Discover Rhyolite Ghost Town and Goldwell Open Air Museum near Beatty
Nevada is known for many things, but one of the most popular among them being ghost towns. With its rich…
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Nevada is known for many things, the most popular among them being ghost towns. With its rich history in mining, there are dozens of examples of these once booming mining towns spread throughout the state, many with structural remains.
One such example is Rhyolite, located just off Highway 95, just a few miles outside the Death Valley gateway town of Beatty. If you’re traveling along the highway, Rhyolite is easy to get to as all you’ll need to do is make a couple of turns to reach it.
There are many remains of the former structures to explore, but the ghost town isn’t the only attraction here. There is also the Tom Kelly Bottle House and the Instagram infamous Goldwell Open Air Museum, featuring several sculptures.
In this post, I’ll discuss several aspects of a visit here, including what to expect, the parking situation, how much it costs to visit and I’ll even throw in a bit of history. Let’s get into it.
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Quick Stats
Location: Near the town of Beatty, NV
Fee: None
Open: All year, sunrise to sunset
For: Everyone
Cell Service: Spotty, at best
Restroom: At the end of the road near the train depot
Parking: Dirt lots at the museum and bottle house, “park where you can” in Rhyolite
EV Stations: None
Popularity: Medium to high
Time: One to two hours
Features: Desert art sculptures, a glass bottle house and historic building remains
Pets: Allowed
Drones: Allowed
My Visit(s): August 2023
Directions to Rhyolite,Parking & Fees
As mentioned above, despite its remote location, Rhyolite is easy to get to as there are very few turns to make to reach it. It’s a mostly straight shot.
Coming from either Northern or Southern Nevada, you’ll find your way onto Highway 95 and continue until you reach the town of Beatty. If you’re traveling north, take a left onto Highway 374 for about four miles, then take a right on Rhyolite road.
If you’re traveling south, continue straight when you come to the stop sign in Beatty for about four miles and then turn right on Rhyolite road. From the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in Death Valley, follow CA-190 west for about 48 miles, crossing the Nevada border in the process, before turning left onto Rhyolite road.
Once on Rhyolite road, it’s a short drive to the attractions. The first of which you’ll drive up on will be the Goldwell Open Air Museum, followed by the bottle house and finally, Rhyolite Ghost Town.
Both Goldwell and the bottle house have designated parking lots, though they’re of the gravel variety and aren’t maintained well. The road leading up to Goldwell is paved, then turns to gravel around the bottle house. Past there, the road returns to asphalt before going through Rhyolite.
My Chevrolet Cruz managed the road and parking lots just fine, as did several other small vehicles that were there at the time, so no need to worry.
Goldwell Open Air Museum
The Goldwell Open Air Museum will be the first attraction you’ll come across during your visit to Rhyolite. You’ll find the parking lot on your left, with the visitor center and sculptures just feet away from the parking lot.
It is 100% free to park and explore the museum, but they do accept donations in the visitor center and online if you feel so inclined. The sculptures are in fairly close proximity to one another, so there isn’t a lot of walking involved here.
The sculptures were made by a group of artists led by Albert Szukalski, a Belgian-born artist who’s behind the museum’s most recognizable sculpture, The Last Supper (pictured below). The colorful designs make a beautiful contrast against the vast landscape of the Mojave desert.
The First sculpture, The Last Supper, was installed in 1984, followed up by Ghost Rider, which is located just steps from the parking lot.
As time went on, additional sculptures were added, leading to the creation of the open air museum. Sculptures continue to be added to this day. A few more examples include:
Ghost Rider (1984)
Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada (1992)
Icara (1992)
Sit Here! 2000 (2023)
Tribute to Shorty Harris (1994)
You can spend as much time as you want at the museum. While it is a popular place, it doesn’t seem to get too crowded, as I was here in August and there was only two other people here at the same time as me.
When you’re finished exploring the sculptures, take a left out of the parking lot and continue up the road for a few hundred feet before arriving at the Tom Kelly Bottle House parking lot.
