If you love Death Valley history and lore, this is a must see spot for you! We stopped here along…read morethe way from Russel's Cabin headed towards Furnace Creek, and ended up spending extra time checking out all the cool buildings, the cool water spring, and swimming pool! Be mindful of stirring up dust inside the structures, as the threat of hantavirus is real. Lots of evidence of rodents here, but still worth the risk. There are interpretive panels that discuss the history of the property, as detailed in the previous review. Our favorite part of exploring this area was the mining equipment and kitchen area of the ranch house. The smoke trees shade much of the buildings, and it was cooler here than other areas of the park. To the east of the buildings you can see a mine, cut deep into the hillside. We didn't explore that area this time, but will for sure on our next visit. Driving in we did see several burros as well, a special treat for my wife who is a huge fan of the furry desert dwellers. Be sure to check out the old empty swimming pool that is on the north side of the main building. You can almost hear the echoes of swimmers from the desert past, enjoying a break from the baking sun to relax in it's once cool waters. We stopped for a group photo here in the shallow end of the pool, a great spot to set your camera's self timer! Inside one of the rooms there is a very nice stone fireplace, that looked recently used. In the same room we also discovered poker chips and a couple of beer bottles...desert poker anyone? This spot is just one of the must see's of Death Valley's immense mining history, and from what we read this spot was the most prolific in production at it's hey day. Don't miss this really cool area as you drive through to other DV locales!

Mining in Death Valley got its start in the 1849 Gold Rush, when prospectors were scouring…read moreCalifornia for the bright yellow ore and the instant wealth it promised. The vaguest of rumors would bring hordes of miners, merchants, swindlers, and criminals flooding into an area, only to abandon it overnight when another rumor surfaced elsewhere. Most of the 50-plus ghost towns in Death Valley date from this period. Some others, like Warm Springs, are more modern. These came out of the search for the less glamorous talc and borax deposits found here by tough pioneers like Louise Grantham. In the 1930s, Louise bought the Gold Hill Mine on the west side of Death Valley and established the Warm Springs Mining Camp. Louise brought in 50 miners and mined talc here until her death in the 1950s. After her, the Pfizer Company took over, finally abandoning the area in 1982. Today, the camp that Louise built is almost perfectly intact. Apart from the mine shafts, the remains include the main building, a bunkhouse, three varieties of ore crushers, and a swimming pool. Warm Spring still bubbles up out of the ground above the camp most of the year. Everything looks exactly the way it did in Louise's day. The Mitchell Scale measures roads from I to IV according to the difficulty of access. The unmarked road up to Warm Springs is Class I (light SUV) and II (4-wheel drive). Beyond the camp, it degenerates to Class III (difficult) all the way up to the Mengel Pass and the crest of the Panamint Mountains, and then Class IV (military 4WD) down Goler Wash to Barker Ranch, where Charles Manson hid out with his family in 1969. There are definitely more accessible ghost towns in Death Valley, but none are more intact or more evocative of the eccentric people who sought their fortunes here.

So this place is called Sierra Vista which is kind of funny because we live in Sierra Vista…read moreArizona but I'm from Lone Pine going up to the reunion so we stayed one night here which is a great deal for military $35 a night or so they had a nice restrooms and showers and places to cook your food and entertainment and entertainment they also have a bowling alley on the base and gas, a commissary And a place to eat

Traveling home wanted to check out a few rv parks. We discovered this place is actually on the…read morenaval base. We explained to the guard we were just checking the rv park out. The guard wasn't sure we could stay there because my husband isn't retired military so our adventure began. Found the park. It is nice and someplace we would stay. Caution! After getting lost on the base and our encounter with a different guard station we finally found where to go to get a base permit. So, unless you are active military or retired you can't stay here.

We are visiting a friend who works in Ridgecrest, unable to stay on China Lake RV park, Bertrands…read morewas recommended. Very simple, all level sites, most are dirt. They're very wide, a couple trees, $30 a night for 50 amp full hookup. Would definitely stay again if ever in the area. They do not take reservations, first come, first served.

These guys are great. Coming down from Mt Whitney on Sunday 8/4 my group of 6 backpackers had car…read moretrouble at Whitney Portal and ultimately had to have the car towed by AAA into Lone Pine late Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately the towtruck only had room for 2 of us so we had to leave 4 members of our party at the Portal with the promise we would find someway to rescue them once we got to Lone Pine. The good folks at the Dow Villa Motel recommended Eastern Sierra Transport so I rang them up and talked with Bob, who I believe is the owner. Bob arranged for an Eastern Sierra Transport van to swing by the Dow Villa and pick me up and drove me up to the Portal to retrieve my 4 comrades. I thought the price at $15 per person was pretty reasonable given the circumstances. The van rolled up to the motel within 5 minutes and was neat and clean and the driver (wish I could remember his name) was very friendly and knowledgeable of the area and a great conversationalist. We zipped up to the portal, retrieved the 4 hikers, and were back at the Dow Villa in time for a pizza feast over at the Pizza Factory. Very satisfied with the service and would highly recommend them. They apparently provide trailhead transport services all over the eastern Sierra Nevada and Death Valley.

The park is located in a great part of town. They are very professional and where very informative…read morewhen it came to the purchase of my trailer. I'm very pleased with my decision to purchase my first home here

So I make no bones about my love for abandoned things. Yes, it does make me feel a bit like Indiana…read moreJones minus the whip, cool factor, and the only real enemy here in the desert is me being unprepared or doing something stupid. They Keystone Mine is roughly halfway between the Panamint Valley and the Barker Ranch of Charles Manson fame. It is just before the Death Valley National Park boundary. During its productive years used to mine gold. I simply explored the mine entrance and offices. The mine itself is located away from the main gate area and involved pretty rough terrain over miles of switchbacks to get to so I passed. I did attempt to drive above the wash plant and encountered conditions that I could have gotten past with my stock 2016 MDX but decided not to chance it given there is no one out here and no cell service. The main building was pretty cool to explore as were the remains of the washplant, the swimming pool, and the shower area. As with most of these places there is plenty of stuff abandoned in place decaying slowly in the dry conditions. There is also a lot of fauna about if you are patient. From various raptors to wild sheep and donkeys Aside from this there are no services etc so you need to bring whatever you want to use. There are a few camping areas and some of the cabins are for public use. There is also lots of flora and fauna if you are patient. If you want to get to the actual mine, a legit off road capable vehicle with good ground clearance is needed. Also you need to be prepared for desert conditions. I made the run in April and it was still mid 80's. Summertime may be much higher.

Just had our biobay tour with them last week, Nicholas was our host and it was great! The way he…read morespoke made you feel like you were friends with him for a awhile. Super friendly and accommodating. I usually don't leave reviews but this was some top level service, overall great vibes.

We did the bio bay tour at night, taking the boat ride to Bio Bay and then having the unique and…read moreamazing opportunity for a bioluminescense swim. Very memorable experience. Rodney and Nicholas were great guides, sharing lots of information about the biolumnescense and the island, and very friendly and personable to spend a short time with.

I love this motel the owners are Very family oriented and the housekeeping excellent, it's located…read morein the center of town so it's close to everything , and the pricing you can't find anywhere else . This is where I stay when am staying in a motel because they make you feel welcomed and at home .

Simple, clean, quiet accommodations. Staff is extra helpful and friendly. The bed was firm. The…read moreroom was clean. A/C worked fine. This is a whale of a deal for the traveller on a budget. They deserve a chance at your business. Used Booking.com to make the reservation. All rooms are ground floor and you park in front of your room. Off the main drag in town, so no traffic noise.