Walking Wild & Free

Ashford Mill 1

Ashford Mill

Photo credit Quinn Dombrowski, CC BY-SA 2.0. View at https://flic.kr/p/FM5UCC

Ashford Mill 2

Photo credit Emilien Lebourgeois, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/2osqUxF

Ashford Mill 3

Photo credit Emilien Lebourgeois, Public Domain. View at https://flic.kr/p/2ospQeV

Ashford Mill 4

Photo credit Dan Eckert, CC BY 2.0. View at https://flic.kr/p/9Ak5XV

Ashford Mill 5

Photo credit inazakira, CC BY- SA. View at https://flic.kr/p/95m2ir

Ashford Mill 6

Photo credit Quinn Dombrowski, CC BY-SA 2.0. View at https://flic.kr/p/FM5MuQ

Ashford Mill 7

Photo credit Quinn Dombrowski, CC BY-SA 2.0. View at https://flic.kr/p/EZZSSz

Ashford Mill 8

Photo credit inazakira, CC BY- SA. View at https://flic.kr/p/95m3yt

Wander around an old gold mill and various other ruins.

Total Distance: 0.2 mile loop	Elevation Gain: 64ft. (-87ft. to -144ft.)
Difficulty: Easy	0-5 Mile Difficulty: Easy
View Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars3.0	Author’s Rating: 2.0 out of 5.0 stars2.0
Visitor Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]	Visitor Difficulty Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]
Pets: No	Horses: No
Best Seasons: October-May	Special Permits: None
Water Availability: None	Overnight Options: None
Trailhead Amenities: Primitive restrooms	Crowd Factor: Solitude to Moderate
Trailhead Access: 1.2
Uses:	Trail Surface:
Features:	Hazards:

Mile-by-Mile: Ashford Mill

0.0 Ashford Mill Ruins Sign (-87ft.). Wander around the remains of the mill and other buildings. This guide goes down to the office building (the concrete walls), over to the remains of the ore crusher, and finally down to the location of another building before returning to the parking area. (35.918932°, -116.683258°)

0.2 Return to Ashford Mill Ruins Sign (-87ft.). Don’t forget to enjoy the views of the Panamint Mountains (across the valley to the west), Black Mountains (near side of the valley to the east), and into the southerly part of Death Valley. (35.918932°, -116.683258°)

History & More

Ashford Mill was built by the Ashford Brothers in 1914 to process ore from the “Golden Treasure Mine” (Ashford Mine), some 5 miles east of the mill in the Black Mountains. While the mine was never truly profitable, one of the investors helped the brothers build the mill and the concrete office building. One person summed it up that the mine, “was able to produce just enough gold to keep the Ashfords in groceries and lawsuits for more than a third of a century.” The mine was worked intermittently through the 1930s, but it never made any of its owners or leasees rich.

At one time, the mill had a jaw-crusher, a 10ft. Lane mill, a Wilfley table, and a Diester slime table. Today, only the foundations remain.

The colorful slopes of the Black Mountains are especially nice in the afternoon sun, while views to the Panamint Mountains are best in the morning.

Download Route Map

Driving Directions

The road to Ashford Mill is along the Badwater Road. It is on the left, 1.9 miles north of the Badwater Road/Jubilee Pass Road/Harry Wade Road Junction, or on the right 27.2 miles south of the Badwater Basin Parking Area (1.8 miles south of the southern end of the West Side Road.