Tom Kelly’s Bottle House
Just a bit further up the road on the right is the Tom Kelly Bottle House. It was built in 1906 by Australian-born Tom Kelly, who was a stonemason turned gold miner.
He built the house using over 50,000 beer, whiskey and medicine glass bottles, in which he obtained by paying local children ten cents per wheelbarrow full. In total, Kelly paid $2500 to construct the house.
While this one is the oldest and largest known glass bottle house in the United States, it isn’t the only one. Many don’t know that glass bottles were often used for home construction in the American West due to them often being cheaper than other material, such as stone or wood.
Another infamous example of glass bottles being used as construction material is Thunder Mountain Monument in Northern Nevada near Lovelock, though not nearly used as extensively as Tom Kelly’s.
Price wasn’t the only driver for using glass bottles. They do a great job at staying cool in the summer and retaining heat in the winter, a perfect recipe for Nevada desert living.
During filming for the 1926 film The Air Mail, Tom Kelly’s Bottle House, along with the rest of the structures in Rhyolite, were partially restored and featured in the film.
Unfortunately, due to past vandalism and theft, the bottle house has a locked fence surrounding the entire perimeter, making access to the house off-limits to the public.
You’re free to walk the perimeter, as there are numerous informational signs scattered about. At the rear of the home is where you’ll see the largest wall, almost entirely made with glass bottles and adobe mud.
As with the Goldwell Open Air Museum, there are no fees associated with Tom Kelly’s Bottle House. When you’re ready to proceed to the rest of Rhyolite, take a right out of the lot and continue forward.
Rhyolite Ghost Town Remains
The structural remains of a variety of Rhyolite businesses and public buildings can be found just up the road from the museum and bottle house. Until you reach the Train Depot at the end (which is also where a bathroom is located), there is no parking lot. Even then, parking is mostly just grabbing a spot that looks good.
The remains are dotted on both sides all along the road. If you see one you’d like to explore, just park on the side of the road and jump out. Most of the structures are fenced off for safety, though, so you can only explore so much.
Some of the historic buildings include:
Porter Brothers General Store (pictured below)
Caboose House
Local School
Cook Bank (pictured above)
Train Depot
Rhyolite was founded in 1905 in the heart of the Bullfrog Mining District. What began as a humble two-tent operation exploded into a town of 5,000 people in just six months.
Despite being one of many mining towns in Nevada, Rhyolite stood out for its high quality ore, producing a total of one million ($27 million by today’s standards) in its first three years.
As is the case with all boom towns, it didn’t last forever. Issues such as deteriorating ore quality and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake literally derailing operations by destroying the railroad, lead the town’s decline by 1914.
The entire town would lose its electricity supply, causing the banks, newspapers, post office and train depot to shutter. By 1920, all that would remain in the town were 14 residents.
At the end of the road is where you’ll find the train depot, the most intact structure left. The windows have been boarding up, but the stone structure is nearly 100% intact.
The building is fenced off, with warnings of cameras being present, but there’s an intentional opening near the depot’s original entrance where you can enter and explore.
It appeared as if they were doing some kind of restoration project, as I’ve seen fairly recent photos of the depot without the fence. I wasn’t able to determine that one way or another, though.
I hope you get a chance to visit Rhyolite as it’s uniquely Nevada in every possible way and an important reminder of the state’s history.
Planning a trip to Southern Nevada? Be sure to read How to Spend a Few Hours at Valley of Fire in the Summer. Also read Explore the International Car Forest of the Last Church in Goldfield.
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See The Historic Petroglyph Wall at Red Rock Canyon
Located within Red Rock Canyon Recreation Area, not too far from the Las Vegas strip, you can find an amazing…
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.
Located within Red Rock Canyon Recreation Area, not too far from the Las Vegas strip, you can find an amazing example of Native America history - the Petroglyph Wall.
It’s easy to find as the road leading to it runs just off of Scenic Drive, the main road that runs through the park. Additionally, it’s easy to get to as it’s less than a quarter mile to the wall and back.
