer than expected.
— Bring a flashlight in case you find the mine and wish to go in.
— Hike in long pants and/​or be prepared with bug spray. I almost doused myself in bug spray because of the amount of bugs. Also, there are lots of rocks, logs, and other things that may cut you along the trail.
— Keep your adventure pass on your car so that you won’t get a ticket.
Would I do this hike again? Definitely! I feel like I have a better gage of the trail, so it should be slightly easier with less moments of feeling confused. Hopefully the foliage won’t grow too much by then.

First time on this hike and this one is a doozy. I’ll telll you guys later in my review.
Adventure pass: Adventure pass is required but others that haved hiked at this place risk it and don’t have one or don’t know where to get one. If you don’t want to risk a hefty fine, go ge an adventure pass.
Parking: Parking is accessable along Chaney Trail Rd. Early birds get to park near the trail head. Make sure you have your parking pass.
Hiking Mileage: 2 ½ miles out…2 ½ miles back.
Visual markers to follow to mine: Look for pink ribbons, small rock formations, and black arrows graffiti on big boulders.
Way to get there… Look at pictures!
Hiking observation: Intermediate
1) Adventure hike seekers should love this hike. You can easily get lost. For the most part there are no signs.
2) Steep narrow hiking trail (single line) and at times the hike goes off trail.
3) Isn’t really a well maintained hike trail. Lots of overgrown foliage
4) A lot of insects… bring bug repellent. I think i got bitten couple of times on this hike
5) Expect to get dirty! A lot of sliding down rocks, brushing up against branches, and stream crossings. Streams were very shallow today.
6) Watch out for bushes and trees stabbing you with their branches. Bring long pants.
7) A lot of over and unders with tree logs. Be very cautious. Its physically and mentally draining when you bump your head into tree logs. I ducked one log then the next one clobbers me when I stand up! Might have a concussion. (DOOZY)
8) Stay hydrated and bring some snacks to sustain you… My two liter bottles weren’t enough. Both of my legs started cramping on the way back and was basically dragging myself to finish.
8) Last part to the mine is primarily boulder hopping and sections off trail hiking. trail. Make sure you have hiking shoes. As for me I was doing this with running shoes. No bueno. Felt at times I would sprained my ankle, but those were minor tweaks. If you get lost, try to find pink ribbons, black arrows, and small rock formations. My friend and I put about three or four on those on the way back for reaching hiking destination easily.
Came home fatigued and battered up, but will definitely come back for more fun.

Great Hike! Trails don’t seem to be marked and it is potentially problematic when you are not sure where to go.

This is my first time doing this hike. The trails were very busy with rocks, branches, and metal pipes. Right away, you will see a serene waterfall from a distance. You have to be on alert or else you’re going to bump your head like I did… lol. It helps if you wear hiking shoes, but regular sneakers can get you through. The trail has the potential to feel like you have no direction. We lost our trail a couple of times. Someone spray painted arrows on rocks that lead you to the mine. On your way down, a walking stick can be your safety net. You will see a nice waterfall at the start, but you can’t get too close.

The first time I went, I didn’t find the damn entrance. This time I read up and finally found it. We did not explore, but will go back with proper gear to explore further inside the Mine. Like all the reviews state it is a scramble up a bunch of boulders and the trail from the Sunset Ridge can be a little confusing. This is not a beginners hike nor I recommend bringing your dog. Check out my video so you don’t make the mistake I made and not find the entrance.
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Distance: 6 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 1600 ft
Equipment: Water, Snacks, Candles & Head lamps (+100 lumens — exploring the mine)
Hike Time: 3.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Condition: OK, but a few difficult spots
Hike Type: Loop or out and back if you just take the stream all the way up
Fee: Adventure Pass
Animals: Would not recommend
Activities: Hiking & Mine Exploring (Not responsible if hurt or killed)

I HATE this place! Sucky path. Not worth the hard works just to see a mine.
Parking: you’re required to have your Angles National Forest pass here. I saw some cars didn’t have a pass but they didn’t get a ticket so you could test our your luck I guess?
Distance: We used the pedometer and it was actually 2.1m for ONE WAY… so 4.2 round trip then? That if you don’t get lost!
Trail:
— From Loma Alta Dr, you drive in for about a mile till you see the first parking lot. It’s not actually a parking lot since people just park on the side. Don’t drive down further because that’s the campground.
— You begin from the gate.
— Walk for 5 minutes and you’ll see the «MAIL SIGN IN» box… take left route.
— Walk on dirt road for 10 minutes till you hit a junction and you’ll see the sign on the LEFT. The sign is covered with some fire hazard sign but under that it had distance for the path… TAKE THAT PATH.
— Keep walking till you see the only cabin, and keep left.
— And good luck from there on because I’m not sure how you can guide anyone through this trail. You just need to go, follow the stream and keep going. That’s all I can really say.
— I HATE IT BECAUSE AFTER YOU PASS THE CABIN, IT’S NOTHING BUT ROCKY PATH… ALL THE WAY TO THE MINE.
— You cross endless of rivers… seriously, ENDLESS…
Suggestions:
— Bring someone that is familiar with this place. It is NOT easy to find the mine.
— Bring flashlight if you want to go inside the mine
— Bring an extra pair of socks/​shoes, because you’ll most likely end up getting wet
— Bring snacks because it took us 6hrs for our round trip…
— Don’t bring your kids/​dogs here
— Don’t come here if you don’t like walking or climbing on rocks for half of your day
— BRING RIBBONS TO HANG IT ON THE TREE EVERY SO OFTEN SO YOU’LL REMEMBER THE WAY BACK…

