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SIDE TRIP 2  to the ghost town of Lake Valley is a twisty drive south from the town of Hillsboro through desert hillocks, essentially unchanged since silver was discovered in the area in the 1870s.The primary road on this Side Trip is a state-maintained highway with two 12-foot-wide paved driving lanes and intermittent shoulders. Expect a number of sharp curves. In times of heavy rainfall, do not enter water flowing across the road - there may not be a road under there anymore. This road is in open range cattle country; note that cattle have the legal right-of-way. Those cautionary notes aside, safety conditions are good for the posted speed limits. | ||
LAKE VALLEY,  named in 1878 for ancient lake beds nearby, was a silver mining town with a heyday population of over 4000 people... along with stamp mills, crushers, smelters, assay offices, 12 saloons, three churches, hotels, stores, a school, and two newspapers - but not until after 1882, when the town moved to its third and final location after the Bridal Chamber Mine was discovered. This mine produced 2.5 million ounces of silver ore so pure that it was shipped unsmelted to the mint. Over three million dollars worth of silver were eventually mined in the area.The 1893 silver panic wiped out the town, and a fire destroyed Main Street in 1895. The 1904 schoolhouse, maintained by the Bureau of Land Management, has been restored and is open to the public. A resident caretaker is available to answer questions about the area, and walking tours of the old town site and cemetery are offered. | ||
Please note that there is no gasoline available on the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway west of Truth or Consequences / Williamsburg and Elephant Butte. This is the majority of the Trail, which runs through some very remote countryside. Fill your tank before you leave! Gasoline is available on Side Trip 5; or, if you choose to follow the Alternate Loop, gas is available at Silver City. Please also note that bridges between Caballo and Hillsboro bear twelve-foot, six-inch height restrictions; and the Forest Service advises not only that trailers over twenty feet are unsafe on Forest Development Road 150, but that low-clearance / non-four-wheel-drive vehicles travel that section of the Trail at their own risk. | ||
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 Enjoy the nature, history, and culture of southwest New Mexico - but don't disturb the natural, historical, and cultural sites. Do not remove, destroy, or deface anything on any site; strict laws protect artifacts on State, Federal, Indian, and private lands. Buying, selling, trading, or transporting these stolen items is also illegal. Please report looting and vandalism to federal land management authorities or the local sheriff. Hide all traces of your travels as the Apache hid their passing so these wildlands may remain unspoiled, the historical sites may remain true to their history, and the developed sites may remain clean and pleasant. Thank you. | ||
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Now there are a few vacant buildings, including a chapel, on private property. The cemetery is across the street from town.