Entry No. 42 — the Las Vegas file — filed under: abandoned
Saint Louis Mine
Located in Clark County between Nelson and Searchlight, the Saint Louis Mine is a historic gold mine that also yielded copper, lead, silver, and zinc. The site features a built-up trucking trail carved into the mountain and small tailings piles. Today, only a few weathered timbers, rickety footbridges, and dangerous vertical shafts remain of this forgotten operation.
The story
Tucked in Clark County's Newberry Mining District between Nelson and Searchlight, the Saint Louis Mine was once an active extraction site pulling gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc out of the Nevada rock. Rather than a neat ghost town with standing boardwalks, what remains here is the raw skeleton of an industrial operation scraped directly into the terrain: a built-up trucking trail cut right into the mountainside, small tailings piles, and weathered structural remnants left to bake in the desert heat.
The site has long since been abandoned to the elements. Without formal preservation or security fences, it sits on open public land where early haul routes and decaying timber footbridges mark where miners once hauled out ore. You won't find interpretive signs or gift shops—just sun-scratched mountain slopes and dangerous vertical shafts dropping straight into the dark.
What it's like
Navigating out here means driving rough desert terrain southeast of Las Vegas onto unpaved public land. Once on foot, you'll spot the built-up mountain trucking trail, sun-bleached timbers, and old tailings. The catch is safety: the remaining footbridges are rickety, and vertical drop-offs appear abruptly in the scrub. Keep your feet strictly on the ground, view the old tailings from a conservative distance, and don't try to venture into any underground workings.
The move: Hike along the historic mountain trails surrounding the mine to photograph the rugged desert landscape and view the old tailings from a safe distance.
📍 Before you go The mine is located on rugged public land, but the underground workings, vertical shafts, and rickety footbridges are structurally unstable and extremely hazardous to enter.
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Nevada, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Southern Nevada Mine — Pair one desert mining ruin with another just down Highway 95 near Searchlight for a full afternoon of ghost-mine exploration.
- Seven Magic Mountains — Balance out the rustic, unmaintained ore tailings with a stop at Ugo Rondinone's towering, Day-Glo painted boulder totems in Ivanpah Valley.
- Boulder Dam Hotel — After trekking around rough desert ruins, head into Boulder City for a quiet drink in the historic 1933 hotel built for Hoover Dam VIPs.
Good to know
Can you go inside the mine shafts or cross the wooden bridges?
No. The shafts, underground workings, and remaining footbridges are structurally compromised and extremely hazardous. Stay outdoors and well clear of shaft openings.
Where is the Saint Louis Mine located?
It sits on public land in Clark County's Newberry Mining District, situated between Nelson and Searchlight, Nevada.
What metals were mined here?
The Saint Louis Mine primarily yielded gold, copper, lead, silver, and zinc.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: vegasunderworld.com · westernmininghistory.com · thediggings.com
last checked: 2026-07-20