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Gold Bottom Area
Although this is referred to as the Gold Bottom Area, Copper Queen Canyon is the major canyon in this quadrant. The reason Gold Bottom is the focus is that the Gold Bottom Mine and the Gold Bottom Dunes are the most highly visited sites in this area. Also of interest is the first canyon to the north of Gold Bottom Canyon. It provides an alternative access route to the Gold Bottom Dunes and is an interesting hike. A dirt road leads into this area. It starts just north of Pioneer Point and passes by just south of the Trona Airport. (Click here for area map)


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Gold Bottom (February 2018)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Copper Queen Saddle - View from top of Gold Bottom at saddle with Copper Queen.
  2. Top of Copper Queen - Looking up at main ridge of Slate with Manly Peak in the background.
  3. Manly Peak - Manly Peak above the main ridge of the Slate Range.
  4. Cluster of Boulders - Just a group of boulders at the top of Gold Bottom Canyon.
  5. Rugged Slope - Rugged slope dropping into Copper Queen Canyon.
  6. Old Miner Trail - Section of trail bypassing dry fall in Gold Bottom Canyon.
  7. Copper Queen View - Looking down into Copper Queen Canyon.
  8. Miner's Tool - Old pick left by some miner long ago.
  9. Sunset Over Trona - Looking across the valley towards the chemical plant.
  10. Interesting Rock - Rock with erosion pocket.

Standard Mine (December 2017)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Mine From Distance - Standard Mine just below center of image.
  2. View To West - Argus and Trona Peaks across Searles Valley.
  3. Mine Claim - Pile of rocks and view to north at about 2600'.
  4. Creosote Ring - This clonal ring is easily over one thousand years old.
  5. Standard Mine 01 - Access path along row of tunnels (approx. 3100').
  6. Standard Mine 02 - Lone tunnel in wash up canyon from other tunnels.
  7. Standard Mine 03 - One of the mid-level tunnels.
  8. Standard Mine 04 - Tunnel directly below mid-level tunnels.
  9. Standard Mine 05 - Another look at access path to mid-level tunnels.
  10. Standard Mine 06 - Upper level view to south.
  11. Standard Mine 07 - Single tunnel at upper level.
  12. Retaining Wall - Located near upper level tunnel.
  13. Early Moonrise - December 31 moonrise above peak behind Standard Mine.
  14. Late Moonrise - Another look in the same direction.
  15. Trona - Looking across valley towards town of Trona.

South of Copper Queen (April 2017)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Desert Gold - Geraea canescens of the Sunflower Family.
  2. Creosote - Larrea tridentata of the Caltrop Family.
  3. Indigo Bush - Psorothamnus arborescens of the Pea Family.
  4. Flower Mix - Prickly poppy, brittlebush, and desert mallow.
  5. Lower Canyon 01 - Looking up the canyon from about 2500'.
  6. Coreopsis - Leptosyne bigelovii of the Sunflower Family.
  7. Mountain View - Looking at slope of canyon at about 3000'.
  8. Desert Sage - Salvia dorrii of the Mint Family.
  9. Rock Wall - Steep rock wall in narrow section of canyon at about 3200'.
  10. Miner's Lettuce - Claytonia perfoliata of the Purslane Family.
  11. Upper Canyon 01 - Terrain at about 3500'.
  12. Upper Canyon 02 - More from at about 3500'.
  13. Rock Daisy - Perityle emoryi of the Sunflower Family.
  14. Lower Canyon 02 - Looking up the canyon as the sun was getting low.
  15. Lupine - One of a group of plants growing in a wash at about 2100'.

Copper Queen Loop (March 2016)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Desert Star - Monoptilon bellidiforme of the Sunflower Family.
  2. Coreopsis - Look close and observe small spider mites.
  3. Miner's Lettuce - Claytonia perfoliata of the Purslane Family.
  4. Valentine Plant - Pterostegia drymarioides of the Buckwheat Family.
  5. Rock Cress - Arabis pulchra of the Mustard Family.
  6. Upper Canyon - Creosote and coreopsis in one of the upper branches of the canyon.
  7. Boulders - Boulders on ridge near top of one of the canyon branches.
  8. Yellow Frocks - Eriophyllum ambiguum of the Sunflower Family.
  9. Evening Snow - Linanthus dichotomus of the Phlox Family.
  10. Loop Hike Route - Almost all of the northeast quarter of this hike followed a faint donkey trail.

