Darwin is an old mining town which was operational for almost 100 years. The mines have been closed…read moresince the 1970s, and less than 50 people live there presently. We spent a night at Darwin on our way from Alabama Hills to Death Valley.

I recently watched the 2011award winning independent documentary film "Darwin". I was fascinated…read morewith the very interesting lives of those living in this very small and isolated town of just 35 people located in Death Valley, California. I would highly recommend this film if you want to learn more about this very remote and unique place.

I absolutely loved this space!!! Funky and cozy!!! We were traveling back from Palm Springs to Reno…read moreand called to see if the Lemon House was available! Lucky for us it was!!! The outside featured a stunning view of the mountains and the inside was like a nest! I slept soundly!!!

Cartago, Calif. I…read moredon't know anything about Spongebob except that it's a cartoon after my time. Google had this tourist attraction in Central California on the Eastern Frontier as Sponge Bob's home. The structure is just an area on the side of the road with a bunch of structures and gimmicky things. It's an ideal spot to stretch your legs and take a quick breather before continuing your travel adventures. The house itself appears to be for rent but if you peek inside the windows that doesn't seem to be the case. There's a motel or lodging type structures on the same lot so it can be a gimmick for the children to goof around in since there is nothing around. Access/Roads: Along HWY 395. This highway is paved throughout. Parking: Plenty in a small dirt lot. Costs: Free Nearby Attractions: Many many many things and places. Death Valley NP (Stovepipe Wells) is appx 80 miles East. Mount Whitney Access Point is 30 miles North. Manzanar Internment Camp is appx 30 miles North & I recommend every East Asian (American) to visit Manzanar and related internment camps. Uniroyal Gal (statue) is appx 38 miles South. The Eastern Portions of Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite can be accessed from this region. Additionally, the western portion of Mono Lake & Mammoth can be accessed. Distance: Los Angeles is 200 miles South. Reno is 300 miles North. Las Vegas is 250 miles East. Bakersfield is 150 miles West. Travel safely my friends. @cigarcpa

The Panamint Valley is a 65 mile long valley located in the Mojave Desert of California. Contained…read moreby the Argus, Slate, and Panamint Range, it primarily is a typical desert basin with the associated scrub, desert flora and fauna, and little in the way of infrastructure. The northern part of the valley is part of Death Valley National park, however, parts of highway 190 can be driven without a park pass. However, many of the side roads would require one. The valley allows you to access the Wildrose charcoal kilns, the Barker Ranch (offroad only), Epson salt monorail, the Ballarat Ghost Town, Panamint Springs, Father Crowley Overlook aka Jedi Canyon, etc. The only services are in Panamint Springs. Temperatures in the valley can be brutal. To give you perspective I was there in early April and the temperature was 103 with 20-40mph winds. If you are unprepared you will be in trouble. The other aspect and my reason for spending 3 days there is that the valley is part of a restricted military airspace known simply as R-2508. The R-2508 is one of several in the area where the USAF, USN, and USMC, test and practice with their planes. It is not unusual to see a F/A-18 or F-35 come screaming in at low level as our military practices. Its not low level only the skies can be filled with planes dogfighting and maneuvering. If planes are your thing then it is a really hot and dusty nirvana. If you want to try plane spotting out, please be aware that this is an extreme location and you need to be prepared......

We had a wonderful time walking around the area, folks were very friendly and helpful.read more

These were the first things that I saw as I arrived in Shoshone and they blew my mind. They are…read morelocated about a mile before the 178 and 127 intersection in Shoshone, California. They take a while to fully explore and are spread out greatly. One of them even has a burial at the top! Some of the cave holes can easily be accessed, and entered. Just be on the lookout for rattle snakes as these places are notorious for rattler activity! If you are in the area, please check these out. They are as fascinating as anything else in Death Valley.

A local treat that is on the left side of Highway 178 as you approach Trona, about 2.2 miles before…read morethe dirt road turn-off to Trona Pinnacles. One of the employees at Esparza's Mexican Restaurant (a good place to eat in Trona) said the Fish Rocks have been here for decades, and at one point when they were either cleaned or painted over, someone repainted the faces, and they've been there ever since. Although I don't condone graffiti, I can't help but love how these look, and as they've been embraced by many in Trona, who am I to argue? They sure look really cool. I am a night photographer and took star trails photos of these Fish Rocks a little while ago, so I'm ever so grateful for this great subject matter.

