Briggs Camp CA

Briggs Camp, CA

Briggs Camp, CA consists of two well-preserved cabins in the Panamint Range. There is also a small mill and shop building, and a shed. These were originally built by miner Harry Briggs, and date back to the 1930s.

For many years the site has been under the care of a group of volunteers called the Friends of Briggs, under the BLM's "adopt a cabin" program. A great many improvements and additions have been added over the years.

The lower cabin sits on top of a large outcrop of stone. It was originally a small, one-room stone cabin. It has been expanded with the addition of a wood-framed, corrugated metal room at the rear of the structure. More recently, a deck has been built that extends from the front of the cabin and around the side. A water tank is mounted on the hillside above the cabin, with water being piped in from a spring higher up the mountain. Below the cabin there is an old bathtub used as a watering trough for the local burros.

The main cabin is higher up the canyon. It's a roomier structure, with a fenced yard shaded by trees and shrubs. It too has water piped in from the spring, and the entire area has become an oasis for all types of birds and animals.

Both cabins have numerous amenities, including a kitchen with running water, gas-powered refrigerators, gas stoves, gas lighting, CB radios, and an intercom between the cabins. If you want to use the gas appliances you'll need to supply your own tank of propane. The cabins are free to use on a first come, first served basis. The maximum stay is four days. There are well-built outhouses near each cabin.

If you visit this site, please take good care of it! Also, make sure the doors are closed securely to keep out rodents.

I visited Briggs Camp and stayed in the main cabin several times in the 1990s, and revisited it in June 2024. On this most recent visit I found the cabins full of spider webs, including several black widow spiders. The areas around the cabins were also infested with thousands of large cockroaches, as well as a few inside the cabins. I chose to spend the night in my 4Runner.

I encountered some friendly burros on the trail leading to Briggs Camp. Someone must have been feeding them, because they came right up to my window, expecting a treat.

An aerial view of Brigg's Camp.

An aerial view of Brigg's Camp. The lower cabin is on a rock outcrop, at left.

An aerial view of the lower cabin at Brigg's Camp.

Another view of the lower cabin at Brigg's Camp.

Another view of the lower cabin at Brigg's Camp. The tree in the foreground was planted in 2002.

This is what the lower cabin looked like in 1990 before the deal was expanded. There were also fewer trees.

Approaching the stairs leading up to the cabin.

A view from the stairs leading up to the cabin.

The front door of the cabin.

Here's a view of the deck along the side of the cabin.

The side door of the cabin.

This is the view of the cabin interior from the front door. There are bunk beds on the right, and straight ahead.

The cabin interior, looking towards the kitchen area.

To the right of the refrigerator is a phone that is part of the intercom system between the lower cabin and the main cabin.

The kitchen area of the cabin.

Another view of the cabin's kitchen.

Around the corner from the kitchen is the dining area.

The cabin even has a small shower and wash basin.

Somebody's drawing of the cabin.

The cabin interior, looking from the kitchen towards the front entrance.

A view of the lower cabin from below.

This is what the lower cabin looked like in 1998, before the deck was added. The cottonwood tree was still very small back then.

The west end of the lower cabin.

Rocks near the cabin.

Just west of the cabin is a large cottonwood tree, and a water trough for burros and other wildlife.

An aerial view of the site, with the mill building at the left and the main cabin in the background on the right.

Approaching the mill.

An aerial view of the mill.

An aerial view of the engine that once provided power for the mill's machinery.

A mixing tank outside the mill.

There are shallow rectangular tanks outside the mill. These may have been settling tanks.

Approaching the mill building.

Another view of the mill building.

Entering the mill building.

A service pit, for working on vehicles, is partially covered by scrap material.

The view from inside the mill.

The mill interior. There is a small wooden ore bin at the rear of the building.

Looking up through an opening in the roof. The mill's engine is partially visible.

There's an ore chute and the remains of a small conveyor belt on the front of the ore bin.

Here's another view of the ore chute and conveyor belt.

The mill building was also used as a shop. There's a workbench at this end of the building.

Various small parts are piled on the workbench.

Looking back towards the ore bin.

There's an anvil stump near the workbench.

On the slope just outside the mill building there is an old conveyor belt mechanism.

Here's an exterior view of the ore bin and engine.

The engine is mounted above the ore bin.

Here's another view of the engine.

There are several metal water tanks on the hillside above the mill.

There's a large shed a short distance east of the mill.

The south side of the shed.

The northeast corner of the shed.

The northwest corner of the shed.

This small extension on the north side of the shed is a mystery.

Looking through the door of the shed. The interior is filled with plywood and other material.

Burros are a common sight around the camp.

Here's an aerial view of the main cabin.

Here's an aerial view of the main cabin and yard. There's a covered deck at the far left.

Here's an aerial view of the covered deck that extends over the wash just east of the cabin.

This is the main cabin at Brigg's Camp.

This is the main cabin at Brigg's Camp. The site is decorated with a collection of artifacts from the area.

An old sign is just one of the many artifacts decorating the site.

The porch at the front of the cabin.

Here's a look at the yard and barbecue area just outside the front of the cabin.

Here's a look at the barbecue area just outside the front of the cabin.

The north side of the cabin.

The interior of the main cabin.

The kitchen area of the main cabin.

The dining area of the main cabin.

The interior of the main cabin, looking towards the door.

Another view of the cabin interior.

This is what the interior looked like in 1998. Not much has changed. The stove made from a 55-gallon drum has been replaced with an upright, cast-iron stove.

One of the two larger beds in the cabin.

There is a bunkbed separating the space between the two larger beds.

Here's another look at the area just outside the cabin.

Two ore carts from the Keystone Mine are displayed on the hillside above the cabin.

This cart has a homemade, foot-operated brake. This is a feature rarely seen on ore carts.

Two ore carts from the Keystone Mine are displayed on the hillside above the cabin.

Above the ore carts there is an area for playing horseshoes.

The outhouse is located at the upper corner of the cabin's yard.

Interior of the outhouse. This is a pretty modern facility.

More burros near the main cabin.

Massive cliffs tower over the site.

The trail up the canyon continues past Brigg's Camp. As it climbs out of the lower portion of the canyon, the trail becomes narrow, steep, and precarious. Driving this stretch in a large vehicle like the 4Runner is more than a little nerve-wracking.

As bad as it is now, this section of the trail is much better than it used to be back in the 1990s. There used to be a wooden bridge here, just in front of the 4Runner. Now there is a sturdy retaining wall to support the trail.

Brigg's Camp, CA -- Here's a shot of the old wooden bridge on the trail leading up the canyon, as it appeared in 1990.

As you near the top, the trail takes a sharp bend around a large rock. You have to stay pretty close to the the rock to get around the curve.

After rounding the bend, the trail starts of rocky but gets better.

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