North of Gold Bottom (February 2015)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Rock Pile - One of several mine claim rock piles encountered on this hike.
  2. The Stash #1 - Someone decided to leave their stuff unprotected.
  3. Mine Claim - This mine claim is within a few yards of the stash.
  4. The Stash #2 - Hole in rock containing the stash shown above.
  5. The Magaline #1 - Claim paper dating back to 1954.
  6. The Magaline #2 - Old notice of location deteriorating over time.
  7. Big Mike #1 - Claim paper dating back to 1957.
  8. Big Mike #2 - Notice of location for mine claim.
  9. Another Mine Claim - Stacks of rocks all over the place in this area!
  10. Big White Rock - This is the large white spot that's visible from Trona.

Copper Queen Canyon (March 2014)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Sand Verbena - This plant was plentiful in sandy areas!
  2. Blazing Star #1 - This plant was also fairly abundant.
  3. Blazing Star #2 - A closer look at the flower produced by this plant.
  4. Desert Five Spot - A couple small colonies observed near mouth of canyon.
  5. Copper Queen Mine - Looking across the canyon at old mine.
  6. Donkeys - A couple burros hanging out and enjoying the vegetation.
  7. Brittle Bush - Yellow flowers of brittle bush seen throughout canyon.
  8. Desert Star - Common belly-flower often found in washes.
  9. Coreopsis - Reasonably strong showing of this flower this year.
  10. Purple Mat - Otherwise known as Nama demissum!
  11. Rock Garden - Apricot Mallow and Brittle Bush growing on rock.
  12. Apricot Mallow - Lots of apricot mallow observed on this hike.
  13. Chia - Close look at infloresence of Salvia Columbariae.
  14. Miner's Lettuce - Rather delicious member of the Purslane Family.
  15. Desert Larkspur - Close look at this interesting flower.

Gold Bottom Loop (February 2014)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Rock Daisy #1 - Several groups of plants in bloom encountered in Gold Bottom Canyon.
  2. Desert Five Spot - Only one flower observed and it was on the canyon floor.
  3. Brittlebush - This is fairly reliable plant when it comes to producing blooms even in dry years.
  4. Rock Daisy #2 - More rock daisy on the canyon floor.
  5. Golden Evening Primrose - Another reliable flower producer!
  6. Mine Ruins #1 - The main ruins in Gold Bottom Canyon.
  7. Mine Ruins #2 - Same ruins from a different angle.
  8. Ives' Phacelia - Small member of the Borage family growing in the lower dunes area.
  9. Sapsucker #1 - This guy was spotted in Pioneer Point.
  10. Sapsucker #2 - Not often do these guys show up in Trona.

Gold Bottom Loop (March 2010)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Box Thorn #1 - Group of box thorn flowers.
  2. Box Thorn #2 - Side view of box thorn flower.
  3. Desert Trumpet - Eriogonum inflatum with fresh leaves and old stalks.
  4. Searles Valley - Looking across the valley towards the Argus Range.
  5. Desert Tobacco - Early desert tobacco flower.
  6. Smoke Stack - Looking down Gold Bottom Canyon towards chemical plant.
  7. Mine Ruins - Ruins at Gold Bottom Mine.
  8. Milkvetch #1 - Milkvetch flowers in dune area at base of Slate Range.
  9. Milkvetch #2 - Entire plant at dusk.
  10. Loop Hike - Five and a half mile hike traveling up one canyon and down another.

Gold Bottom Dune Area (March 2009)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Desert Gold - A bank of desert gold about a mile or so north of Gold Bottom Canyon.
  2. Blazing Star - This plant was quite abundant throughout the area!
  3. Desert Chicory - Popping out of bushes almost everywhere!
  4. Mohave Groundsel - This plant prefers the south side of narrow canyons.
  5. Eucrypta - Another plant that likes shady and relatively moist locations.
  6. Devil's Lettuce - Otherwise known as Amsinckia, this plant was quite abundant.
  7. Desert Fivespot - There were a few early flowers, but lots of buds to bloom soon!
  8. Brittlebush - Lots of yellow flowers! This was one of the main contributers!
  9. Yellow Flowers - Most of the yellow is brittlebush, but golden evening primrose was also abundant!
  10. Moonrise - The moon rising over the Slates.
  11. Treadmarks - These treadmarks were found about a quarter of a mile from the nearest road!
  12. Poppy - Another abundant yellow flower!
  13. Sand Verbena - Several large patches of sand verbena were encountered!
  14. Desert Tobacco Plant - Gold Bottom Canyon seems to have more than its share of this plant!
  15. Desert Tobacco Flowers - A close look at the flowers of the Indian Tobacco plant.
  16. Phacelia - A small flowered phacelia growing next to a rock wall.
  17. Golden Evening Primrose - These plants were scattered around all over the place!
  18. Dune Evening Primrose - Lots of this in the dune area extending north of Gold Bottom. Notice the fiddle mustard around these plants!

