Wildrose Charcoal Kilns

Some of the best preserved kilns in the Southwest, mainly because they were only used for three years. The drive into here was amazing, I I hiked Wildrose as well

These are amazingly well preserved kilns they used to make charcoal back in the 1870s. We visited in January and it was very snowy and icy. I think it would safe to say you’d need 4x4. We only saw jeeps, trucks and a Subaru in the parking lot. I believe it’s up near ~7000 feet. Beautiful views and drive to this area as well.

The acoustic is AMAZING! Be sure to prepare a song to sing and record. Stand in the middle of the kilns and keep the phone away from you when you record. What an amazing architecture ❤️. Drive to and back was a bit of a rough road. Make sure you have a 4-wheel drive. Wouldn't recommend sedans either. Road was closed beyond this spot, so we couldn't drive past this location. We were there on Jan 20th. Bit of snow, but it wasn't too bad.

While the kilns are beautiful, the real reason to drive an hour from Stove Pipe Wells is to hike the Wildrose trail, which starts to the left of the kilns! The hike was absolutely stunning with beautiful views of both sides of the valley, interesting foliage, and beautiful rocks and we only saw a handful of peopleon the trail. Hiked in a little over 3 hours, it was exactly 4.2 miles from trail head to summit, with about 2,400 feet elevation gain so moderate to start but definitely a difficult last 1.5 miles. We went in late April, and it was about 50° at the trail head but was snowing at the summit, so make sure to accommodate for the drastic weather change at 9,100 feet at the top! There is also a very well maintained bathroom at trailhead.

Visited in late December. Road was snowy with ice and multiple cars were on the side of the road (to hike up when they could no longer drive). One guy in a hatchback needed a push. No prob for 4wd with good tires (please be responsible and know your limits!). These kilns are in beautiful condition compared to every other I've seen. Amazing views on the drive. I do agree with other reviews that it's not necessarily the most spectacular destination in and of itself unless you're really into kilns and mining history (I am!). If you're around the area, check it out! Make sure to talk and make noise inside to experience the acoustics. Fun for kids.

This is a fantastic, relatively unknown location in Death Valley National Park. The climate here is much better than in Death Valley itself. The temperatures are very pleasant. The kilns are fascinating. This is a great stop for a picnic and strolling around the ruins. Great trip to take to get relief from the hotter temperatures in Death Valley. Highly recommend.

These were amazing to see in person, I was stunned by the scale of them. I had always imagined them to be a fraction of their true size. Was there in February and it was downright frigid. Road was clear all the way up, but 40° cooler than down in Furnace Creek. Be prepared. Have a hard time wrapping my head around the folks that worked these kilns and mines. A hardy bunch indeed.

Long ride to see the kilns but very well preserved and interesting to see. About 2 miles of the road is unpaved. We were glad we stuck it out and saw the kilns. Burros along the way were a bonus. We were happy there are clean restrooms available.

The road here is rough! Definitely need a car with high clearance. The road there is quite long but the kilns were a sight to see! So yes, definitely worth it. Came during winter so we were able to see ice come all the way down to where the kilns were. The road forward was blocked because of winter conditions.

Wildrose Charcoal Kilns This is one of the more fascinating sites in Death Valley that I have personally visited. The site is located on the West side of the park, South of Stovepipe Wells Village, in an area that is only accessible via a four-mile dirt road. You should have a high clearance vehicle if you are visiting, but between you and me, a few years ago during my first visit I drove my 2005 Ford Thunderbird to the site, but it was a clear day and the roads were in good shape and dry, and I did NOT drive passed the Charcoal Kilns site. Wildrose Charcoal Klins were built to supply charcoal for the Modock Mines 25 miles to the west in the Argus Range. The construction was completed in 1877 and the kilns were probably used until 1879. Their short life may explain the remarkably good condition of these 100 years old kilns. If you are driving there, be very careful and do not speed up! There are many wild burros running around this area and you do not want to have an accident in the middle of no where! There is restroom at the site, so do not worry if you have drank too much coffee! The Klines are across the road from the parking area, which is not paved, and you can walk into them! Oh, one more thing! Watch out for the rattle snakes that hang from the ceiling of the Klins while you are in there!!!!! Just kidding! No snakes in there, at least none that I have seen in two visits.

It's not on our must visit list but on our fifth day at Death Valley I finally commit to drive all the way to see these historic Kilns. The drive itself was beautiful and fun, until the last 1.5 mile of unpaved road. With our Prius, it felt like our tire could pop at any second. There are three close by campsite and apparently it's the coolest spot you can camp during the summer time as it's higher in elevation. We can immediately see the different terrine as snow is totally visible and it's really cool to see the transition from desert to alpine terrine. The Kilns itself are quite an impressive site. Very isolated and right off the road. All the kilns are very well preserved but you can still tell that they were used from the inside ash marks. Gave it 4 stars due to the distance of the drive. If you got extra time and been through all the popular spots, then this would be something you want to do. As for us, it will be been there done that and check off our bucket list:) There's a hiking trail but we decided to pass after the hard core Crater hike we did the day before. We see some RV camper close by.

If your on the area it's interesting to see and think how many people worked out there when they were running. The nice part is it's not a big attraction I was out there by myself which was pretty scary.

The kilns look like giant beehives and are about 30 miles from hwy 190. Take the Emigrant Canyon Rd., then Wildrose canyon. The kilns are well worth the drive. First, for the neat corkscrew road and for the elevation. Drive slow and enjoy the trip. The kilns are surrounded by pines and much cooler than the desert below. There are toilets and picnic tables here. They were built and used for just a few years in the 1890s. Most photos do not show how large they are. A real wonder, provoking you to think about the mining industry here so long ago. They were used to turn the nearby forests into charcoal for smeltering ores. A popular spot, easy enough to drive to. For a nice hike start here for the trail toward Wildrose Peak. About a mile up you come to a spot where you can see down to Death Valley one way and to Mt Whitney the other. (see the guidebook)