Jail Canyon, Panamint Mountains (BLM & DVNP) - Easy
Any stock Land Rover can make it, although street tires run the risk of puncture. The trail starts off Indian Ranch Road, just 20 miles from Panamint Springs. The round trip, in and out the same way, will take four to five hours depending on how long folks choose to stay at the mining camp.
Maximum Vehicles: 12 Departure Time: 10:00 am
Goler Wash/Barker Ranch/Butte Valley, Panamint Mountains (BLM & DVNP) - Easy
Any stock Land Rover can make this, although offroad tires are recommended. The trail starts out of the ghost town of Ballarat, about 30 minutes south of Panamint Springs. The trip in and out of Goler Wash will take about 6 to 7 hours.
Maximum Vehicles: 12 Departure Time: 9:00 am
Racetrack Loop (DVNP) - Easy to Intermediate
Any stock Land Rover can make this, although offroad tires are strongly recommended. The trail starts about 15 minutes west of Panamint Springs, and is an all day adventure of eight hours or more.
Maximum Vehicles: 12 Departure Time: 8:30 am
Manly Pass & Fish Canyon, Slate Range (BLM) - Easy & Intermediate
The trail continues down Fish Canyon wash to the edge of Panamint Dry Lake for an easy, scenic drive to the ghost town of Ballarat before returning to Panamint Springs. For the Fish Canyon side trip, high clearance (no steps or air dams) and offroad tires are required. Otherwise, any Land Rover can make the remainder of the trip.
The trail starts just north of Trona about forty-five minutes south of Panamint Springs. This trip will take about six hours.
Maximum Vehicles: 12 Departure Time: 9:30 am
Cottonwood Canyon, Cottonwood Mountains (DVNP) - Intermediate
Any stock Land Rover can do it, although off road tires are highly recommended. The route is not difficult, but it is technical in that the driver remains quite occupied turning the wheel back and forth.
The trail starts at the Stovepipe Wells Village General Store about one hour east of Panamint Springs. Each vehicle will be required to purchase a visitor pass for $10 from the Death Valley National Park Fee Station next to the General Store. Expect up to 8 hours or more for the round trip.
Maximum Vehicles: 12 Departure Time: 8:30 am
Lookout City, Argus Mountains (BLM) - Intermediate
You'll want high clearance (no steps or air dams) and offroad tires to get over Falls Zero. This is an intermediate trail, but we're sure to coax anyone through.
Trail starts on the Minnietta Mine Road, about eleven miles south of Panamint Springs. Expect a five hour trip, up then back down the same way.
Maximum Vehicles: 12 Departure Time: 10:00 am
Pleasant Canyon/South Park Canyon Loop, Panamint Mountains (BLM, some DVNP) - Intermediate to Advanced
You'll want high clearance (no steps or air dams) and offroad tires for stretches in both canyons. There are stretches which require familiarity with driving your Land Rover in order to traverse safely, and have no margin for error. A rear locker will be helpful but is not necessary.
Trail starts at the ghost town of Ballarat in southern Panamint Valley, about thirty minutes south of Panamint Springs. Expect a full eight hour day for this trip, not counting flats or breakdowns.
Maximum Vehicles: 12 Departure Time: 8:30 am
Big Four Mine, Panamint Valley (DVNP) - Intermediate to Advanced
The trails starts at the Lake Hill Road only a few miles from Panamint Springs. This should be only a four hour round trip.
Maximum Vehicles: 12 Departure Time: 10:30 am
Defense Mine, Argus Mountains (BLM) - Advanced
This trip requires high clearance (no air dams or steps) and offroad tires. Rock sliders and locker are helpful but not necessary. The trip starts ony a few miles south of Panamint Springs and should last six hours.
Maximum Vehicles: 12 Departure Time: 9:00 am
Isham Canyon, Slate Range (BLM) - Extreme/Saturday Only
Isham Canyon trail starts just north of Trona about forty-five minutes south of Panamint Springs. The round trip will take 4 to 6 hours; good possibility of delays.
Maximum Vehicles: 10 Departure Time: 9:30 am (Saturday Only!)
Also close to Panamint Springs, deep within the Panamint Mountains runs Jail Canyon. After a good climb up an alluvial fan the road drops into the canyon wash to the remains of a small mining camp and a small stream fed oasis at the end of the road. There are a lot of old mining goodies to examine, and some hard to find shade trees. A fun, relaxing destination.
