Panamint Springs Resort - Panamint Valley, CA

Panamint Springs Resort is a small rustic resort, with a personal touch, located on the west side of Panamint Valley, inside Death Valley National Park. Offers lodging, campgounds, gas station, General store, full service restaurant, and much more... amid breathtaking desert scenery.

Panamint Springs Restort is a small, rustic resort, located 48 miles east of Lone Pine, CA on State Highway 190, 22 miles inside the western border of Death Valley National Park. The resort offers lodging, a full service restaurant, camping with showers and full RV hook-ups, a general store, and a gas station.

Photo: Panamint Springs is located at the west side of Death Valley National Park, at an elevation of 1947 feet. That's CA State Highway 190 in the foreground of the photo. The campground is located across the highway from the resort. It's not hazardous to cross the highway, as the highway carries little traffic.

Photo: Classic photo of Panamint Springs Restaurant, with the Argus Mountains in the background. Note the front porch, which offers outdoor dining.

Photo: Panamint Springs Restaurant, with the snowy Panamint Mountains in the background. The high peak in the center of the photo is Telescope Peak, the highest peak in the Panamints.

The facilities at the resort include a restaurant, which is open 7 days a week, serving all meals, a full-service bar with a vast selection of micro brews, domestic and imported beer, 14 motel rooms, a cottage, and more. The gas station dispenses both gasoline and diesel, and the store sells food, souvenirs, gifts, and most importantly, ice, and offers free information for the tourist. The resort even has an unimproved, gravel airstrip for fly-in guests. Bring your computer with you, as Panamint Springs Resort offers free, wireless Internet that really works!

Photo: The path that leads across the highway, from the restaurant to the campground. The building in the center is the washroom, which offers hot showers.

Photo: Panamint Springs offers many RV campsites with full hookups. They also have water-only and dry RV sites as well.

Photo: Panamint Springs Campground has a section for tent campers as well, under shady trees.

Panamint Springs Resort is located at N36.20.376, W117.28.139, and at an elevation of 1947 feet, it's a little cooler in the summer than other resorts, in the park. During the three wonderful nights we stayed at the resort, we enjoyed great food, friendly staff, plenty of relaxation, and beautiful views of the Panamint Mountain range to the east.

Photo: Classic morning photo of the restaurant at Panamint Springs Resort.

Photo: Panamint Springs Restaurant offers outdoor dining, on their veranda. During our November, 2008 stay, we ate breakfast out on the porch, as the weather was gorgeous.

Photo: The restaurant features a full-service bar that has an outstanding selection of beer... micro-brew, domestic, and a full-service bar. The decor of the restaurant is very western, which is appropriate for Panamint Valley.

Photo: The exterior of some of the 14 motel units the resort offers. They are grouped in clusters, with three or four units under one roof.

During our visit to Panamint Springs, I wandered around the place, poked my nose into just about everything, got to know many of the staff members, and took hundreds of digital photos. We enjoyed three wonderful nights of distinctly western hospitality during our stay at Panamint Springs Resort.

Photo: The gas station and general store. We were surprised that the gas was quite reasonable, considering the remote location of the resort. You can also use your plastic go fill 'er up, even when the store is closed, so there is gas available 24/7.

Photo: Store clerk John takes a motel reservation over the phone. You check into your hotel room at the general store. The store sells food, snacks, drinks, sundries, apparel, and souvenirs.

Photo: If you prefer to fly, Panamint Springs has a 3000 foot, gravel airstrip. The Mooney aircraft, in the background belongs to the owner of the resort.

No matter what your interest is, you'll enjoy your stay at rustic, friendly Panamint Springs Resort.

Check-in time at Panamint Springs Resort is 4:00 in the afternoon, and you check in at the general store, at the gas pumps. We'd already made reservations in advance, and put our three nights on plastic, so check-in was a breeze. The friendly clerk at the counter, John, gave us the key to room 15, told us how to get there, and offered to answer any questions that we might have. On the way out, I grabbed a brochure for my collection, and a memory jog for this article, which was actually written nearly 6 weeks after the event. I'm glad I take good field notes...

Photo: Panamint Springs Resort motels are arranged in several clusters, with staff housing in back of the motel rooms. The resort was constructed in the 1930's, and is now within the boundary of Death Valley National Park.

Panamint Springs Resort has 14 motel rooms plus one cottage. Now if there are 14 rooms, and we were assigned number 15, is somebody deficient in their basic math? Well, not exactly, as room 13 does not exist.

Photo: Room 15 is at the end, with the cottage just on the other side, in back. I borrowed a chair to place in front of the porch, and the green ice chest behind the chair is full of beer. What a pleasant way to spend some time!

Room 15 is at the very end of the motel complex. By motel standards, it is quite large, and the king-size bed didn't take up all the space in the room, as there's plenty of room for table and chairs, and a large chest of drawers. The bed is quite unique, as its got a frame, like a canopy bed, but without the canopy. In keeping with the theme of the resort, the room is quite rustic. We noted the absence of an air conditioner, and it's a good thing that Panamint Springs Resort is located just below the 2000 foot level, and the motel is shaded. (By the way, the resort offers a substantial discount during the hot summer months.) There is no telephone, nor is there a television, as there is no phone service or TV available in Panamint Valley. But there is free, unlimited, wireless Internet service available, due to the fact that the resort subscribes to satellite Internet. Personally, the lack of TV reception is a good thing, as there is very little programming on TV that I care to watch, and I can think of about 1000 things I'd rather do during a stay at Panamint Springs Resort. Of course the room is squeaky clean.

