Panamint Valley?
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It's awesome. My dad started going out there 20+ years ago and worked on Briggs Cabin when it was withering away. I never understood why anyone would want to drive to the middle of nowhere and work. Sadly he passed away several years ago just as I was starting to get into offroading. I finally took a trip out there last month. Found an old journal in Briggs Cabin with an entry from him in 1991. This is just a small dose of what you will find in Death Valley.
Panamint Range 11-19-2011 - YouTube
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1367738
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1367641
Panamint Range 11-19-2011 - YouTube
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1367738
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1367641
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2,957 Posts
Tons of fun and very historic. Love the area for both easy and hard wheeling. Lots of filming done there including episodes for both Top Gear USA and Top Gear UK.
You MUST swing by Charles Mansons old cabin.
You MUST swing by Charles Mansons old cabin.
The Top Gear UK was a bust. Those lame azz four wheeler want a be's went through the southern tip of the valley, pansies. There ain't no real wheelin there. Some good explorin but no real wheeling. The dunes you saw in the background in the one scene were not even from Death Valley, those are located in the Mojave Preserve. Made a run through death valley... BAH!
Anyways, back to Panamint. DUDE... so much to see and do out there it is amazing.
Pleasant Canyon-nice scenic run that takes you to the top of the panamints. You can kinda see into Death Valley from there but there is another part of the Panamints in the way to truly see in there.
Coyote Canyon/Goler Wash-Now we are talking, relatively easy trail. There is water on the trail, mines to explore and if you go up Goler Wash, this is where Charles Manson was captured. It wasn't his cabin, he basically squated there. How he and his cronies got up that canyon in a school bus is beyond me but... motivated people do awesome things. Place is burned but the skeleton remains of the building remain and there is a park placard there to read.
Keep going on Coyote Canyon and you will come to Striped Butte canyon. Geological feature of GRANITE. If you keep on this road you will pass a few Talc Mines, Warm Springs Camp (Not a place for camping was a mine camp), keep going and you will come to the West Road. You are now in Death Valley proper. If you go left you will find some historical land marks and plenty of roads to explore that go to mines. If you go to the right you come across a lave dome that has split, as it is on a fault line, and is basically separating as the fault lines shift. Think I read, 1 inch per 10 yrs. Geological terms, it is kicking booty. This will also take you to Bad Water road (178).
North Side of the Panamint- You can go through Darwin. Place will remind you of the movie, "The Hills Have Eyes". There are trails that take you into the N. Side of Death Valley where the racetrack resides, more dunes, Tea Kettle Junction and some more of the more difficult runs.
A Charles A. Wells book of the area will show where these and more trails are. If you are so inclinded check out MyJeepRocks.com, you will find pics of runs they did during the Panamint Valley days which happens in the beginning of November.
Guess what I am saying here is, you could spend a week there and not hit everything.
Gas is the big thing. Panamint Springs is very proud of their product, next nearest gas is Stovepipe Wells, and Furnance Creek. Last two are in Death Valley proper. Trona has diesel. Can't speak to Darwin, never been there.
There is a camp ground in Ballarat, unimproved sites. Ballarat has a history of its own as do all the mining spots there.
Anyways, if you are interested in all the trails google Panamint Valley Days there is a list of their trails with levels of difficulty.
Anyways, back to Panamint. DUDE... so much to see and do out there it is amazing.
Pleasant Canyon-nice scenic run that takes you to the top of the panamints. You can kinda see into Death Valley from there but there is another part of the Panamints in the way to truly see in there.
Coyote Canyon/Goler Wash-Now we are talking, relatively easy trail. There is water on the trail, mines to explore and if you go up Goler Wash, this is where Charles Manson was captured. It wasn't his cabin, he basically squated there. How he and his cronies got up that canyon in a school bus is beyond me but... motivated people do awesome things. Place is burned but the skeleton remains of the building remain and there is a park placard there to read.
