frequently seen residents
Driving north along
of this area, but bobcats,
the view-rich mountainmountain lions, badgers,
tops another 2 miles
and their various relatives
brings you to the commusometimes show themnications relay station,
selves.
Twisted
and
bristling with antennas
gnarled mountain mahogthat provide this area with
any trees dot the canyon
telephone, television, and
sides, and bitterbrush
radio signals. These sigtends to choke the roadnals are line-of-sight from
way at times. Springs,
the station to the receiver,
most of which run yearso if you happen to be
round, are flanked by
tucked behind a hill you’re
green meadows and stands
out of luck.
of quaking aspen and
From the station, the
road drops quickly into a
birch. The creek bed itself
saddle—quickly enough
is often dry in these upper
that you might want to
reaches of the canyon, but
Austin celebrates Gridley Days.
use low gear—and near
it still holds enough moisthe bottom it passes some quaking aspens corralled by a pole
ture to keep goodies such as rose hips and elderberries growing
fence. The fence was built by the Forest Service to protect the
along its banks.
‘riparian area,’ so designated because of the enclosed spring.
In this country, the typical canyon tends to end abruptly, and
4 miles further on is the final mountain crest of the tour,
Birch Creek Canyon is no exception (map photo #2). One
which overlooks Austin and Highway 50 snaking over Austin
moment you’re wheeling through the narrows and the next
Summit. For your comfort a granite bench has been placed there,
you’ve lost one canyon wall and are barely holding to the other.
next to a puzzling pipe rack that looks like a cross between a
The road then crosses the creek bed, skirts a hilltop, and drops
bicycle stand and a hitching rail.
towards a large meadow where the stream becomes a year-round
To get to Highway 50, the road angles down the mountainwaterway, so the trout fishing starts here. Theoretically.
side beneath a stand of trees known as ‘The Camel’, and through
The road rejoins the creek after a short, but steep, rocky
the heel of another stand of trees known as ‘The Old Lady’s
decline opposite a huge rock formation. Red and yellow currants
Shoe’. To see why, drive about halfway down the summit towards
line the creek along this stretch, and to the right of the road is
Austin and look back. If you can make out a head-down, oneanother big rock, this one forming an open arch about five feet
humped camel, next to a 19th century high-top lady’s shoe, you
high. A crumbling man-made wall is in evidence, apparently
may want to consider moving to Austin with the rest of us.
built to seal off one end of the opening, but the history behind it
In addition, there is an extension of this trip you may want
is unknown.
to try; instead of turning left way back at the meadow, you can
After fording the creek once more—and this time you’ll get
turn right and follow Birch Creek into Smoky Valley. There is
your tires wet—it would appear that the road either goes straight
(perhaps) good trout fishing all the way down and there are sevor turns right, in which case you would reenter the canyon and
eral undeveloped campsites along the stream.
follow Birch Creek all the way to State Route 376 in Smoky
When you reach State Route 376 you can either turn left
Valley. If you go straight, on the other hand, you’ll run out of
and go back to Highway 50, or turn right and drive down to
road in about a block; it’s a trap, you see. You should have turned
Kingston, 14 miles south. If you choose Kingston you can drive
left across the edge of the meadow to where the road shows up
again.
back over the Toiyabe Mountains and rejoin the Gold Venture
Road in the vicinity of the old schoolhouse, 8 miles south of
As you start uphill, you’ll pass through a gate in a barbedAustin. This route will give you a look at some different country,
wire fence. As with all gates in Nevada, if you find it open leave
it open, and if you find it closed please close it behind you.
including Groves Lake (map photo #9) on Kingston Creek, the
headwaters of both Kingston Creek and Big Creek (map photo
Strictly speaking, you are now driving along the North Fork
#8), and the Toiyabe Crest Trail trailhead (map photo #7). Both
of Birch Creek, which seems quite a title for the trappings. The
canyons offer developed campgrounds (map photo #4), and
canyon walls aren’t nearly as narrow or steep as the previous
there is a small grocery store at Kingston.
canyon, so it’s probably more fitting to call it a ‘draw’, but the
Take a lot of pictures on this tour and you’ll have a record of
landscape is no less untamed. The North Fork is also fed by
the best, and the worst, high-desert country has to offer.
springs, some revealed by water trickling across the roadway. At
times bitterbrush and rose hips narrow the road, and there are
currants, gooseberries, chokecherries, and elderberries in the
Central Nevada Outdoors
general area.
