Panamint City

Marty · Post by **Marty** » Wed Dec 07, 2016 2:41 pm

Panamint City had been on my to-do list for a while now and I finally got to make it out there last month.

The road to the trailhead was not as bad as I was expecting and I think a normal 2wd car could have made it.

There was plenty of water running through canyon which kind of surprised me, but I guess that's why they call it Surprise Canyon.

The trail to Panamint City was pretty accurately described from what I had previously read on the web. I was a little worried about doing this trip but I think the conditioning hikes I did prior payed off. The trail is a constant incline.

On our way to Panamint City we ran into some of the canyon locals.

I was definitely happy when I saw the large chimney in the distance.

The group I was with stayed from Friday to Sunday, giving us all of Saturday to hike around and explore. We checked out Water Canyon where we found some old ruins, a '55 Oldsmobile, and sure enough, more water.

There was a trickle of water flowing into the Green Tank. I could not find any water running at the Hippy Cabin.

The Hilton was in pretty good shape and had running water in the kitchen. The toilet in the bathroom also reportedly worked off some manual flush system (I didn't try it but other people did). I was really wondering where it goes after you flush?

A lot of folks came up Saturday. I would say it ended up totaling about 19-20 people out there. That was way more than I was expecting!

Some folks stayed in the cabins whereas my group opted to stay outside in our tents. Did not want to mess with the risk of Hantavirus.

We got a little rain on Sunday morning on our hike out and I didn't get to stop to see the other cabin referred to as The Castle, but some of the other people that were there said it was in really great condition and had running water.

I have to say, really awesome trip and would love to go back sometime!

More pictures here: http://themidnighttrain.com/2016/11/22/panamint-city/

scottawr · Post by **scottawr** » Wed Dec 07, 2016 4:19 pm

Such a cool spot in the mountains! I hope to go sometime. Did you see the apple tree?

Marty · Post by **Marty** » Wed Dec 07, 2016 7:26 pm

scottawr wrote: ↑Such a cool spot in the mountains! I hope to go sometime. Did you see the apple tree?

Yes, it was in Water Canyon at Thompson Camp. Unfortunately it wasn't apple season!

Post by **dima** » Fri Dec 09, 2016 11:53 am

That looks like a really cool spot! How far is the hike in? Is any of it bike-able?

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Sat Dec 10, 2016 9:16 am

Very cool trip. Another one for my never-shrinking list.

Is the trailhead at the site of the Wicht/Novak Camp? How far is that from the main road?

Marty · Post by **Marty** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 7:20 am

That looks like a really cool spot! How far is the hike in? Is any of it bike-able?

The hike is about 5.5-6 miles but it is challenging. It would be too much trouble to take a bike due to all the water parts and rock.

Is the trailhead at the site of the Wicht/Novak Camp? How far is that from the main road?

Yes, the trailhead is Wicht/Novak Camp. From pavement (Trona Wildrose Road) you drive about 3 miles to Ballarat, then from there it's probably about another 5 miles to the trailhead.

Edward · Post by **Edward** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 9:13 am

In the 1970's, the cabin was in better shape. It was rumored that a woman lived there named Shotgun Annie, that she had a shotgun, and did not like strangers in her canyon. We gave the cabin as wide a berth as we could, and were quiet when we passed it.