·5 min read
Adventure & Overlanding
Some Places Exist Only If You’re Willing to Find Them
There’s a mining tunnel in Utah’s west desert that doesn’t appear on modern maps. No trail markers. No AllTrails listing. No YouTube videos. It exists in BLM records from 1912 and nowhere else.
Finding it took three trips, two wrong canyons, and one memorable stuck situation. Getting there taught me more about overlanding than any YouTube tutorial.
Why Chase Forgotten Places
The popular trails are popular for a reason—they’re accessible, well-documented, and safe. There’s nothing wrong with running Moab’s established routes or hitting the Rubicon.
But the forgotten places offer something different. They demand more from you. Navigation skills, vehicle recovery knowledge, genuine self-reliance. The reward isn’t Instagram likes—it’s competence.
The Research Phase
Finding abandoned mining operations requires different research than planning a trail run:
Historical Sources
- BLM mining claim records (publicly searchable)
- USGS historical topographic maps (topoView tool)
- University digital archives
- Local historical society records
Modern Satellite Analysis
- Google Earth historical imagery (scrub through decades)
- CalTopo for layered mapping
- Gaia GPS for terrain analysis
The mining claim records told me a tunnel existed. The 1912 USGS map showed an access road. Modern satellite imagery revealed that road hadn’t been maintained in decades—but traces remained.
Trip One: The Wrong Canyon
Coordinates from the mining claim pointed to a general area, not a specific location. Early claims used reference points that no longer exist—rock formations that weathered away, trees that died, survey markers that vanished.
I spent six hours exploring what I was certain was the right canyon. Found prospect holes, old trash, and evidence of historical activity. No tunnel.
The lesson: mining records are approximations, not GPS coordinates.
Trip Two: The Right Canyon, Wrong Approach
Additional research—comparing the 1912 map orientation with modern imagery—revealed my error. The tunnel was in the adjacent drainage, accessed from the north rather than the south.
I found the road trace. I followed it until the wash crossings became problematic. The Cybertruck’s ground clearance handled the terrain, but the loose sand in the wash bottom had other plans.
Buried to the axles, alone, no cell service.
The Recovery
This is where preparation matters. My recovery kit:
- MaxTrax recovery boards
- 20′ kinetic recovery rope (rated well above vehicle weight)
- Shovel (not optional—essential)
- Air compressor for tire deflation/reinflation
- Satellite messenger (Garmin InReach)
I deflated tires to 15 PSI, excavated sand from around all four wheels, positioned MaxTrax, and drove out on the third attempt. Total recovery time: 45 minutes. Ego damage: substantial.
Trip Three: Success
Lessons learned. I approached from a different angle, avoiding the problematic wash. Parked at a sustainable location and hiked the final mile.
The tunnel was there. Partially collapsed after a century, but the timbers at the entrance were intact. The tailings pile confirmed active extraction—this wasn’t just a prospect hole.
I didn’t enter. Abandoned mine exploration is genuinely dangerous, and I’m not trained for it. But reaching the site, documenting it, understanding that this place existed and was forgotten—that was enough.
The Engineering Lessons
What this trip sequence taught me about overlanding:
Navigation Is a Skill
GPS coordinates are starting points, not destinations. Understanding how to correlate historical maps with modern terrain—accounting for erosion, vegetation changes, and reference point loss—is a developed skill.
Recovery Competence Is Non-Negotiable
Getting stuck is inevitable if you explore genuinely remote areas. The question isn’t whether it will happen but whether you can handle it when it does.
Patience Beats Aggression
The failed attempts weren’t wasted. Each trip refined my understanding of the terrain and approach. Sometimes finding a place takes multiple attempts.
Why This Matters
Utah is full of forgotten places. Mining tunnels, homestead ruins, indigenous sites, geological oddities that don’t appear on any map. They exist for those willing to research, prepare, and explore.
This is what overlanding offers that trail running doesn’t: the possibility of genuine discovery. Not being first—someone was always first—but discovering for yourself what exists beyond the documented routes.
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Taha Abbasi is an engineer who explores Utah’s backcountry and documents the intersection of technology and adventure.
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Taha Salahuddin Abbasi
Engineer. Builder. Architect.