A Publication From:
Approximately 2 miles from the ford you’ll cross a yellowThe Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 212, Austin, NV 89310
railed cattle guard, and just beyond that the road rejoins the
E-mail: austinnvchamber@yahoo.com
Austin-Gold Venture 4WD Ridge Route, which is where you’ll
(775) 964-2200
find any hikers you may have dropped off earlier. The trail is
© 2004, All Rights Reserved
visible as a pair of rutted dirt tracks merging with the road from
produced at WHITE SAGE STUDIOS,
your left, and should be marked with a sign bearing Forest
virginia city, nevada.
whitesage@gbis.com
Service number 003.
North Toiyabe Peak looms as a backdrop for the Gold Venture mine site.
Gold Venture Driving Excursion
Along the Back Roads: From Austin to Kingston
by Jim Andersen
his 25, 32 or 60-mile loop passes through a cross-section
of features found in high-desert country. From valley
floor to mountain crest, through canyons and streams,
across spring-fed meadows, most of the countryside lies
untouched by man. Much of the route is steep and rocky, but the
first 12 miles are well maintained and suitable for both RVs and
trailers. There is plenty of room to turn around at the top of the
Toiyabe Mountains before getting into less user-friendly terrain,
and the spectacular views are worth the trouble.
Gold Venture Road is most easily accessed by turning south
on Big Creek Road two miles west of Austin, however, the original mine road is another three miles beyond that off old
Highway 722. It was a thoughtful detour that lessened traffic on
Big Creek Road, and can be traced by following the ‘Gold
Venture Road’ signs. It joins Big Creek Road less than 10 miles
from Highway 722. The northwest corner of the intersection
was the site an adobe one-room schoolhouse that served children
of area ranchers and miners for several decades once stood. The
adobe walls finally melted completely away in the early 1980s
and no trace is left, a fate all too common for those types of
structures.
After a half-mile, Big Creek Road again splits off by itself
to the right, leaving the mine road to arrow straight towards Dry
Canyon and the site of the Austin Gold Venture mill. Unlike the
schoolhouse, the mill didn’t melt; it had to be carried away piece
by piece. The job was done so thoroughly that the only thing left
is a shallow 10-acre depression that used to hold the leach pond,
dammed on two sides by wedge-shaped dikes. The mill itself was
situated just east of the pond and covered about twenty acres,
perhaps twice that if you count the parking lot.
The 4 mile road from this point to the top of the mountain
is as wide as a highway, bermed on the valley side and graded to
T
an acceptable slope. It wasn’t always so; there was a road winding up to an antimony mine, the wooden buildings of which can
still be glimpsed on the way up today, but it wasn’t much of a
road. (Hang glider enthusiasts, take note:) Local hang glider
pilots used to get unwary friends to accompany them to the
mine, where they would leap off the mountain and leave the
hapless now-driver to bring the vehicle back down. Back then,
the road was so harrowing that there was often a quarrel over
who got the hang glider.
On top, the road today intersects the Austin-Gold Venture
4WD Ridge Route, which runs from Austin to Gold Venture.
The Gold Venture Road (map photo #6) that you’re on now
loops around and again intersects this trail at a point 4 miles
north, so if you’re carrying hikers with you they may want to
walk this section and intercept you when you rejoin the trail. As
always in high-desert country, be aware that the weather can
change quickly and plan accordingly.
The summit here is 3,000 feet above the valley floor, and as
you gaze down at the thousand square miles of mountains and
desert you’ll see a half-dozen distant green circles. Those are
farms, and sprinklers turning on center pivots make the crops—
mostly alfalfa—grow in ‘crop circles’ that are more explainable
than the originals, but no less improbable, given the setting.
Continuing east from the crest, you’ll see the open-pit mine
directly ahead, beyond the wide turn-around area. The pit itself
is 300 feet deep and took four years to dig (map photo #3). Most
of the recovered gold was microscopic in size, but there were
occasional pockets that yielded match-head size nuggets.
Four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended from this point
on; the road leads southeast past the pit and then deteriorates
quickly as it drops into the canyon forming the headwaters of
Birch Creek. Deer and chukar partridge are among the more
Austin
llon
a
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1
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Summit
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Bob Scott
Summit
1
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2
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6
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Passable by car
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Use caution on all dirt roads. Sudden weather changes can make dirt roads impassible.
If possible, notify someone of your intended route and expected time of return.
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