Gold Bottom Dune Area (February 2009)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Sand Verbena 01 - Sand verbena about a mile north of Gold Bottom Canyon at base of Slate Range.
  2. Desert Five-Spot - Young plants were quite abundant in this area!
  3. Onyx Flower - Small, neat-looking plant scattered around in sandy areas.
  4. Blazing Star - Many young plants with buds were observed.
  5. Fiddle Mustard 01 - Also known as streptanthella, this plant is a member of the Mustard Family.
  6. Fiddle Mustard 02 - The tiny flowers grow on thin stalks.
  7. Fiddle Mustard 03 - Another name for this plant is twistflower.
  8. Illegal Vehicle Tracks - These tracks were about one quarter of a mile from the nearest dirt road.
  9. Brown-Eyed Evening Primrose 01 - This plant was literally all over the place!
  10. Brown-Eyed Evening Primrose 02 - Another picture of a common, but very pretty plant!
  11. Peppergrass 01 - Some peppergrass flowers growing in a sandy area.
  12. Peppergrass 02 - A peppergrass bush growing on a mound of sand.
  13. Mine Claim Marker - A post marking a mine claim on a rocky ridge.
  14. Cotton-Top Cactus - Cotton-top cactus growing out of the side of a boulder.
  15. Gravel Ghost 01 - Small gravel ghost plant hugging the ground.
  16. Gravel Ghost 02 - Small gravel ghost plant with flower buds and stalk in development.
  17. Geo Cache Box - A geo cache box near Gold Bottom Dunes.
  18. Geo Cache Treasure - Incredible treasure awaits the next person to locate the geo cache box!
  19. Gold Bottom Roads 01 - Road heading east toward Slate Range from Gold Bottom Dunes.
  20. Gold Bottom Roads 02 - Road heading south from Gold Bottom Mine.
  21. Lupine - A small lupine plant with tiny flowers growing in the sand at Gold Bottom Dunes.
  22. Sand Verbena 02 - Sand Verbena plant near Gold Bottom Dunes.
  23. Dune Evening Primrose - Wind-damaged flowers on dune evening primrose plant.
  24. Fiddle Mustard 04 - Another close up shot of the tiny flowers of the fiddle mustard plant.
  25. Spectacle-Pod 01 - Group of spectacle-pod plants near Gold Bottom Dunes.
  26. Spectacle-Pod 02 - Spectacle pod was especially abundant near Gold Bottom Dunes although there was plenty of it growing all along the dune area that extends two miles north of Gold Bottom Canyon along the base of the Slate Range.

Gold Bottom Dune Area (April 2008)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Sand Verbena - Lots of sand verbena scattered throughout area.
  2. Buckwheat - A small member of the Buckwheat Family.
  3. Five Spot - Several small plants found in the area.
  4. Poppy - Many small poppy plants blooming all around.
  5. Evening Primrose - Most of the Evening Primrose plants I saw were not quite in bloom.
  6. Desert Calico - There were several colonies of these tiny plants.
  7. Lilac Sunbonnet - The one and only specimen encountered of this species on this hike.
  8. Tiquilia - This tiny plant was quite prevalent!

Copper Queen Canyon (March 2008)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Tortoise - Tortoise on road near mouth of Copper Queen Canyon.
  2. Purple Mat #1 - Abundant plants throughout the canyon.
  3. Purple Mat #2 - Plants were a little on the small side even for Purple Mat.
  4. Coreopsis - Copper Queen usually has a lot of Coreopsis. This year was a little sparse.
  5. Desert Paintbrush - A few of these were scattered around the upper part of the canyon.
  6. Rock Formation - An interesting rock formation in upper canyon.
  7. Poppy - Lots of very small poppy plants throughout canyon.
  8. Miner's Lettuce #1 - Many plants were scattered around the upper part of the canyon.
  9. Miner's Lettuce - Larger plants are often found in the seep part of the canyon.
  10. View to North - Looking north from southern ridge of canyon at 4600 feet.
  11. View to South - Looking south from same location.
  12. Manly View - Manly as in the peak. Picture taken from same point as previous two.
  13. Scale Bud - Many plants scattered around upper canyon.
  14. Fiesta Flower - Also found in upper canyon.
  15. Evening Snow #1 - The plants were on the small side, but very abundant in upper canyon.
  16. Evening Snow #2 - More Evening Snow.
  17. Slate Range - View south along crest of Slate Range from top of south fork of Copper Queen Canyon looking south. (October 2008)

