In my opinion, Panamint City is the ultimate backpacking destination in Death Valley. But you probably realized that, since I decided to name my Death Valley web site after it. Now that I've been there, it's hard for me to believe that it took me ten years of visiting the park before I came to Panamint City. Without question, it is a place that I will be visiting for years to come. There's so much to see and do at Panamint City, that I don't know where to start. There are a vast amount of mining ruins, old buildings, equipment, vehicles, cottages and much, much more. And the ruins are scattered over three main areas-- Panamint City, Sourdough Canyon & Water Canyon. Then of course there is the most famous landmark of the city-- the smelter stack, which has stood for over 100 years. If you backpack in on the right day, you can claim one of the first come-first serve visitor maintained cabins to stay in, instead of pitching a tent. (As noted in the image to the right, Hantavirus is a potential risk when entering and sleeping in Death Valley cabins. So please educate yourself on the risks and safeguards before making use of the cabins, as Hantavirus has been found in Death Valley rodents.). Panamint City is also a great base camp for day hikes to places like Sentinel Peak and the Wyoming Mine.
This first picture is the Panamint City smoke stack and smelter in a morning sunrise. It is one of my favorite pictures out of my Death Valley collection of photos:
Another one of my favorites is this picture which was taken at sunset:
A close-up of the top of the smelter stack. Notice the intricate brick work, which was done in the 1880's:
A close up of the base area with an old shovel that we found:
The next two pictures are looking up inside the smelter stack. There was an opening where some bricks were missing so I popped my head and camera inside:
The view looking straight up the smelter stack really makes you feel small. Notice how near the bottom, quite a few of the red bricks have fallen away. The sad truth is that it is only a matter of time until the smelter stack falls down:
Rob took this amazing photo of the smelter stack blocking out the afternoon sun:
A few shots showing the blocks of stone around the base and nearby wall:
View of the Panamint Hilton through the brick arch:
A square opening in the brick arch giving a glimpse of the Panamint terrain:
Scattered bricks are everywhere in this area, historical remnants of a time past:
The arch and fallen bricks. In the picture below, you can see Steve under the arch:
Three more pictures of interesting ruins to check out in this vicinity:
Now we are heading up the small hill behind the smelter area to see what's up there:
This section of town is known as the "new city". It features remnants of more current mining operations:
A giant diesel tank sitting up on the bank, providing the fuel once used to keep this place running:
Large gears and machinery behind this fenced off area:
An iron stairwell leads down to the lower story in this building:
Down below you can see some the processing equipment still in place:
A large green cylinder is partly in both the lower and upper rooms:
In the next three pictures, you can see how the rock was moved from the tunnels into the processing center:
View from up here looking down towards the center of town:
At the top of this area, there are three more places to check out before heading back down. A room, a tunnel, and a shed:
You can see the trail leading up to this area from down below:
This old truck is resting near the buildings in the center of town:
This building still has some roof coverings and siding on parts of it:
We found this pump for getting fresh water to be working perfectly near the machine shop pictured above. But we still ended up filtering our water before drinking:
This rusty old wagon is forever parked in the center of town:
These small shops and courtyard area are very close to the Panamint Hilton:
The legendary Panamint Hilton (usually found in conditions varying from great shape to disrepair) welcomes visitors to Panamint City:
Inside the Panamint Hilton everything is in place for up to 4 people to enjoy a comfortable stay. Just make sure you spend some time cleaning up after your visit to get the Hilton ready for the next set of visitors. In the past, we have always stayed in the Panamint Hilton, but these days we use tents and camp outside because of the threat of Hantavirus:
The wood burning stove is great to have on cold nights. In this picture, Ryan is keeping warm by the fire:
The Hippie Cabin, otherwise known as the Overflow Cabin, is a secondary rooming option if the Panamint Hilton is already taken once you arrive in town. Not quite as nice, but it still has a couple of beds and running water (sometimes):
A look inside the Overflow Cabin. On a 2011 trip, this cabin was found to be in better shape than the Hilton. So you never know what to expect:
These next five photos show you some of the old Panamint City ruins which you can find west of the new city. As you probably guessed, this area is known as the "old city":
View of the smelter stack from a short distance away while still inside Panamint City:
This long-distance photo of Panamint City was taken from near the weather station on the far outskirts of town:
This photo is taken from a great place to relax on the Sourdough Canyon shortcut trail. In the past, I mentioned the shortcut trail in a log book and the next time I came back, someone had erased it. I guess they wanted to keep the best route to The Castle a secret:
Two pictures of Steve taken back in 2009 in Panamint City. There are a lot of nice spots for getting classic photos:
A picture of Steve in Panamint City in 2011 as he was passing through during a backpacking trip. And below, one final picture which long-time visitors to the site will be familiar with: