Big Horn Mine Trail

Barely two miles off Angeles Crest Highway, you can encounter a bona fide mine that looks more like a frontier relic than something you’d find in a SoCal resort area. Its origin story is shrouded in tall tales of murder and grizzly bear attacks but the reality is this operated as a fuctioning (though not wildly succesful) gold mine in the very beginning of the 1900s. Despite a few revival attempts, it’s been mostly abandoned ever since. It’s a relatively flat though narrow and gravelly hike over to the remains of the mine; in winter, however, expect some fairly deep snow standing in your way. You’ll need an Adventure Pass ($5) to park in the lot off Angeles Crest Highway (at the Vincent Gulch Divide).