Gold Bottom Canyon (May 2006)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Gold Bottom Seep #1 - Running water below seep a couple miles up canyon.
  2. Gold Bottom Seep #2 - Small pond with lot of algae.
  3. Gold Bottom Trail - Remnants of miner's trail in Gold Bottom Canyon.
  4. Caliente Claim #1 - Disintegrated of mine claim dating back to 1926.
  5. Caliente Claim #2 - Location Notice: Quartz Claim.
  6. Caliente Claim #3 - Notice is hereby given.
  7. Caliente Claim #4 - Date shows as April 1926.
  8. Caliente Claim #5 - Scattered pieces of document.
  9. Caliente Claim #6 - Close view of top of document.
  10. Caliente Claim #7 - Tin document found in.
  11. Caliente Claim #8 - Inside of tin.
  12. Caliente Claim #9 - Whipple, Schoffinch, and McCollough.
  13. Caliente Claim #10 - April 13, 1926.
  14. Caliente Claim #11 - Description of location.
  15. Gold Bottom #1 - Ruins of Gold Bottom Mine.
  16. Gold Bottom Mine Road #1 - Road going southeast above Gold Bottom Mine.
  17. Gold Bottom Mine Road #2 - View of roads above mine.
  18. Gold Bottom Mine Site #1 - Tailings pile in lower part of canyon.
  19. Gold Bottom Mine Site #2 - Another view of ruins.
  20. Gold Bottom Dunes #1 - Dune area north of mine.
  21. Gold Bottom Dunes #2 - Locoweed at edge of dunes.
  22. Gold Bottom Dunes #3 - White spot with dunes in foreground.
  23. Gold Bottom Dunes #4 - Shadows on sand dunes.
  24. Gold Bottom Dunes #5 - Ripples on side of sand dune.
  25. Gold Bottom Dunes #6 - More locoweed on edge of dune area.
  26. Gold Bottom Dunes #7 - Dunes at top of canyon.
  27. Gold Bottom Dunes #8 - Mine claim with dunes in background.
  28. Gold Bottom Dunes #9 - Mine claim markers with dunes in background.
  29. White Spot View #1 - White spot just prior to sunset.
  30. White Spot View #2 - Closer view of white spot.
  31. White Spot View #3 - View from immediately below white spot.
  32. White Spot View #4 - White spot from ridge to the south.
  33. White Spot View #5 - View of white spot from north.
  34. Cactus on White Spot #1 - Cactus growing at the top of rock formation.
  35. Cactus on White Spot #2 - Another view of cactus growing at top of white spot.

Copper Queen (Spring 2006)    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Rock Formation #1 - Hollowed-out rock.
  2. Rock Formation #2 - One large and several small wind-worn holes.
  3. Rock Formation #3 - A small cave in large boulder.
  4. Rock Formation #4 - Another view of formation #1.
  5. Mine Ruins #1 - Ruins at mouth of Copper Queen Canyon.
  6. Mine Ruins #2 - Old timbers at mouth of canyon.
  7. Mine Ruins #3 - Tailings piles.
  8. Mine Ruins #4 - Mine shaft with broken ladder.
  9. Mine Ruins #5 - Looking down on area.
  10. Bugs and Cactus #1 - Bugs on cactus fruit.
  11. Bugs and Cactus #2 - Lots of white stuff on cactus pad.
  12. Donkey Bones - Spine of dead donkey.
  13. Tarantula - Large spider.
  14. View Down Canyon - Looking down canyon with large pyramid-shaped hill in foreground.
  15. Sand Verbena - Sand verbena in bloom at bottom of canyon.
  16. Rock Nettle - Rock nettle flowers and fuzzy foliage.

Miscellaneous    Quick view of trip pics
  1. Miner's Lettuce #1 - Lush growth Spring 2005.
  2. Miner's Lettuce #2 - Growing out of crack in rock.
  3. Miner's Lettuce #3 - More from Spring 2005.
  4. Miner's Lettuce #4 - Ample moisture brought abundant miner's lettuce.
  5. Miner's Lettuce #5 - Tons of miner's lettuce.
  6. Slates View #1 - View of Slate Range from across the valley.
  7. Slates View #2 - Another view of Slates from the west.
  8. Hill North of Dunes - Looking north from Gold Bottom Dunes.
  9. Searles Valley #1 - Looking down on Searles Valley from near dunes.
  10. Searles Valley #2 - View of Searles Valley from northern part of area.
  11. Mine Claims - White mine claim poles on hillside.
  12. Hole in Rock - Small cave at base of boulder.
  13. White Spot View #6 - Looking up at white spot.
  14. Canyon View - Looking up canyon near Gold Bottom Dunes.
  15. Lichen on White Spot - Close look at lichen growing on white rock.
  16. Cactus in Rock - Cactus growing out of crack in rock.
  17. Dunes View From East - Looking down on dunes from the east.
  18. Moon Rise #1 - Rising moon above crest of Slate Range.
  19. Moon Rise #2 - Another view of rising moon.
  20. Moon Rise #3 - More distant view of rising moon.
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