This first mining in Icehouse Canyon happened back in 1892, so this mine probably dates back to that time period.
Outside the lower portal there's a old cable, probably used to hoist a mine cart out.
The mine starts with an easy butt crawl into a 40 foot incline tunnel. Halfway through a side tunnel takes you into a larger cavity.
From there the mine forks in three directions. The left is the main, the center goes in 20 feet, the right has been filled in (seen below)
This is the main fork. It terminates at a thirty foot shaft.
A few old hand hewn timbers are still bracing the ceiling
Looking down a shaft at the end of the main tunnel. You can actually climb down it. At the bottom there's a short inlet to the left.
Back on the outside there's a second mine, thirty feet above.
Inside the upper portal. There are a few good sized chunks of copper ore up there.
Copper ore sample in the upper mine.
Icehouse Canyon is one of the best hikes near Baldy. From the saddle you can branch out in several different directions.
One of many cabins destroyed by the flood of 1938. There were originally 105 of them leased by the forest service for 99 years.
In the spring there's usually a lot of snow remaining in the canyon. It's named after an icehouse that was built back in 1869.
On the day I visited the mine I was lucky enough to see my second Skilton's Skink, though I only got a blurry photo of it.
I took this back in 2016. I was resting on a log near the saddle when a mountain lion bolted out across a snowfield below me. Only the second one I've ever seen.
During Prohibition Mt. Baldy was a much bigger resort, where you could drink freely and cops would leave you alone.
I just found a very difficult to reach mine down in Baldy Creek which I'll be posting on my website in the next month.
I don't want these mines to get trashed, so I won't give locations on this forum, but if you want to know where the mine above is just private message me.
