I’d counsel being very careful around mining operations in the western U.S.
My first work related encounter with a armed crazy dude was in the Coso Mtns just east of Little Lake along Highway 395. It was 1977 and I was a young U.S. Geological Survey employee doing some seismic research in the area. I was working alone (required at that time) and driving my U.S. Gov marked Jeep well off the grid (rough grade dirt road) towards a remote entrance to the north end of China Lake Naval Weapons Center. Dropping down into some low ground near the base of a cinder cone, I encounters a weather beaten dude with an old lever action Winchester 94. He was standing in the road. He walked up to the Jeep and told me to “get”. And he was pissed off. I tried to tell him that I was a geologist going to work over the next Mtn and this was my route. He told me “not this way”. I turned the Jeep around and left. But during that brief encounter I was able to see that he had a front end loader and a dump truck. What he was doing was illegally mining the cinders from the old volcano to sell as road base, or similar use. He was on BLM land.
Over the years I had a number of other off the grid firearms related experiences, most commonly during the 1980’s while working in remote parts of Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, California. These were either small time pot growers or on occasion bigger grows, and the dudes who thought our government 4WD vehicles (and our helicopter) were part of Operation “Camp”. Campaign Against Marajuana Planting.
Bottom line, if I encounter a “No Trespassing” sign in those remote places, I pretty much pull out my map and find another route. The further off the grid you are, the less tolerant the individual on the other side of that sign seems to be.
Two other personal lessons. These might earn me some negative feedback, but here it is.
When traveling off grid in the western U.S. (especially Alaska, and the SW), I travel with firearms. Always have-always will. Secondly, I don’t go to these places with just one vehicle. “S- happens”, and having a second person and a spare vehicle might save your life.
Sorry for the long post. John