Its one of the shortest hikes you can take in the Uwharries but it is packed with cool stuff. You won't find this on any maps of the Uwharries. The Forest Service doesn't promote this place. They have had to bar off several mine shafts and put up an extensive metal barrier around much of the site.
The shafts are cool (ha) but the real attraction for me is this massive stone structure which I am told was the Russell Mine Company. On this visit, it appears someone has been doing an arch survey. Perhaps the structure and roads leading to it are being surveyed to understand what went on here.
A rock outcrop here has been pretty thoroughly excavated. There are at least 3 shafts leading under it. They are all barred off now. Shinning a flashlight into them does not reveal much.
I took this photo from well above the shaft opening. It is in a steep gorge.
This shaft has been barred off for years. It is the first thing you see after rock hopping across the creek. There is a old roadway passing right by it.
This one you can walk in. I took the photo from a collapsed portion. It would have originally been about 60 feet.
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