So what’s the parking situation like? How do you get to the trailhead? Are there any fees involved? I answer all of these questions, and more, in the post below. Let’s get into it.
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Trail Stats
Location: Red Rock Canyon Recreation Site, Las Vegas, NV
Fee: None for the trail, but Red Rock charges an entry fee
Open: All year
For: Everyone
Cell Service: Spotty, at best
Restroom: In the trailhead parking lot
Parking: Semi-large, unpaved lot
EV Stations: None
Difficulty: Easy
Accessibility: Not wheelchair or stroller friendly
Popularity: Medium
Mileage: Less than a quarter mile, there and back
Time: 20-30 minutes
Condition: Semi-maintained (follow trail markers)
Features: Historic petroglyphs and mountain views
Best Viewed: Any time of year
Pets: Allowed, as long as they’re leashed
Drones: Allowed for recreational purposes
Hazards: None other than usual outdoor hazards
Our Visit(s): August 2023
Petroglyph Wall Parking, Trailhead and Getting There
While there are no fees associated with Petroglyph Wall directly, there are fees you’ll need to pay to enter Red Rock Canyon and depending on the time of year you visit, reservations may be needed as well. Fees for Red Rock Canyon are as follows:
$20 per vehicle
$10 per motorcycle
$8 per bicyclist
$5 per pedestrian
$50 for a Red Rock annual pass
$80 for the ‘America the Beautiful’ pass
Additionally, between October 1 and May 31, advanced reservations are required to enter the park between the hours of 8am and 5pm. Reservations are available 30-days in advance and no re-entry is allowed. Scenic Drive is only one-way, so arrive early and have a plan in place.
To get to the parking lot and trailhead for Petroglyph Wall, simply drive for about eight miles from the Red Rock Canyon entrance. You’ll see the road ahead turning into a tight horseshoe. As the road begins to horseshoe, you’ll see Rocky Gap Road on your right. Turn there.
You’ll first come upon another parking lot for a different trail on your left, bypass this and continue until you reach the second parking lot, where the Willow Springs Picnic Area is. This is where you’ll park for Petroglyph Wall.
The trailhead is located at the north end of the lot, on the far left corner, across from Willow Springs. There’s a sign indicating you’re in the right spot (pictured above).
Trail to Petroglyph Wall
The trail from the parking lot to Petroglyph Wall, one-way, is just a tenth of a mile across a wash. The trail isn’t maintained all that well, but it’s still easy to follow as it’s dotted with the same trail markers you’ll find on most Red Rock Canyon trails.
After a short time, you’ll arrive to at Petroglyph Wall. The area surrounding the wall is small, with a couple trees providing a smidgen of shade. Near the wall, you’ll find informational signage detailing the facts of the petroglyphs.
The rock art on Petroglyph Wall is estimated to be at least 800 years old. Most of the art is found on one section of the wall (the dark part), but there are a few others scattered about.
This is far from the only examples of petroglyphs in Red Rock Canyon, but it is the easiest to access. While the trail isn’t stroller or wheelchair friendly, it’s accessible to children, the elderly and everyone in between.
Unless you’re a huge fan of petroglyphs, I don’t recommend visiting Red Rock purely to visit Petroglyph Wall considering the fees to enter the park. This is more of a bonus if you’re already planning to be here.
Where Do You Go From Here?
As stated above, Petroglyph Wall serves as an excellent bonus to your already planned visit to Red Rock. Considering that Scenic Drive and there is no re-entry during the reservation period, I recommend checking out the Calico Tanks hiking trail first, as it’s before Petroglyph Wall.
Beyond Petroglyph Wall, there’s another amazing hiking trail by the name of Icebox Canyon you should check out, as well as Pine Creek Canyon.
If you want further examples of petroglyphs, I recommend driving east to famed Valley of Fire State Park. There’s an equally easy example of rock art on Atlatl Rock, among other areas of the park. While you’re there, there are many other highlights in the park you can see in a relatively short amount of time.
