Lee Camp Ghost Town
Lee Camp can be reached via the Echo Canyon road, which also accesses the Inyo Mine and the Schwab and Echo ghost towns.
Plan Around Lee Camp Ghost Town
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Lee Camp Ghost Town Details
Also known as Lee, Nevada or Lee, California, Lee Camp began during the frenzy that followed the Bullfrog gold rush of 1904, when prospectors fanned out across the region in search of new strikes. Among them were ranching brothers Richard and Gus Lee, who left their ranch at Resting Spring, California, to try their luck. In November 1904, with help from Henry F. Finney, they discovered two promising gold ledges just inside California, naming them the State Line and Hayseed mines. News of the finds spread quickly, drawing hundreds of hopeful miners. The Lee Mining District was organized in March 1905, and by October a similar rush on the west side of the Funeral Range led to the formation of the Echo Mining District. The two districts later merged into the Echo-Lee Mining District. Meanwhile, David M. Poste discovered gold in the low hills east of the original camp in Nevada, prompting the creation of the Poste Mining District across the state line. As the boom gathered momentum, two townsites were established to serve the growing population, one in California and one in Nevada, both named Lee in honor of the brothers who sparked the rush. At its height, the settlement supported hundreds of residents, complete with the typical infrastructure of a desert mining camp. Like many boomtowns in Death Valley, however, prosperity proved short lived. Today, Lee Camp sits quietly at the base of the Funeral Mountains, marked by scattered mine shafts, stone foundations, and rusting remnants slowly blending back into the desert landscape. Lee Camp is accessed via Echo Canyon Road, the same route that leads to Inyo Mine and the Schwab and Echo ghost towns. Beyond the Inyo Mine turnoff, the road becomes significantly rougher, and the spur toward Lee Camp requires a high clearance four wheel drive vehicle. Visitors should be prepared for remote travel and changing road conditions, and all historic artifacts and structures must be left undisturbed.
Difficulty
Open
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Nearby Parks Around Lee Camp Ghost Town
Compare nearby parks around Lee Camp Ghost Town when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Lee Camp Ghost Town
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Lee Camp Ghost Town while the map context is still fresh.
5.2 mi away
Amargosa Range
This 110-mile-long mountain range forms the east side of Death Valley.
6.1 mi away
Inyo Mine
The Inyo Mine was one of the more successful of the Death Valley gold-rush mines.
6.2 mi away
Indian Pass Canyon
Indian Pass Canyon in the Funeral Mountains is a backpacker's destination.
6.3 mi away
Indian Pass Trail
Backpackers can follow the Indian Pass trail to a natural spring inside Indian Pass Canyon.
10.0 mi away
Eye of the Needle
Eye of the Needle is a small natural arch made of jumbled rock in Echo Canyon.
