Trail Review: Big Horn Mine
Parking: Parking Lot at Vincent Gulch Divide. Adventure Pass is required to park in the lot.
Distance: 3.7 miles out & back.
After a bit of a hiking hiatus, we're back! And to ease back into the trails, we decided to do a hike that I've been wanting to do for a while now, the Big Horn Mine in the Angeles National Forest. It's not that long of a trail and it's relatively easy. But it is a bit of a drive from Los Angeles, coming in at around an hour and a half one way. It's worth it, though, if you want to explore some interesting history of the Angeles National Forest and see some great views of the surrounding mountains.
Parking at the trailhead is easy. There is a large parking lot at Vincent Gulch Divide on the CA-2 where it meets Big Rock Creek Road. You do need an Adventure Pass to park here; otherwise, you may get a ticket.
The trail to the Big Horn Mine starts at the white and red road block at the western end of the parking lot:
As you head around the road block, the trail will veer to the left and start a bit of a descent at first. For the first mile or so, the path is relatively flat or has a slight decline. It's not until about half way through that the trail starts to gain elevation. The trail also gets pretty narrow from time to time so just watch your step.
There is one fork in the road which we actually didn't realize was a fork at first. The Vincent Gulch trail veers off to the left about a quarter of a mile in where there are two wooden sign boards that are currently blank except for the graffiti spray painted on them. Stick to the right-hand trail for the mine.
Graffiti will be a pretty constant companion on this journey. From random rocks to the mining entrances, people have felt the need to display their "art" along the path. You'll know you're getting close when you pass by a very graffitied, closed off entrance to the mine on your right:
As you round the last bend in the trail toward the mine, your view will open up to a wider expanse and you'll see some beautiful mountains in the distance.
The next thing you'll see further down the path is the remnants of the mining structure, basically what is left of a steel frame of a building:
The last 100 feet or so is a little tricky because it dips down and back up, creating a steep slope of both sides of a small stream, so be careful as you traverse that spot. But right after that, you'll basically be inside the building!
Once inside, you'll get a really cool view of the mountains to the south. And depending on how adventurous you are, you can explore the different parts of the structure. We didn't climb up very high into it, but we saw some people disappear up into the hill so I think you might be able to get to the actual entrance to the mine further up. It is really steep though to get up there.
There are a lot of people who make this trek in order to take Instagram photos, so you may see some people having a kind of photoshoot around the structure. To each their own, I say. But just be aware because you may have to wait for them to finish if you want to explore the whole place.
Once you're done enjoying the Big Horn Mine, just head back the way you came. We also discovered on our way out that the two big mine shafts to the side of the main entrance are a great place to cool down because there is some very cool air coming out of them!
Bottom Line: A fun hike in the Angeles National Forest. A bit of a drive to get out there but it's worth it to see some historical mining remnants.
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