A word to the wise: Be extremely careful when hiking or exploring the country around abandoned mines. Do not walk near a mineshaft. Crumbling rocks at an opening can cause a dangerous fall into a steep mine shaft. Rotting timbers, cave-ins, deep pools of water,…Read More

A word to the wise: Be extremely careful when hiking or exploring the country around abandoned mines. Do not walk near a mineshaft. Crumbling rocks at an opening can cause a dangerous fall into a steep mine shaft. Rotting timbers, cave-ins, deep pools of water, low oxygen levels and rattlesnakes are some of the existing dangers. Close

Passing through the main street of Midas following the creek, the narrow road takes you deeper in the canyon. The walls of the canyon are rugged and covered with desert vegetation. All along the sides you'll see red-orange flags among a pile of rocks. These…Read More

Passing through the main street of Midas following the creek, the narrow road takes you deeper in the canyon. The walls of the canyon are rugged and covered with desert vegetation.

All along the sides you'll see red-orange flags among a pile of rocks. These are the openings of old mine shafts. If you were to try and count them I'm sure they would number around one hundred or so. The markers are necessary because people have been know to fall into old mine shafts. Scary thought!

There are still people living in Midas today. I think most have a cabin there as a place to get away. Several of the cabins look like they've been renovated. Most are tiny, one-room structures. Quite a few lots have places that are a tumble…Read More

There are still people living in Midas today. I think most have a cabin there as a place to get away. Several of the cabins look like they've been renovated. Most are tiny, one-room structures. Quite a few lots have places that are a tumble of boards and brick. These look like abandoned properties.

As you enter the little town there is one house under construction. It is a huge place with a lot of custom features. No mere getaway cabin, it looks like a place for someone who intends to stay awhile!

I recently saw a for sale ad in a real estate magazine for a cabin in Midas. It was a one-bedroom, one-bath with a total of 1,000 square feet. The price: $58,000.

Towards the end of the road, before you hit the 4-wheel drive roads, we found an old miner's cabin. I wanted to stop and look inside so we pulled off the road to take a look. As I opened the door I startled a bird that…Read More

Towards the end of the road, before you hit the 4-wheel drive roads, we found an old miner's cabin. I wanted to stop and look inside so we pulled off the road to take a look.
As I opened the door I startled a bird that was nesting inside. He flew out the broken window when I pushed the door open. The one-room cabin was small, only about 6-feet wide and 12-feet long. There were two windows, one by the front door and one in the rear of the cabin.
There was a very old wood stove that served as a heater as well as for cooking. There was no running water or toilet. I looked out the back window and saw a dilapidated outhouse.
There was a narrow bed with a rotted quilt on it. A dresser, small table and a chair. The cupboards still held the remains of food, most with the labels worn off.
It looked like someone had simply abandoned the cabin some 20 years ago. I couldn't help but wonder if some miner struck it rich and just walked away one day.Close