Lonesome Miner Trail PDF maps

How long is the LMT?

The Lonesome Miner trail is in fact 30 miles long, not 40 or 50 like rumored. I know because I’ve mapped nearly every single switchback and it’s barely over the 30 mile mark. I think it was originally estimated to be 40-50 miles because it’s a HARD TRAIL and people couldn’t imagine a shorter trail taking so much time as it can. But it is without a doubt roughly 30 miles long from trailhead to trailhead. The 30 miles does not include the 1.1 miles from Saline Valley road to the Hunter Cyn TH. That road is often washed out and you’ll likely have to walk it, in which case your hike will be 31 miles. Definitely not a 40-mile hike. Don’t stop making up legends about the remaining 9 miles to tell your grandchildren, though!

How much elevation change does the LMT have?

The Lonesome Miner Trail is roughly 30 miles long, ranging from 1122 foot to 9506 foot elevation. Your lungs will suffer roughly 15,560 feet vertical up and your knees will suffer roughly 18,300 feet vertical down.

Why use paper maps?

People heading into very remote areas where rescue is difficult so as to likely be delayed should be familiar with how to use paper maps and compass. Electronic devices do fail and/or glitch, especially when exposed to water, extreme heat and tumbles. Their batteries do drain and fail as well. When I’m hiking anything involving route-finding and unmarked trail in the middle of nowhere, I use my device but I also carry detailed paper maps of difficult sections so that I can:

• Review my route for the next day at bedtime or over breakfast
• Use the previous maps for note-taking and journaling
• View maps when my device is turned off, when the sun is causing screen glare
• Show someone else the route
• Feel secure knowing that if my device dies, I won’t be totally lost

I carry a small compass and am capable of hiking map and compass without a device. That’s sort of the thing when you use paper maps, you also need a compass. They work together. So if you’re not familiar with map and compass, please familiarize yourself before heading out on your paper-map backed hike. Columbia River Orienteering Club has hosted excellent navigating video tutorials for about ten years now; I recommend those. Beyond wayfinding, reading UTM off a map allows me to relay my near-exact location to rescue personnel. I like my Suunto Clipper (for all trips) and my Suunto A-10 (for when I’m paper maps only) compasses.

For hiking a well-marked and popular/populated trail like the JMT, hiking without paper maps seems fine these days. But hiking in the Inyo Mountains on the Death Valley side without paper maps is just asking for trouble.

Besides, paper maps add to the old school romance of backpacking through historic areas. You’ll get a little more sense of just how rough things were for prospectors roaming the hills >100 years ago. They certainly did not have ramen and phones.

The LMT is a backpacking trip, not a thru-hike. We aren’t in any rush. We can’t be! It’s too freakin’ hot and steep! I’ve read that some people try to FKT the LMT and that’s a bit ridiculous IMO.

In 2013 while thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail I learned about a competition to “win” the PCT. How do you “win” the PCT? Aha! You don’t go the fastest. You spend the longest amount of time on it. The person who takes the most time off from work or whatever, and spends the most number of consecutive days on the PCT, wins. You see more, you savor it, you JUST DO “IT” MORE. And THAT – not the FKT – makes sense to me as winning. The LMT is loaded with treasures to explore and savor. Plan to take your time. Enjoy looking at your maps before falling asleep in the tent.

Why these maps?

These are the best maps of the Lonesome Miner Trail route by far. The other maps online are vague, off-route, and speculative, and should not have been shared (were meant to be someone’s private reference). In short, dangerous rubbish.

The maps sold here were investigated point-by-point during a slow backpack, then re-affirmed on subsequent hikes, data from the BLM, and user feedback.

Should I carry 11×17″ or 8.5×11″ copies?

That’s mostly up to you. If you are only carrying paper maps and no GPS screened device, I recommend the larger format. If you like to journal and doodle, I recommend the larger format. If you just need paper maps for backup, carry the smaller format. Carry the larger format if hiking a remote backcountry route like the LMT. 😉 See what I did there?

What sort of paper should I use?

I’ve always just had Office Depot print my maps on 20/24# paper. I store them in Ziploc bags to keep them dry. Tabloid size (11×17) folds in half to letter size (8.5×11), and in quarters to a size that fits in a quart-size freezer Ziploc.

Why hike it northbound?

I think the two best reasons are: less elevation gain and ending the hike closer to a hamburger and cold beer (Lone Pine). If you aren’t averse to hitch-hiking, it’s pretty easy to hitch from the Interagency Center in Lone Pine clear to the Hunter Canyon trailhead. There’s plenty of year-round tourist traffic heading out that way toward the nearby hot springs.

Why no GPX?

I don’t share GPX tracks of remote routes any longer because their use is proven to cause threaded trail in delicate areas. What is threaded trail? Threaded trail is where several, sometimes many, trails parallel one another through the same small area, often re-joining one another. GPX causes this because often people simply use their GPS devices to walk a straight line from point-to-point, rather than making an effort to use existing trail. Some animals such as ungulates create threaded trail in the wild, but no animal causes as much destruction and erosion as humans, since they aren’t nearly as sure-footed. I have been hiking through fields of endangered cryptobiotic soil in Utah and Arizona, and through some of the most remote portions of the High Sierra, and discovered I was on one of many parallel human trails tramping the wild. I don’t want to contribute to this problem. Use your eyes, use your wits, and stay on the main trail. The LMT has a very distinct main trail.

Why include GPS for the Snowflake, though?

