Literally!

The Big Horn Mine, a 277-acre plot of privately owned land near Mount Baden-Powell, will soon be transferred to the stewardship of the Angeles National Forest for preservation.

According to the L.A. Times, the mine still contains an estimated 262,000 ounces of gold, but the Forest Service has no plans to reactivate the area to make up for their constant short-changing in the federal budget – instead, the area will be folded into the surrounding wilderness.

Although there is no mention of it in the article, I hope the area’s mining structures can be preserved for their historical and educational significance.

The Big Horn Mine is accessible via a short 2-mile trail from Vincent Gap, the same trailhead as Mount Baden-Powell. For some pretty stunning images of the mine from the Times, head to their photo page for this story.

Tags: Angeles National Forest, big horn mine, Environmentalism, Hiking, Los Angeles, preservation