Photo: Sharlene settles into our room. As you can see, the room is quite spacious and comfortable.

The motel rooms are located in back of the restaurant, and there's an attractive courtyard in back of the motel, facing the restaurant. Each motel room has room in front for one vehicle, but I after we unloaded the truck, I elected to park it in the overflow section, as quarters are a little tight in front of the motel. You're just across the courtyard from the restaurant, so it is easy to stumble back to your room, after an evening of merriment at the bar.

Photo: Amanda, the head housekeeper, sweeps the porch of a neighboring room, as "Sonny," the orange cat, accompanies her. "Sonny" is very friendly, and he seems to be everywhere.

Photo: The courtyard leading from the restaurant to our room, directly ahead, in the rear-center of the photo. Of course "Sonny" helped me take the photo.

We found the room to be quite spacious, rustic, and very comfortable. The staff were absolutely wonderful, as they were very helpful and friendly. Lodging at Panamint Springs Resort is a very pleasant experience, and we hope to stay with them again.

During our three night stay at Panamint Springs Resort, after CA4WDC's Panamint Valley Days 2008, I had the opportunity to chat with some of the staff members that make things around the resort happen. Everybody that I had a chance to talk to seemed to enjoy what they were doing, and really seemed to take pride in the resort. This feeling is very apparent, as Panamint Springs Resort is one of the friendliest places that I've had the chance to visit during my travels.

With out further fanfare, allow me to introduce to you a few members of the friendly staff, at Panamint Springs Resort...

Photo: Andre, in the red sweatshirt, and John, help a customer in the general store. The store keeps the same hours as the restaurant, and it's open 7 days a week from 7:00 am until 8:30 pm.

Photo: John takes a reservation for the motel. Due to the remote location of Panamint Springs Resort, it utilizes satellite phone and Internet service, as there's no dial available in Panamint Valley. I really liked John, as he's a very friendly and helpful guy.

Photo: Left to right, Nick, one of the groundskeepers and fix-it guys, Melanie, with "Bob" on her shoulder, and Amanda. Photo taken in the parking lot between the motel and the restaurant. Staff uses VHF radios to communicate with one another, as the complex is quite large. Today was Melanie's day off, but she was assisting other staff members, as they were making preparations for the Israeli bicycle racing team, who were due to arrive shortly after this photo was taken.

Photo: Head housekeeper Amanda takes a break from her duties. Besides keeping the rooms spotlessly clean, she takes care of the plants, and waters them, as needed. A veterinary technician by trade, Amanda resigned from a job she had in the San Francisco Bay area, to take a job at Panamint Springs Resort, so she could be with her boyfriend, John, who works in the general store. I enjoyed chatting with Amanda, as she's a friendly, warm lady, and a real asset to the staff at the resort. She and her boyfriend have two cats, a parrot, and a pet king snake. Amanda also makes sure that the cats at the resort have plenty of food and water.

Photo: "Bad News," the friendly, black cat, who likes to accompany diners on the veranda. When he's not smoozing up to the resort's guests, he spends his time hunting small rodents and birds. During our 2008 visit, we saw several examples of his handiwork, as he's quite adept at catching small birds and animals.

Photo: "Sonny," who wins the Panamint Springs Kitty Personality Award. This guy is everywhere, and he's a very friendly cat who loves to be petted. He's the favorite cat of most of the staff members, as he's very affectionate. Unlike "Bad News" and "Bob," he isn't a hunter, as he's semi-retired, and prefers just to relax, and mingle with the guests and staff members.

Photo: "Bob," who is a bit shy and reclusive. He got his name, because of his bobbed tail. The cats have a water dish in back of the restaurant that has a continuous water supply that is regulated by a float, so the water stays fresh and doesn't overflow the stainless steel dish.

Photo: Ben poses in the restaurant's dining room. Tonight, he was in the process of setting up the restaurant to accommodate the 25 Isreali bikers, and their staff, for dinner, which was a large undertaking. He tipped us off as to when the Israelis planned to eat, so we could adjust our schedule to avoid the busy times. Ben travels all over the grounds of the resort on an ATV, and keeps very busy, but that doesn't keep him from giving you a friendly smile and greeting.

Photo: Trent prepares delicious breakfasts and lunches, from the spotless, stainless steel kitchen.

Photo: Miguel is the evening cook, and he poses in the kitchen with pasta dish that he's in the process of preparing.

Photo: Fouga, pronounced FUN-ga, was our friendly morning waitress, who kept our coffee cups full. She's a local girl, as she lived most of her life in nearby Ridgecrest, before taking a job at the resort in July.

Photo: Melanie give me a big smile, as she mixes a drink in the bar. She was very gracious to allow my wife to use the resort's phone for a couple of minutes, so we could let our youngest daughter know that we were alive and well. Cell phones don't work in Panamint Valley, so bring your satellite phone...

Photo: Jessica, who was our server for our Monday evening dinner, takes Sharlene's plastic, and smiles for my digital camera.

Photo: You've just gotta love Carrie, our Tuesday evening server, as she strikes a "girl next door" pose, and gives me a truly adorable smile.

During our stay at Panamint Springs Resort, the staff went out of their way to make us feel at home, and to make our visit truly memorable. I'd like to thank all of these fine folks for making our stay truly enjoyable, and putting up with all of my questions, and most of all, my ever-present digital camera.