Because almost every log entry from Snowflake hikers at Frenchie’s cabin mentions how lost they got. Many of them are probably less experienced out-and-back type hikers who aren’t intending on overnights like you are. If people wanting to hike the Snowflake Trail in Death Canyon are smart, they’ll drop $10 for this GPS track, install it on their phone using an app like Gaia or whatnot, or their GPS watch etc., and make their Snowflake hike more predictable and enjoyable.

FWIW, Snowflake is hands-down one of my top ten favorite trails in the West. WOW.

Caveat to no GPX track

I have added GPS points in print to the map at some key points and to various switchback heads, to try to help keep people on the trail. In sharing some GPS points my hope is that they could be used to re-join the trail if lost, to triangulate rescue, or to create a very loose GPS track for backup. My ultimate goal in sharing detailed maps at all is that since the LMT is going to be a “thing” anyway, it gets bedded down so well that threaded trail does not happen, and folks get lost infrequently.

Tips for finding and staying on trail

The trails in the Inyo were first created by animals moving from canyon to canyon for food and water. Animals aren’t stupid. They don’t usually hike straight up or straight down unless being chased. They too create switchbacks and follow contours. You might think switchbacks are some annoying human invention created to vex hikers, but in fact, they’re just nice, dammit!

Anyway, original peoples such as Shoshone and Paiute tribe members would follow these trails to find the animals (and water of course), bedding in the trail further. Some routes were better than others, some were used a ton, and those became permanent. You will find them ALL OVER the Inyo, not just where mapped. Sheep herders came along, then miners came along during the gold rush, and adjusted these trails somewhat to accommodate their animals. Donkeys and mules do not appreciate steep grades, especially with hundreds of pounds on their backs, and so some of the steepest parts leaving valley floors were further switch-backed, and pressed in by heavy hooves.

Remember that when you are hiking steep terrain, switchbacks are possible at any moment. Always be on the lookout for hairpin turns in the trail, and if the trail suddenly becomes faint, turn around and make sure you didn’t miss a switchback. Missing switchbacks is the number one way to get lost on backcountry routes. This is probably becoming more common now that many hikers are looking down at their phones, and not watching the trail for turns.

Look for signs of trail work, including cut trees and limbs (especially cut tree limbs at torso/head height), and stone work. The Lonesome Miner Trail has quite a bit of stone work (stone retainer walls) which will re-affirm any doubting hiker.

Finally, look for changes in soil texture/color. Are there fewer rocks and stones in an area? Is the soil a lighter color? Is the line you’re looking at somewhat depressed? Are there larger rocks or straight-ish rows of shrubbery on the downhill side of the line that seem to be retaining the soil/sand? Are there animal tracks or footprints?

Granted, just because you’re following footprints, doesn’t mean you are going the right way. Same for cairns – some people place cairns decoratively, and some people place them during rescues. They don’t necessarily mean anything to YOUR hike. Be leery of following cairns. That said the east end of the Pat Keyes trail is HEAVILY cairned, and these are generally correct.

Finally, in some places, especially when leaving Keynot mine area northbound, there are a few options for rounding the Keynot ridge. The map shows the route the BLM intended, but you could also hike up high behind the bulldozer, attain the ridge crest sooner, and walk (descend) that. You’re likely to find many trails in this area, and others, but my goal is for you to use the BLM route. It should be your goal, too, since it is the most expeditious and a safe way from Hunter to Pat Keyes on the east side of the Inyo crest.

When’s the best time to hike the LMT?

Usually April/early May and late September/October. Other times might just get way too hot or snowy.

Any Inyo hiking tips?

• Carry plenty of collapsible water storage containers. At least 8 liters capacity, esp. in case one springs a leak, or your friend’s springs a leak
• If you are strong, the weather is cool, and you are carrying too much water before beginning a descent, consider leaving some behind at the cabin/crest where you might see dry water storage containers. BLM water supplies at the crests have been robbed the past five years by lazier hikers taking advantage. If you can, pay it forward to someone who might really need it in the future. Reward your knees!
• That said, do not rely on any water sources except Bighorn Spring, Frenchie’s, maybe Keynot well, McElvoy, and Pat Keyes. Have backup plans.
• Store your food carefully if staying at the cabins. Rodents are VERY ready to eat your food if not stored in rodent-proof containers. There are mice and there are ringtail cats
• Keep in mind toxic chemicals such as cyanide were used at the mine sites and be leery of drinking water downstream, esp. unfiltered
• Consider more supportive shoes, or even boots. At least wear footwear with a steel shank. The trail surface is very uneven and rocky and hard on feet, ankles, knees, hips and backs
• I like to carry a sun umbrella. Especially if you learn how to affix it to your backpack, it makes some of the grueling ascents much more comfortable
• Remember that even if you hit your InReach button for rescue, rescue could be days away due to access issues and possible weather
• Sawyer Squeeze filters do not remove the urine flavor from urine

I want a GPS file! Why won’t you share that?

I want a pony, but nobody is giving me a pony. Argh! I’ve mentioned above why I won’t share my GPS file.

Refunds?

There are no refunds for digital mapsets. If you have *ANY* questions whatsoever about this map set, ask the BEFORE purchasing. I’m here to answer questions.

I ask something further of my map customers beyond spending $10 on my mapping work and delivery. I ask that you send trip reports and photographs to me. I really love looking at other people’s scenic photographs now more than ever, since I am no longer able to hike more than a mile or so at a time.

Thank you!

— Caroline, Resident of Owens Valley since 2014 and busy local hiker/hitchhiker. Check out some details and photos from my 2017 Lonesome Miner Trail hike.