King & Kinney Mine Route Information

King & Kinney Mine

This Microsoft TerraServer photo shows the general area around the King & Kinney mine. The cliffs above the road can be seen in the upper right of the photo. If you count two gullies to the left of the cliffs, just to the left of the second gully (near a bend in the river) is a round brushy area. The mine lies approximately above this brushy area. The route up the hillside is in the woods to the left of the brush.

Driving:
Drive US 2 east from the Index road 10 miles. Turn right at the sign for the 'Money Creek Campground' (short of first tunnel). Go past the campground and over the railroad tracks, where the road veers left. At a "Y" in the road, turn right on the Miller River road for 3.3 miles to a small turnoff and washed out road on the right (old West Fork Miller road) elevation 1290'. If you reach the bridge, you've gone a little too far. Room for a couple cars here. Driving to this trailhead should provide no problems for passenger cars.

Hiking/Bushwhacking:
Begin hiking up the West Fork Miller River road. This road is too rough to drive, although there are some smooth stretches amidst the very rocky sections. Continue up the road approximately 1.4 miles, until a large, ancient, bushy cedar tree is located. It is on the right hand side of the road in a small clearing (it is a cedar species). Some cables hang off of the tree. Note that this landmark is harder to spot as the vine maples leaf out during the summer. The UTM coordinates of this cedar are 619003mE and 5279534mN.

Head up the hill past the cedar tree into the forest at a convenient point. Keep near the edge of the brush as you climb up, staying in the easy open forest. After a couple hundred feet of vertical distance (20 minutes or so), start veering to the right, keeping above the brush at all times. If you aim correctly, you will soon see the wooden remains of the King & Kinney power plant. It should take about 1/2 hour to reach this site. The mine lies just past these relics on a path.