Location: East of Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park

Difficulty: Difficult. Although a little rocky in places, the first part of the trip to Inyo Mine is easy and suitable for just about any SUV. The last portion of the trip to Echo Pass is mostly moderate but has one difficult spot. Stock SUV’s should have very high ground clearance and good articulation. Even then, a winch or tow strap may be needed for this one section. Vehicles with big tires and differential lockers should have no problem.

Features: A popular route because much of the trip is easy and the start is close to Furnace Creek and the visitor center. Pass through Echo Canyon featuring Eye of the Needle. Visit Inyo Mine where several cabins and significant mining structures remain. Climb high into the Funeral Mountains with great views along the route to Echo Pass. Street legal vehicles only.

Time & Distance: The 9.6 mile drive to Inyo Mines takes about an hour one-way. Echo Pass is another 5.2 miles. This part of the trip could take another hour or two one-way, depending upon the capability of your vehicle. With stops along the way, you can easily spend 5 to 6 hours for the whole trip. (The route continues on past Echo Pass to Amargosa Valley in Nevada, a significant distance and a long drive back to the start. I did not drive this part of the trip).

To Get There: Head south on Hwy 190 from Furnance Creek. Stay on Hwy 190 about 2 miles past the Furnance Creek Inn. Turn left on a well defined raod displaying a jeep symbol.

Trail Description: Head northeast on a mildly rocky road. Climb gradually across an open area before reaching Echo Canyon after 3.4 miles. Watch for Eye Of The Needle on the left at 4.7 miles. Gradually, the canyon widens again. Stay right at 7.8 miles. At 9.1 miles stay right to reach the Inyo Mine. A sign here indicates Amargosa is left. You’ll come back to this point later for Echo Pass. Stop at a small parking area on the left at 9.6 miles to visit the Inyo Mine. The road is closed past this point. When visiting the mine area, remember to leave everything as you find it. It is a federal crime to remove anything from a historical stie.

To reach Echo Pass, return 0.6 miles and turn right at the Amargosa sign. Reset your odometer. Follow a single, two-track road north. At 0.2 miles, bear left. A right here would drop down a steep, rocky bank and shortcut the trail. At 0.3 miles, a barricade indicates the road is closed straight ahead but the trail continues around to the right. You can stop here and hike to the Schwaub Townsite in less than a mile. Not much is left at the site but a few scattered rusty cans. At 0.4 miles the earlier mentioned shortcut joins on the right. You continue straight. The trail varies from easy to moderate as it winds back and forth through a narrow canyon. There are mines along the way but most are hidden. Watch for clues of their existence in the form of scattered metal pipes and cables lying on the ground.

Somewhere around 3.0 miles you’ll encounter several difficult rocky ledges.  Stock vehicles will have a tough time here. Hardcore enthusiasts will be disappointed that this stretch isn’t much longer. At 3.5 miles make a hard left uphill. Then at 3.7 miles, bear left downhill on a better traveled road. Go over the top of a rounded hill at about 4.2 miles and continue down the other side. Bear right at 4.4 and left at 4.8 as you wind up and down rolling hills. Echo Pass is at the top of the hill at 5.2 miles. The pass is not obvious or very dramatic.

Services: Complete services, including gas, are available at Furnance Creek, largest of the burgs serving Death Valley National Park. Furnance Creek Visitor Center is also located here. Many of the services are located inside Furnance Creek Ranch. Open to the public, the ranch has a general store, a gift shop, restaurants, and a post office. Furnance Creek Campground, closest to the Visitor Center, fills up first with overflow going to Sunset and Texas Spring Campgrounds. Teh campgrounds take large RVs and motor homes. Campgrouns have flush toilets but hookups and showers are not available. The park is open all year.

Historical Highlights: Inyo Mine had two periods of activity: the first from 1905 – 1912, the second from about 1932 to 1938. The town included a boarding house, a blacksmith shop and company store in 1907. A 25-ton ball mill was built in the later period but shut down in 1938. Schwaub was a short-lived tent town named after Charles Schwaub, a well-known industrialists known for his support of mining in the boom town of Rhyolite near Beatty.

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