Silverado Mine

William Henly's depiction of the Silverado Mine. (...

Description 

Cool shady canyon in the forest, popular for easy to moderate top rope climbing, and rappelling on broken volcanic rock. Not the most aesthetic location in the park, but closest to the car.

This is the mouth of the old Silverado Mine where in 1883 Robert Louis Stevenson honeymooned and wrote "Silverado Squatters" in a cabin near the present day trailside monument which honors the site. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silverado_Squatters
The overview map here shows this as a quarry, but it was actually used for mining silver, and mercury.

Getting There 

From the parking area walk up the trail until you come to the monument to Robert Louis Stevenson. Head up steep scree to the obvious cliffs/mine to the west. Top rope anchors can be reached by 4th class scrambling around from the south, or via a trail along the North rim. There are a few bolts but bring slings and gear.