Panamint Valley Camping, Mining, Desert Camping, Ballarat

camp.panamint

Just east of Hwy. 395 is Panamint Valley. This awesome desert valley is located just west of Death Valley National Park ( without all the National Park restrictions). Visiting the park is an easy hours drive, but you can camp almost anywhere you want in Panamint. There aren't many homes, developemnet or services, so you can have the whole place to yourself. There are plenty of old mining operations to discover. But be careful hiking around old mine shafts & pay attention to 'No Trespassing' signs.

Wide dirt roads are great for motorhomes who don't mind roughin' it! Those who want to stay over night primtive style, Nadeau Road is paved for miles & has many places to pull off & camp with out the crowds. If you have your SUV & wanna explore there are plenty canyons with dirt roads leading to them. Camping out on the wide open areas are great on calm nights, but be warned the wind can really pick up out in these parts. Finding a spot up against a canyon wall is your best bet.

Grab a good map of the area. This Benchmark California Atlas has primary dirt roads as well as secondary dirt roads listed. Of course, some of the dirt roads will be washed away over the years. They may even disappear & you may come upon a situation asking' is this still a road?'

Area activities include:

Ballarat
Barker Ranch
Camping
Charcoal Kilns
Darwin
Death Valley NP
Ghost Towns
Goler Wash
Off Roading
Panamint Valley
SUV Dirt Road Exploration
Hiking
Mountain biking

area map

Garmin eTrex Legend
Modeled on Garmin's popular eTrex, but adds the same base map found in Garmin's III+ and eMap models, along with 8 MB of memory.

Garmin GPS ColorMap

NOTE: Setting up your tent in a nice soft sandy wash might seem appealing, but remember not to do this if there is serious rain predicted. Always check the weather:
Mojave Weather Online
Death Valley

Side Trips:

A must see Red Rock Canyon State Park with it's jagged cliffs & varied colors. Backroad exploration, hiking trails & campground. Trona Pinnacles is a great stop too

Ancient cinder cone volcanoes spewed lava into the icy cold Owens River, causing a deep ravine of shiny black bizarre lava forms. This area called Fossil Falls is now a dry river bed with traces of obsidian glass & cool natural formations.

from: directions: driving time: mileage:

Los Angeles I-5 N, Hwy.14 NE; Hwy 178 E
2-3 hrs.
130

Traveling northbound on Hwy.395, drive approx. 50 mi. Turn Right onto Trona Rd. then right onmto Hwy. 178, thru the town of Trona & down into the impressive Panamint Valley.