Thunder Mountain Monument: A Deeply Meaningful Roadside Oddity In Nevada
Imagine you’re on a road trip through the Northern Nevada desert along Interstate 80. You go miles seeing nothing but rolling…
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Imagine you’re on a road trip through the Northern Nevada desert along Interstate 80. You go miles seeing nothing but rolling mountains, vast openness and the occasional small town.
You eventually reach one of those small towns; Imlay. A former railroad station 130-miles east of Reno with a population of 178 (as of the 2020 census).
You look around and at first, nothing sticks out. But soon after getting past the main stretch of town, something catches your eye on the side of the freeway. Something strange, but unique. That something is Thunder Mountain Monument.
We recently visited Thunder Mountain, not knowing much about it and thinking it was just another cool (and weird), roadside oddity.
As we explored the property, though, we discovered how meaningful this property was to the original owner, Frank Van Zant, and the current owner, his son, David.
In this post, we’re going to cover some quick details about the property, what you can expect and some other important information.
However, we’re going to encourage you to visit the monument’s website for a more detailed account of its history and background. We will share the link at the end of this post.
Quick Stats
Location: Imlay, NV
Fee/Permit: None, but a $2 donation per group is requested (cash or check)
Open: Year round, from dusk to dawn
For: All visitors
Parking: Semi-large, dirt lot.
Restroom: None
EV Stations: None
Drone Use: Not allowed
Difficulty: Easy
Popularity: Low
Time: An hour or more
Milage: N/A
Elevation Gain: N/A
Trail Condition: Somewhat maintained pathway.
Main Feature(s): The monument and art installations
Pets: Not allowed
Special Notes/Hazards: Broken glass scattered throughout the property. Rattlesnakes have also been spotted here
Our Visit(s): June 2022.
Directions, Parking, & Fees
Thunder Mountain Monument may be located in the middle of nowhere, but it’s easy to reach as it’s located directly off Interstate-80 in Imlay, NV.
There isn’t a whole lot to do, see and eat in Imlay. So if you’re making the trip here from a larger area, you may want to ensure your tank is full and bring plenty of water/food with you.
Additionally, the nearest EV charging stations to Thunder Mountain are in Lovelock (40-miles west) and Winnemucca (35-miles east).
From Reno (133-miles, one way)
From wherever you are in Reno, make your way to I-80 eastbound and continue straight for 133-miles.
Take exit #145 for Frontage road.
At the stop sign, turn right and then make an (almost) immediate left on Frontage road.
You’ll follow this road for slightly less than a mile and it’ll terminate at the monument’s parking lot.
From Winnemucca (36-miles, one way)
Start by jumping on I-80 westbound and continue straight for roughly 36-miles.
Take exit #145 for Frontage road.
At the stop sign, turn left and go under the freeway.
Turn left on Frontage road and continue straight until it terminates at the parking lot.
Shortly after turning onto Frontage road, it’ll turn into dirt. No need to worry if you have a compact vehicle, it’ll make it just fine. Our Chevrolet Cruze made it without issue.
The parking lot is fairly large and entirely dirt. There are no official parking spaces so just find a spot that makes sense and go with it.
There are no parking or hard entry fees. They do request a (totally reasonable) $2 donation per group. There’s nobody on site collecting these donations but they do have an iron ranger adjacent to the picnic table.
It’s cash or check only. So if you don’t have either on hand, you can send a donation to the following address when you get home:
Thunder Mountain Monument, LLC
P.O Box 162 Imlay, Nevada 89418
Any donations left at or mailed to the monument go towards to continued growth, rehabilitation and maintenance of the property.
Exploring Thunder Mountain Monument
To begin exploring the monument, simply look for the official entry to the grounds (pictured above). You can easily spot it from the parking lot.
If your only interest is the monument itself, turn left along the dirt/gravel path as you approach the picnic table. If you have the time though, we recommend heading right and exploring the rest of the grounds in a loop.