This place was great! A friend and I took our dogs here over the weekend, and will absolutely be back.
We ran into a bit of trouble parking when we got there. The lot at the top of the hill is small and when it is full, you are reduced to parking at the bottom of the hill (small mountain?) and walking up to the trailhead. I personally would be in no shape to go on a hike after walking up that hill. With four big dogs, my friend and I had to take separate cars. We got there early enough for her to snag one of the limited spots, but I was not so lucky and I left with a nice parking ticket for parking in the red zone as a memento. Oh well.
Following a steep walk up the fire road from the parking lot, we met a friendly local who directed us to the Sierra Saddle trailhead, indicating that the Dawn Mine hike is not safe right now from being washed away by the waterfall. At the start of the Sierra Saddle trail we let the dogs off leash and they followed us down the mostly shaded, very scenic pathway. The best part was that this trail was not very crowded so we didn’t have to worry about bothering non-​dog lovers with our furry friends. At the bottom of the hike we came across a running stream and the dogs didn’t hesitate to jump right in and take a drink of «fresh mountain spring water». We sat down on some rocks, enjoyed a quiet lunch, took the opportunity for a photo op and dipped our toes in the chilly water before heading back out. The trail dropped us right back out by where we parked, making a full circle.
I CANNOT wait to go back and bring my boyfriend. I will probably choose to spend a little more time at the water; I had no idea we would come across such a ‘treasure’, so we were unprepared this time.
BEFORE YOU GO: parking at this site requires that you have an «Adventure Pass». You can get one in town at Big 5 Sporting Goods for $ 5/​day pass or for $ 30/​annual pass.

I’ve gotta say, not bad at all. The hike to Dawn Mike through Millard Canyon isn’t particularly difficult, but it’s all rock-​hopping (and boulder-​scaling). If you’re looking for a hike/​trail you can run and get some cardio on, this is not for you. You won’t be huffing and puffing and out of breath, but you will be working those legs tumbling over rocks. This is more of a test of your overall endurance through rough terrain. Also of your navigating skills, which I found I have very little of.
There are some guides posted, but I feel like they barely helped. For example, one of the guides says to look for a sign that lists destinations with certain distances. Unfortunately, we saw the sign, but the distances were a bit longer. Thinking we were far from the «right» sign, we ended up continuing up the fire road for a good mile before saying,“Okay, we probably should assume that the sign before was the correct one.” It was.
Also, a good portion of this trail has been eroded away by the fires and subsequent mudslides. Currently, the «high road» around the wall of boulders doesn’t exist anymore. That means that you DO have to do some boulder climbing to get to the mine. If you read the guide on Dan’s Hiking pages, you’ll see where he says that there is an
«imposing stretch of huge boulders» and that they’ll prevent you from proceeding further. Unfortunately, he’s wrong. They ARE scalable, and they do lead you to your destination. There is a slight remnant of a trail to the left, but I honestly feel like climbing some rocks was far safer.
You’ll find yourself crossing the creek numerous times, but you can minimize the crosses and just keep walking along whatever bank you’re on. One side will always be a bit more difficult than the other, but usually you’ve got some options. If you’re like our group, you’ll find yourself stopping and doubting whether you’re going in the right direction several times. We backtracked several times before I finally said,“Okay screw this, let’s get it over with” and charged full speed ahead until we got to the mine.
It’s also easy to miss your original entrance on the way out. If you do, you’ll know it within 10 minutes, because you’ll find yourself peering over a waterfall, like we did. All in all, now that we’ve gone, I think I could easily navigate my way to the mine again. But expect some confusion your first time.
The biggest challenge on this hike isn’t the distance, nor the climbing of rocks, but rather in carefully figuring out which rocks you can hop over, and which ones will cause you to slip and plunge into the creek. I ate it a few times while jumping across some rocks, but nothing serious. Good fun overall!
The mine itself is pretty lame, though.

Dawn Mine is an easy, short, but exciting hike. There are lots of shade, rock formations, and a waterfall at the end! – oh and the mine! Also, there’s a stream that runs along the hike that you constantly have to cross. Very fun! It’s the perfect summer hike. Bring a sweater during the winter months because it gets chilly!
I would definitely go more often it wasn’t so far inland! There needs to be more hikes like this on the westside!