Keep going on Coyote Canyon and you will come to Striped Butte canyon. Geological feature of GRANITE. If you keep on this road you will pass a few Talc Mines, Warm Springs Camp (Not a place for camping was a mine camp), keep going and you will come to the West Road. You are now in Death Valley proper. If you go left you will find some historical land marks and plenty of roads to explore that go to mines. If you go to the right you come across a lave dome that has split, as it is on a fault line, and is basically separating as the fault lines shift. Think I read, 1 inch per 10 yrs. Geological terms, it is kicking booty. This will also take you to Bad Water road (178).
North Side of the Panamint- You can go through Darwin. Place will remind you of the movie, "The Hills Have Eyes". There are trails that take you into the N. Side of Death Valley where the racetrack resides, more dunes, Tea Kettle Junction and some more of the more difficult runs.
A Charles A. Wells book of the area will show where these and more trails are. If you are so inclinded check out MyJeepRocks.com, you will find pics of runs they did during the Panamint Valley days which happens in the beginning of November.
Guess what I am saying here is, you could spend a week there and not hit everything.
Gas is the big thing. Panamint Springs is very proud of their product, next nearest gas is Stovepipe Wells, and Furnance Creek. Last two are in Death Valley proper. Trona has diesel. Can't speak to Darwin, never been there.
There is a camp ground in Ballarat, unimproved sites. Ballarat has a history of its own as do all the mining spots there.
Anyways, if you are interested in all the trails google Panamint Valley Days there is a list of their trails with levels of difficulty.
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1,585 Posts
Death Valley is absolutely beautiful. We make a yearly trip out there with our Jeeps and go explore for about a week. Theres sooo much to see, tons of historic sites, tons of beautiful areas to check out, lots of good wheelin. It really is an awesome place to go! Only downside is that its a TON of driving to go see anything LOL and you can never ever see it all in one trip.
There's so much history there, and so much to discover. Theres TONS of different mines if you like to see that kind of thing, just be careful and don't go wandering around mine shafts. There can be toxic gases trapped there as well as vertical shafts!
Oh and the racetrack! Ahaha good times...if you love your kidneys stay clear of the racetrack lol. Thats one place you'll go to once and have enough.
You pretty much covered a lot of it! Lol. Stovepipe Wells is definitely a good place to get gas, and its pretty central to a lot of the main sites in Death Valley. Plus theres a couple trailer parks right there and the resort isn't that far from there either.
There's so much history there, and so much to discover. Theres TONS of different mines if you like to see that kind of thing, just be careful and don't go wandering around mine shafts. There can be toxic gases trapped there as well as vertical shafts!
Oh and the racetrack! Ahaha good times...if you love your kidneys stay clear of the racetrack lol. Thats one place you'll go to once and have enough.
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62 Posts
PM me when you have dates planned and I'll join you if I can get away.
Joined
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62 Posts
The Top Gear UK was a bust. Those lame azz four wheeler want a be's went through the southern tip of the valley, pansies. There ain't no real wheelin there. Some good explorin but no real wheeling. The dunes you saw in the background in the one scene were not even from Death Valley, those are located in the Mojave Preserve. Made a run through death valley... BAH!
Don't hold back Dave, tell us how you really feel.
My buddy and I are thinking of going in mid February 17th-19th I will post something when we have it firmed up.
David
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12 Posts
Thanks for posting that video, it brought back some great memories from a trip that I took there when I was a teenager.
Unfortunately the "adults" that invited me destroyed two oar carts trying to remove them from a mountain top. I tried to convince them that it was wrong, and I still get pissed to this day when I think about the damage that they caused. All in the name of 'yard art'.
What a cool place to see. Are the hot springs till intact?
Unfortunately the "adults" that invited me destroyed two oar carts trying to remove them from a mountain top. I tried to convince them that it was wrong, and I still get pissed to this day when I think about the damage that they caused. All in the name of 'yard art'.
What a cool place to see. Are the hot springs till intact?
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