TRIP REPORT PHOTOS
This first picture is a historical photo of Panamint City which I found on the wall of the Ballarat general store. Note the smelter smokestack which is visible in the picture:
The first modern day picture shows the Panamint City smelter smokestack during 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 were taken 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. Please do not hasten the collapse by taking bricks home as souvenirs:
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 foundation and retaining wall:
View of the Panamint Hilton through the brick archway:
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 archway and fallen bricks as seen from another angle:
A picture of Steve from 2009 pictured underneath the brick archway:
Three more pictures of interesting ruins to check out in this general area:
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 toward 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. Many times, this pump is not operational and water has to be obtained from either the water tank or Water Canyon:
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 total 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. New park regulations as of 2014 do not allow for fires inside of cabins:
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 a picture of Steve in Panamint City in April of 2012 during a one night stay:
The final picture shows Steve with the smelter smokestack and ruins in the background:
