Goodwin Gold Mine - Lee Anna State Park

plenty of parking here, trail map also

very uncrowded. only one here on a saturday!

everyone is at the boat ramp.

This is the mill pond trail view

pretty flat going all around on this hike

one of the only benches youll find on these trails, take a good water drink before going any further

at this intersection you can turn left and head down the electric pole road (and meet up with the track later on down the road in 1/4 mile) or you can continue on straight ahead to a side trail to the pond. you will see a sign showing the straight ahead trail, it is a little overgrown.

feeder for a big pond created for the nuclear power plant.

this was also the location of Haileys mill which closed down after the dam broke.

there is a sign explaining the history.

you can backtrack on the trail back to the road or take a shortcut through the brush to get back to the powerlined road (pigeon run trail)

this is a long road lined with electric poles, there is some kind of sinkhole in the middle (or depression) that you cant go into.

hence the detour back into the woods :-)

some steep sections.

small stream crossing on pigeon trail.

it is really quiet here, just the running water and birds.

intersection with gold mill trail,

started counterclockwise, so go right to get the gold mine!

looking back where we came from on the road, you can see the sinkhole depression and a danger sign warning not to go there!

so dont go there!

turn left on this road (when going counterclockwise) and we head straight up the road a long ways. the next part of the loop is done clockwise on the gold mine trail.

long road walk, some nice fern fields along the way.

you may see an equestrian or two here also.

keep going until you see a sign on the right hand side.

sign to turn right, enter the gold mining area!

flat and easy going on this trail, warning to not go off the trail is present in the guides as there are old mining shafts all over the place.

youll see alot of strip minings and trenches off the roads on the right and left sides.

this pile of rocks is all that is left of the goodwin gold mine ruins (along with the depressions and trenches youll see after this)

the area past this appears to be off limits with a sign.

visit the visitors center for goldpanning trips and events.

animal remains here...

can hear large groups of birds here, possibly more...predatory birds... seen plenty of crows and possibly some kind of vulture (larger birds).


on further research it appears to be a horse skull of a younger horse... the teeth are premolars and molars not canine or rodent (incisors), the orbits are protuded slightly and have holes above them which are consistent with a horse skull.

possibly the larger predatory birds carried it here as it is only the upper portion, however given that there are a large group of predatory birds in the area it is possible that there may be further remains.

it is also possible since there is an equestrian area that someone brought a horse to be put down here and did it in the woods... i really have no insight into this, i hope someone checks this out further as it may be a crime to do so here.

(ok sorry i have no study in anthropology or animal biology)

very small stream here

less trenches also.

intersection back to the road.

since we did the gold mine loop clockwise, then we are heading back and we take a left on the powerline road.

remember to turn right when you get to the danger sign at our sinkhole field!!

taking a different route back to the parking lot,

turn right here to go on pigeon run trail.

this will add a bit of length to our hike.

the entrance road is coming up here, the trail turns left and continues on the sawmill trail road

no need to walk on pavement, the trail is hidden from the road.

large open field across the road overgrown but looks nice

sawmill trail is nice and flat, a few bridge crossings.

easy going to the parking lot.

2 bridge crossing in quick succession.

may encounter equestrian traffic here also.

go across the road and it loops back around to the parking lot

(the sawmill site is on the way!)

this is the site of an old sawmill

(one of many in the area)

this is the well of the sawmill, and is all that remains at this location.