Trail Leaders: Saturday - Rudy Ramirez; Sunday - Hovik Mossessi
Access the deep back country of Death Valley via Goler Wash in the southern Panamint Valley. The group will stop at the Barker Ranch, site of the capture of Manson and his family, then continue across Mengal Pass into picturesque Butte Valley, home of Stripped Butte.
Trail Leaders: Saturday - Jim Lupinetti; Sunday - Vince Aguirre
Unfortunately, the Inyo Crest trail will remain impassible due to record snow levels. We are offering a substitute trail similar in many aspects to the Inyo Crest -- we are calling it the "Racetrack Loop". Like the Inyo Crest, it will be one of the longest days of all of the trails. Also like the Inyo Crest you'll enter the high elevations of Hunter Mountain, among the scrub pines and featuring dramatic vistas. You'll pass by the famous Racetrack, hopefully the water will be gone and the famous moving rocks will be viewable (short hike required). You'll also travel the infamous Lippencott Road and experience a little taste of the remote Saline Valley.
Trail Leaders: Saturday - Kelly Mokracek; Sunday - Keith McFatridge
Manly Pass is an easy but stunning scenic and historic pass in the Slate Range opposite the southern Panamint Mountains. This is the escape route of the lost Death Valley '49ers, but is little known and not often traveled. On the east side of Manly Pass is Fish Canyon, a good old-fashion, but optional, rock crawl one mile up to Brier's Silent Sepulchre.
Trail Leaders: Saturday - Frank Buddenbrock & Bruce Parker;
Sunday - Doug Walker & Chris Baldwin
Located wholely within Death Valley National Park, Cottonwood Canyon is a nine mile long gash hidden behind a narrow slit in a solid rock wall. The route concludes at a magnificent forest of cottonwood trees with running water and sometimes deafening bird calls.
Trail Leader: Saturday - Vince Aguirre; Sunday - Jason Christie
Saturday Trip CLOSED - PARTICIPANT LIMIT HAS BEEN REACHED
Located right around the corner from Panamint Springs, Lookout City is perched high on the top of front range of the treeless Argus Mountains. Home to the Medoc Mine, this ghost town once boasted well over 1000 residents. The famous Wildrose Kilns were built and operated to supply charcoal for the Medoc's mining operations.
Trail Leaders: Saturday - Aaron Shrier; Sunday - Randy Banis
Saturday Trip CLOSED - PARTICIPANT LIMIT HAS BEEN REACHED
This world class loop trail climbs up to and along the very crest of the Panamint Mountains. Pleasant Canyon is quite beat up due to last summer's storms, but inside are the remains of an old mining camp, an occasional cabin or two, and forever views. Descending South Park Canyon is the cliff-hugging roadwork called Chicken Rock followed by the famous Log Bridge. A couple of rock stair steps in the lower canyon narrows mark the end of the technical sections of the trail.
Trail Leaders: Saturday - TBA; Sunday - Greg Hirst
Both Saturday & Sunday Trips CLOSED - PARTICIPANT LIMIT HAS BEEN REACHED
This is a short rock crawl located very close to Panamint Springs, if you can find the trail. It requires a high or modified clearance and offroad tires, and rock sliders are recommended. Few venture up to the Big Four, and each storm returns the wash to its original rock strewn condition. Hike up to the mines at the end of the trail, or just turn around and go back down again!
Trail Leaders: Saturday - TBA; Sunday - Kelly Mokracek
The last couple of miles into the Defense Mine is a slow crawl. To get there the group will meander the wash behind the Ash Hills to Stone Canyon and Falls Zero.
Trail Leaders: Saturday - Greg Hirst; Sunday - Bill Ruttan
This off-camber V-notch requires one and only one precise line or you'll flop. Although expertly guided by a member of the local Ridgecrest Gear Grinders, there is a good likelyhood of body damage. Required are a winch, minimum 33" tires, and front and rear lockers; a short wheelbase is recommended. Trip Leader has final say over vehicle requirements. FYI - our guide drives a modified Jeep Cherokee.
Special Guest Trail Leader: Andy Couch, Ridgecrest Gear Grinders