At the picnic tables, you’ll find binders containing printed information about the monument’s history and development, as well as information about its founder, Frank Van Zant.
We highly encourage you to stop here and learn about the monument. Its history is fascinating. This is also where you can drop your donation (if you’re able to).
From the picnic table, go right along the path (away from the monument) to check out a cool, but admittedly creepy, art installation on the far side of the property.
Over here, you’ll find rusted vehicles lined up like a barricade of sorts, a swing set made out of wood and mud, a model airplane also made from mud/plaster and a de facto fort in front of all that. It’s weird, but so cool at the same time.
After exploring this area, simply follow the dirt path running parallel to the freeway. After a short distance, you will arrive at the monument itself.
The monument was conceptualized and built by Frank Van Zant (with the help of hippies and passerby’s) after being inspired by a visit to a bottle house in Death Valley.
As you walk up to the monument, the first thing you’ll notice is it’s fenced off with ‘no trespassing’ signs dotted along the fence. This was done to protect the monument from vandalism.
Based on our research, once upon a time the general public was allowed to explore the interior of the monument, but weather damage to the roof has made it too dangerous.
The monument was once lived in by its founder, Frank Van Zant and his family and initially started out as a one-room travel trailer. Over time, it was rocked over and additional features like bedrooms, corridors, stairwells and levels were added.
The roof is adorned with multiple statues and arches, the tallest of which stands fifty-feet. The exterior walls are covered in bas-relief tableaux depicting many historic events, betrayals and massacres of the American Indian.
If you know your history, you’ll no doubt recognize the depictions in some of the statues. Some notable figures include Standing Bear, Quietzalcoati, and Sarah Winnemucca. There’s even one honoring Franks’s late son, Sid.
It’s important to note that the vast majority of the materials used to construct the monument was “trash” Frank found discarded in the desert. This was done to honor the Native Indian tradition of using what you have and not be wasteful.
Many of the windows are windshields from old cars, glass bottles line much of the top end of the monument and a wooden Eagle is perched at the very top.
Some other material used in the monument includes galvanized pipe, scrap iron, chicken wire and concrete. It’s truly amazing what Frank was able to accomplish with what many perceived to be trash.
When you’re done exploring the monument, simply head back up the trail towards the entrance where you came in and back to your vehicle.
There are a few other nooks and features of the property, but we want to leave those things a surprise when you visit for yourself. We highly encourage you to do so.
As promised at the beginning of the post, be sure to visit the monuments official website for more in-depth information of its history and the background of its creator, Frank Van Zant, as well as photos of the interior.
Your Thoughts
Have you visited Thunder Mountain Monument before? We’d really like to know what you thought of it. Or if you’ve never been there, have you been wanting to visit or have you even heard of it?
Either way, let us know in the comments below. We LOVE hearing from our readers!
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Thank you for reading.
How To Visit The Historic Lovelock Cave
Nestled within the Humbolt Mountain range and located 20 miles outside the small Nevada town of Lovelock, the Lovelock Cave is a small, but significally historic landmark…
Nestled within the Humbolt Mountain range and located 20 miles outside the small Nevada town of Lovelock, the Lovelock Cave is a small, but significally historic landmark. It’s an easy, straight-forward drive along the Backcountry Byway and once there, it’s a quick hike to the cave entrance from the parking lot.
As stated above, it is small. This is not the kind of cave where you’ll be able to go from room to room deep into the earth. It’s a small entrance leading to a viewing deck inside an area barely bigger than a modern day studio apartment. Don’t let this stop you, though. The historical significance of the cave more than makes up for its lack of size.
Some 22,000 years ago, Lake Lahontan covered this entire area. As water levels began to recede, wave action started to interact with the limestone, resulting in little pocket caves like this one. Lovelock Cave is just one of many in the area that came to be because of Lahontan. Hidden Cave near Fallon is another example.
In later years, Northern Paiute Indians would utilize this cave for storage and shelter between the timeframe of 2,000 B.C and 1,000 A.D and it would go undiscovered until 1912 when bat guano miners found it and began operations. Shortly after, archeological digs would commence and regularly occur for around 60 years, resulting in the discovery of thousands of artifacts and human remains.
Read on below as we give you a detailed summary on how you can make your way out here and see it for yourself. In the second half of the article, we will briefly cover the legend of the cannibalistic giants that lived here as well as the discovery of the oldest known duck decoys in the world. Enjoy!
Directions
Your journey to the cave begins and ends in Lovelock, NV. Thankfully, it’s easy to get there as your journey begins almost as soon as you exit the freeway. Whether you’re coming from the direction of Winnemucca or Reno, these are the easiest directions to follow:
You’ll take exit #106 towards Downtown.
As you’re taking the exit, you’ll notice a McDonalds.
If you’re coming from Winnemucca, you’ll turn right on Main then left on Amherst (just before McDonalds). If you’re coming from Reno, you’ll turn left on Main, go under the overpass, and left on Amherst.
This road will eventually turn into S. Meridian and becomes a well maintained dirt road as you pass through a beautiful agricultural area.
You’ll stay on this road until you reach Derby road at a two-way intersection. You will go left here.
You’ll cross over the Humbolt River and shortly after, come to a point where the road splits in three directions (as pictured below). You’ll want to continue to the right.
Continue going straight until the road terminates at the parking lot.
Even though it is fairly straight forward, you may feel a little lost at times (we did). Just keep an eye out for those “Lovelock Cave Byway” signs. They’re dotted along the entire stretch of this drive. If you haven’t seen one in a while, you may want to turn around.
Pictured above is a beautiful section of the Humbolt River we ran into along the byway. This view was on our left shortly after turning on Derby. Pictured below is where the road splits into three directions shortly after the river crossing. You’ll turn right to continue towards the cave (though we were curious as to what the other roads led to. If you happen to know, please let us know in the comments).
Between here and the cave, you’ll get amazing views of the Humbolt Mountains on your left and the Humboldt State Wildlife Management Area on your right. We observed many species of birds in this area and even spotted a Rattlesnake sun-bathing in the middle of the road. If you’re into birding, you would do well here.
The road you’ll be on is well maintained with only a few parts that get a bit rough for those driving a compact vehicle. For clarity, our Chevy Cruze made it just fine (though there were a few times we had to slow down due to rough bumps in the road). If you have a truck or jeep, you’ll have no issues.
The road will start to go left and up towards the cave and soon, you’ll see the entrance sign and the parking lot ahead of you. The lot is a decent size that could easily accommodate a few dozen or so creatively parked vehicles. There is also a covered picnic table and one restroom. Fair warning, the restroom isn’t very well maintained (better than nothing, though).
The Nature Trail
At the trailhead, you’ll find an informative board describing the history of the cave and the area as a whole. You’ll find the start of the trail just behind here. If you wanted to complete the trail proper (and you should) you’ll start by heading upwards. If you just want to get to the cave, head left.
The nature trail is short, coming in a just over half a mile for the whole loop. In the beginning there is a bit of an uphill climb but it’s on gentle switchbacks and doesn’t require a whole lot of effort. If you took a brochure along with you (at the trailhead), it’ll describe the mountains, plants, and other features as you go.
If you’re on the trail proper, it’ll take you up, over, and around the cave before dropping you off at the entrance. Just before this, you’ll come to another informative board with an expansive view of what was once ancient Lake Lahontan (now Humbolt Sink). The board details the plant, animal, and fish life that once called this area home.
From here, you’ll continue left on the trail until you reach the entrance to the cave. You’ll go down a little bit before working your way back up. This section of the trail does have sheer drop offs on your right, so be sure to watch your footing. Once you get to the entrance, you will see a few spur trails. There’s no right or wrong here. Just pick one and go up.
When you arrive at the entrance, you’ll see what we mean by how small it is. In fact, it used to be MUCH wider, but an earthquake caused a large rock to collapse into the mouth of the cave, leaving the tiny entrance we have today. You can still see how large it was by looking to the far right of the entrance.
