Panamint Springs is private resort in
Inyo County
Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
It consists of a motel, cabins, RV and tent campsites, restaurant, and gas station, all operated by Cassell Enterprises, LLC.
It lies at an elevation of 1926 feet (587 m).
Location
Panamint Springs Resort is located along
State Route 190 (SR190) between Old Toll Road and Panamint Valley Road. The closest store and gas station to
Star Wars Canyon,
the site features a motel, campground, restaurant, and the last gas station for many miles in either direction on SR190.
Although not official by the Board of Geographic Names,
Caltrans calls the SR190/Panamint Valley Road intersection 2.5 driving miles east of Panamint Springs Panamint Junction. Towne Pass, a landmark when traveling to
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...
, is 13.9 driving miles east on SR190. Beyond the pass, SR190 descends about to the dry bed of
Lake Manly
Lake Manly was a pluvial lake in Death Valley, California, covering much of Death Valley with a surface area of during the so-called "Blackwelder stand". Water levels varied through its history, and the chronology is further complicated by act ...
.
The
Darwin Falls Wilderness, a
U.S. Wilderness Area
The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the Na ...
, is located just west of the resort. The nearby area also features the
Darwin Falls
Darwin Falls is a waterfall located on the western edge of Death Valley National Park near the settlement of Panamint Springs, California. Although there exists a similarly named Darwin Falls Wilderness adjacent to the falls, the falls themselves ...
, a small but scenic waterfall, grotto and creek that are the only year-round water supply in the driest part of North America; despite the similarly named wilderness, the falls are located in and administered by
Death Valley National Park. The dirt road entryway to the trail to Darwin Falls is located ¼ mile west of the resort.
History
Panamint Springs Resort was originally owned and operated by Buffalo Bill Cody’s cousin, Agnes Cody and her husband W.A. Reid. The motel was opened in 1937 when the first toll road was constructed traversing the Panamint Valley. A post office operated at Panamint Springs from 1940 to 1946,
but it no longer receives mail at all. Ownership transferred to Peter and Elizabeth Clarkson in 1958 in a motel exchange with Agnes Reid. In 1986 the managers found it too expensive to install telephone lines to the remote resort. It has been owned by the Cassell Family since 2006.
From 1989 to 1998 Panamint Springs Resort operated the Panamint Springs Airport at , just south of
California State Route 190. Panamint Springs Airport had a single unpaved northeast/southwest runway. While not operated as an airport, the runway was still used for landing.
From 1942 to 1945 the
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
operated the Panamint Spring Auxiliary Airfield at , 2 miles north of Route 190 on a dry lake bed. The runway was used for the training of
World War 2
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
pilots. After the war the runway was abandoned and no trace can be found today.
See also
*
Notes
External links
Resort website
{{coord, 36, 20, 23, N, 117, 28, 04, W, region:US-CA, display=title
Motels in the United States
Campgrounds in the United States