Between Ridgecrest and Trona, there are the Fish Rocks -- an outcropping of stones painted with…read moreeyes and teeth -- in Poison Canyon, not far from the turn-off for the Trona Pinnacles. Some call them the "Whale Rocks," but they're more commonly the "Fish Rocks" or "Fish Head Rocks." Poison Canyon, officially Salt Wells Canyon, was plagued with graffiti (and still is). The Fish Rocks came about some time in the 1930s or '40s (some claim even earlier, 1928) and became a favored landmark with the locals. When the heads were painted over in colors meant to match the pinks and beiges of the natural stone, along with the rest of the graffiti, the people of Ridgecrest and Trona became infuriated with the loss of their bizarre, though beloved Fish Heads. Someone repainted the eyes and teeth about a year later and this time they stuck and became protected. The Fish Heads can be seen off Highway 178. There are a couple dirt road pull-offs on the western side and you can walk right up to them. Though there is some graffiti on the surrounding rocks (a Mercedes sign I'm sure was meant to be peace, for example), but the Fish Heads are pristine. They're pretty trippy in person. The eyes and teeth are only painted on one side -- you only really see them heading northbound, from Ridgecrest to Trona. My boyfriend's dad was saying his friends used to throw beer bottles at them as they drove back to Ridgecrest from the factory in Trona at the end of the day. Back then the highway went right beside them. A dirt road goes right by them, but is broken up into a wash.

Robbers Roost (unincorporated Kern County, California, also known as Robber's Roost and Bandit…read moreRock) is a rock formation in the foothills of the Scodie Mountains portion of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in the North Mojave Desert. The formation overlooks the southern portion of the Indian Wells Valley. The nearest municipality is Ridgecrest, California. The Los Angeles Aqueduct is within several hundred yards of the formation. The area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Robbers Roost lies west of Freeman Junction, which is approximately at the intersection of California highways 178 and 14. In the 19th century, outlaws were known to use Robbers Roost to spot stagecoaches moving south towards Los Angeles through the Antelope Valley from the Owens Valley or west through Walker Pass towards the San Joaquin Valley. Modern day Walker Pass is State Route 178. Stagecoaches in this area often carried gold and other valuable gems from the local mines. The jagged rocks were a hideout for Kern County's most notorious bandit gang, led by Tiburcio Vásquez. If your in the area, check it out.

Ballarat Outpost is a cool little stop if you find yourself out in the Ballarat ghost town area. It…read moreis a small store, but it has a few souvenirs and even a couple of sodas if you need one, which honestly can hit pretty well once you are that far out. That said, if you have made it all the way out there and still do not have the provisions you need for camping in that area, you definitely messed up. This is not the place to rely on for supplies. Make sure you hit the stores in town before you get that far, because once you are out there, you are really out there. We had to about 30 miles to get to some food.

A nice stop on your way to your adventures! Walk in the footsteps of Manly and Rogers.read more

Though this site gives some amazing history about the pinnacles I would not have known otherwise,…read morethe road to get here is very long, very rocky and in some places questionable if I should cross them. It was extremely hot even though it's April. I didn't walk around as the temps too high. The highlights - you cross over where the salt has dried from the lake ( wash your car as soon as you can as salt bad for it!), the beautiful scenery of the pinnacles (obviously) but the mountains behind them, the history lesson, the train cars sitting on the tracks was kinda fun and interesting and best of all the Navy flying planes doing test runs. Loved that. So hard to believe so much of this was under water and that where these were created. It's other worldly with how alive our planet is and constantly changing. It's free to come here but be warned about deep sand, very rocky roads and the heat. Bring water and have plenty of gas in the tank. There's nothing around for quite a ways.

Out of this world! Free admission but make sure the roads are in good shape. I drove out in an SUV…read moreand some parts of the road were a little sketchy. Once you arrive at the Pinnacles, you can hike up really close to see them first-hand. The pinnacles were created out of tufa ("porous rock formed as a deposit when springs interact with other bodies of water" per Wikipedia), when the area was under a lake. If you visit in spring, you'll see some wildflowers as well. Very interesting spot and worth a stop on your way to Death Valley. Highly recommended!

This hidden site feels like it's from another planet. The fact that endangered pupfish live here…read moremakes it even more remarkable. Just awe-inspiring. short exploration but also very far to get to .

An easy day trip from Las Vegas, Devil's Hole is located in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge,…read moreabout an hour and a half drive. This was meant to be a stop on a road trip to Death Valley but I later realized that you could spend a couple of hours in the refuge. The way to get here is all dirt roads and there was at least one river crossing. If it recently rained or is raining, I don't think a regular sedan could make its way out here. The main area is pretty close to the parking lot, less than a 5 minute walk. Because it is protected and could actually be dangerous, the hole is completely fenced off. I brought a pair of binoculars to hopefully see some endangered pupfish but we were too far. It would be a much cooler experience if we could get up to the water's edge but being so far away, it's anticlimactic.

One of our favorite places to visit. I would have given it 5 stars but they took a 75.00 deposit…read moreto dry camp lol. Camping is more than double what it was a few years ago but still a pretty good deal. Just not the great deal it used to be.

Clean, quiet, near everything we needed was a great price felt very safe would go again bookings go…read morefast so book early.