Ripsey PLUS 2.5

​Ripsey Wash, Ripsey Mine, Florence Lead Silver Mine and Hackberry Mine all in a fairly small area.  Lots of interesting things on this Jeep trail.

This GREAT TRIP is easy enough to run in either direction, but will be described here beginning at the Ripsey Wash entrance.

The west entrance is shorter if you are coming from that way.
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​There is a GPS - gpx track at the bottom of the page.
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Ripsey Mine

Ripsey Wash is a mostly sandy wash, beginning wide then narrowing down to interesting canyons as you travel up its length.

Ripsey Wash lower portion

Ripsey Wash higher up

The Desert Willow Tree was in bloom when we did this trip in May.  We also saw two gila monsters the same day.

Desert willow

Gila monster

Ripsey Mine has an unusual amount of equipment still in place.  Please do not disturb any of it.  The first photo at the top of this page shows an overview of the mill remains.  We believe the first photo below is the base of an arrastra.  The second may be a crusher.

Arrastra

Crusher maybe

First photo below is a shaft just above the mill and a cable reel for the headframe that was above it.  Also the major boiler for the complex.  Second photo is a nearby open shaft.  Looked kinda scary.

Boiler, shaft and cable reel

Scary open shaft

Drive to the end of the road and find a horizontal mine shaft.  Rail lines are still in place, and there is a spot where they cross over a vertical shaft to a lower level.  A small ore bucket on rails took ore from the lower level and dumped it into large ore cars to be taken out of the mine for processing.

Shaft to lower level on left

Looking down shaft

The next major attraction is the Florence Lead Silver Mine.  Mindat.org says this was a former surface and underground Pb-Ag-Cu-Au-Mo-Cr-Zn mine.

I found an article from the American Mineralogist that said the mine was operating in 1970.

The road going in is somewhat rutted.  This area has great views.

Road to Florence Lead Silver Mine

Hayden smelter

There is room to park a few vehicles on the far side of the remaining building.  Walk beyond the parking to the major shaft for the Florence Lead-Silver Mine.

Inside the mine

Wheelbarrow

Go back down to the main trail and turn right, then take a left down a beautiful, narrow canyon to the top of Hackberry Dam.  Be careful you do not drive off the top of it - there is no warning sign here.  You will take a safer route to the bottom later in the trip.

Hackberry Dam canyon

Do not drive off the top of the dam

Follow the track down into Hackberry Wash and view Hackberry Mine and a building reported to be an old pumphouse.

Hackberry Mine

Pumphouse

The last stop is a quick side trip to the bottom of Hackberry Dam.  A shady spot to take a break.  Interesting mineral deposits in rocks just below the dam.

Hackberry Dam from below

Interesting mineral deposit

Now you can choose how to end the day.  You can go back the way you came, or you can go down Hackberry wash and ford the Gila at Kearny.  We did the ford when the river flow was 280 fps and had no problems.  Would probably try it at 350 fps.  

Updated 2019.

Fording at 280 fps

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