Lovelock Cave
From here, simply head into the cave. Watch your footing as you descend as it’s a rocky and uneven surface. In front of you, you’ll see a wooden deck. This is where you can enjoy the cave from. This deck was installed around 10 years ago to help maintain the integrity of the cave. The BLM does ask that you stay on the deck as archeological digs do still occur here from time to time.
In the photo below, you will see a brightly lit photo of the viewing deck. I used my camera’s flash to attain this photo. It is NOT this bright inside. It isn’t pitch black or anything as you are able to see where you’re going, but it is much darker than what this photo shows.
All around you, you’ll see burn marks at both the entrance of the cave as well as nearly the entire interior. It is believed that this was due to fires being set by Native Americans for warmth, cooking food, etc. There’s also the legend of Natives setting fire to the entrance of the cave to “smoke out” cannibalistic giants that once lived in this area (more on that later).
There’s a lower portion of the deck to the right that takes you slightly further into the cave. It’s much darker on this side as it’s further from the entrance. Seeing a bat or two is a possibility. The brochure we had stated bats were rare in this cave these days but during our visit, we saw two flying around.
From either side of the deck, you can see the areas where both bat guano miners and archeologists dug through. Guano mining took place in the early 1900’s while archeology digs began later and still occur from time to time. Many historical items were discovered here including multiple bones, mummified remains (unconfirmed), weapons, tools, duck decoys (oldest known in the world), clothing, and other artifacts.
Per my research, a total of 10,000 human remains and cultural artifacts have been discovered in this small cave. Prior to the mining and digging, the floor of the cave was much higher than it is today, specifically the left side (which was where most of the digging took place).
Once you’re done enjoying the cave, simply exit and head to the left back on the loop trail to complete your journey. On this section of the trail, you’ll get more expansive views of the Humbolt Sink and see up close the amazing limestone rock formations that make up the exterior. If you’re a rock nerd (like me) you’ll enjoy it.
From here, you just keep going straight until the trail spits you back out to the parking lot. You’re total milage on the trail will be around 6/10’s of a mile and with time exploring the interior of the cave, it shouldn’t take you more than an hour or two to complete.
Legend of the Giants
Now that we’ve gotten the “how to” part of this article out of the way, lets move on to some history. We have heard the legends and rumors surrounding what was and wasn’t found inside this cave. One of those legends pertains to the red-haired, cannibalistic giants that allegedly lived here while ancient Lake Lahontan was still present.
Native Paiutes described these giants (called, “Si-Te-Cah” and translates to, “tule eaters”) as upwards of 12-feet tall with reddish-brown hair all over their bodies and faces (think modern-day Bigfoot descriptions). They would sail across the sink to tribe villages, kidnap native women and children, and would take them back to this cave (and others) to be eaten.
Sick of their people being kidnapped and eaten (understandably), multiple tribes banded together with the purpose of killing these giants once and for all. So they chased them into the cave and after refusing to come out and fight, they set fire to the entrance of the cave. Some of the giants stayed inside, falling victim to burns and smoke inhalation. Others ran out and died after being hit with a hail of arrows.
It is said that many bones were discovered in the cave, some being split down the middle with the bone marrow extracted (which is probably something a giant cannibal would do). Furthermore, legend has it that mummified remains of these giants were found here. I was unable to find anything conclusive that confirmed the existence of these remains, so take it for what it’s worth.
The Duck Decoys
Among the confirmed artifacts unearthed here, the most known has to be the duck decoys. These decoys date back to between 400 B.C - 100 A.D. They’re made of bundled Tule (a desert plant which grows in marshy wetlands), are painted, and have actual Duck feathers still attached. In all, 11 were found with 8 being complete and 3 being unfinished.
These decoys have the distinction of being the oldest known in the world. They went undiscovered and untouched inside the cave for over 2,000 years. It’s truly amazing. Fittingly, they’re currently on display at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Conclusion
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