Wall Street Mill

Wall Street Mill is a historic gold-processing site in Queen Valley, reached by a two-mile out-and-back from the trailhead. The route gains only about 80 feet, but soft sand slows the walk; allow 45 minutes to two hours. Keep it on your list if you want to see the surviving mining works and desert history. It takes more time than a quick pullout, but there is very little climbing.

The mill building stands at the end with its long timber ore track, scattered machinery and rusted vehicles nearby. You see it from outside; the structure is not open to enter.

The trailhead is in a dirt lot off Queen Valley Road, just east of the Barker Dam area. Most two-wheel-drive vehicles can use the Queen Valley roads. Watch the route markers through the sandy wash; they can be sparse. Other historic remains, including Wonderland Ranch, are separate features along the way.

There is little shade and no cell service. Winter, spring and fall are the better seasons; in summer, start before 10 a.m. and bring water. Dogs are not allowed on the trail, though service animals are welcome on a six-foot leash.

Gold from local mining operations was processed here. The timber ore track, corrugated-metal mill and weathered machinery show what remains of that work; leave the artifacts where you find them. For photos, step back enough to include the mill and ore track together, with the boulders around them for context.

The walk also passes a marker for the 1943 shootout in which Bill Keys killed Worth Bagley. The original stone was damaged and moved to the park museum; a replica marks the site, installed in 2019. Keys served five years and received a full pardon in 1956.