Chloride Cliff Road

Situated on the east side of Death Valley National Park, within the Funeral Range Mountains, lies one of the oldest mines in the entire park, and the highest point gives unparalleled views as it overlooks Badwater Valley. The original mine was discovered by August J. Franklin in 1871. The story is told that he picked up a rock to crown a rattlesnake and found silver ore. He founded the Chloride Cliff mining company with the first claims he staked. The mine could not produce enough revenue and mostly stopped operations until the Bull Frog mining boom in 1905. With towns like Rhyolite nearby to help support the mine, a permanent camp was established to ramp up operations and was called Chloride City. Not much remains today except for adits, tailing piles, and the grave of James McKay, an unknown man with no known story to tell. It's the perfect trail to add to your Death Valley list.