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Backcountry Pilot • Panamint Springs Resort

Panamint Springs Resort

Did you fly somewhere cool, take photos, and feel like telling the tale to make us drool from the confines of our offices? Post them up!
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Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:20 pm

Panamint Springs Resort

Oso Loco, Windy and my son and I were at the Chicken Strip this weekend and hopped over to Panamint Springs Resort on the way to Ballarat. We weren't planning to land, but Aaron was on 122.9 and invited us down. We visited for awhile and checked out his powered parachutes before having lunch in the restaurant. They have good food there, much better than at Furnace Creek or Stove Pipe Wells.

We'll be stopping there again on future trips for sure. Pump gas is available there, too but it may contain ethanol so you might want to test if if that would be a problem for your plane. Anyway, it's a great stop and worth dropping by if your in the area. From the Chicken Strip, it is a short 33 nm hop over the pass on a heading of 138 degrees. I cleared the pass at 6,100 feet so it's about a 5,000 ft climb up out of Saline Valley.



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These photos were taken by Panamint Springs Owners and were shamelessly stolen from their Facebook page:

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The other photo's on their Facebook page are worth checking out. There are some really great photographs on there:

https://www.facebook.com/PanamintSprings/


From here we continued south down the valley to Ballarat.
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Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:50 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

That's cool ! I'm so happy they re-opened that place.

One of the glider tow pilots from Cal City and I went there in a Scout many many years ago, when the hotel was abandoned. We landed on the highway at dark and were taxiing with the tail up trying to get into the parking lot before a truck coming down the other way got there.

When did they put the landing strip in?
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Mon Jan 25, 2016 7:21 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

Good report Mike. I keep meaning to get in there. I need to try harder
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Mon Jan 25, 2016 8:03 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

Does anyone have any gps coordinates for this strip?

Thanks, Ben
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Mon Jan 25, 2016 8:58 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

Bdiazair wrote:Does anyone have any gps coordinates for this strip?

Thanks, Ben


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Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:05 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

OregonMaule wrote:Good report Mike. I keep meaning to get in there. I need to try harder



Yes, this is a good stop Rob, especially if your looking to grab pump gas, food, or beer while at the Chicken Strip. We went to Ballarat next and landed on the road where it crosses the lake bed; thats a cool place, too if you haven't been there. We were told NOT to land on the lake bed since it is very soft even when it looks dry. Also, this is a very active MOA mostly on week days so extra caution is advised.

The Chicken Strip was in good shape and we left a cash donation with Lizard Lee. He appreciated that and said part of it would by gas for the next time he had to drag the strip.
Last edited by blackrock on Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:06 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

EZFlap wrote:That's cool ! I'm so happy they re-opened that place.

One of the glider tow pilots from Cal City and I went there in a Scout many many years ago, when the hotel was abandoned. We landed on the highway at dark and were taxiing with the tail up trying to get into the parking lot before a truck coming down the other way got there.

When did they put the landing strip in?



Bill, I'm not sure, but I got the impression it has been there for a while, but not open for use. It is open now, though.
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Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:11 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

Speaking of Ballarat - I stopped off there once for Ice, cokes, candy, etc. Had just driven down from Panamint City via Surprise Canyon. Listened to an old fella for a while then headed home.

Now I'll admit that approaching a short strip in Idaho has a consistently higher "rate of speed" closure than most 4x4 trails. But, while coming out of Panamint City, a real heart pumper is/was to start over the lip of a seventy foot tall, sixty degree steep waterfall covered in green slime and suddenly accelerate towards the pool at the bottom. No brakes, just hold your foot over the gas pedal so when you do hit the bottom your foot will fall on the gas pedal and hopefully pull the front end forward faster than the back end can come over the top and beat it downstream to the next waterfall. Decided it was time to buy another airplane.
Sorry bout the x-wind
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Tue Jan 26, 2016 11:21 am

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

blackrock wrote:Image


Looking at a Cal road map, the town (?) of Panamint looks to be inside the Death Valley Nat'l Park. For that matter, so does the Chicken Strip. Is that the case, and if so, is that an issue?
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Tue Jan 26, 2016 1:31 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

blackrock wrote:
Bdiazair wrote:Does anyone have any gps coordinates for this strip?

Thanks, Ben


Image


thanks for the info!
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Tue Jan 26, 2016 1:33 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

hotrod180 wrote:
blackrock wrote:Image


Looking at a Cal road map, the town (?) of Panamint looks to be inside the Death Valley Nat'l Park. For that matter, so does the Chicken Strip. Is that the case, and if so, is that an issue?


According to Panamint resort website, the NP surrounds the property. Chicken strip is part of Death valley NP, they allow us to use it though.
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Tue Jan 26, 2016 3:32 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

How's the surface of the strip at Panamint Springs? The last time I stayed there, it was a road trip and there were cantaloupe-size rocks. That was a deal-killer for me in my trike. It also looks from the pictures like they've graded off the top area and made something like a runup pad. It's a great spot, and I'd like to try flying in there. Thanks.

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Tue Jan 26, 2016 3:55 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

The surface is still a bit coarse, with rocks as big as 2 or 3 inches. The lower end may be less rocky and for sure flatter. The upper end has a steep uphill gradient of maybe 8 to 10%. The pad at the top is fairly small. I'd plan to land short and just use the lower half for the better surface. Parking would be better on that end too. The road to the gas pumps looked like a good place to park, just observing from the air and while standing at the top of the hill.
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Tue Jan 26, 2016 6:48 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

blackrock wrote:The surface is still a bit coarse, with rocks as big as 2 or 3 inches. The lower end may be less rocky and for sure flatter. The upper end has a steep uphill gradient of maybe 8 to 10%. The pad at the top is fairly small. I'd plan to land short and just use the lower half for the better surface. Parking would be better on that end too. The road to the gas pumps looked like a good place to park, just observing from the air and while standing at the top of the hill.


When you say coarse, would you say its about the same condition as chicken strip? And is the lower end, the end closer to the highway? its hard to tell in the areal pics what is actually useable (for little tires) Im just trying to gather some info, Ill probable drop into chicken strip Friday and head over to Panamint to check it out, weather permitting.
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Tue Jan 26, 2016 7:12 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

The lower end is the east end. The owner prefers if you park at the top, that way you don't have to carry high RPMs to get up the hill from a stop and dust out the resort, it'll also save your prop. If you meet the owner (can't remember his name), ask him to tell you the story of a prop blade breaking off on his Cherokee. It rattled the engine off the mounts before he could shut it down. He dead sticked it into a boulder field high in the Sierra's and smacked his head really good on the panel(he has pictures :shock: ). He had to survive for the night before he was rescued the next day.
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Tue Jan 26, 2016 9:05 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

Thanks Rob, its good to know those details about parking, they didn't indicate one way or another to us, probably because we parked on top.

For those unfamiliar with this place, be sure to immediately chock your wheels when you park on top. With that steep of a grade, It would be easy for one to get away and roll down the hill; it might even reach flying speed on its own.

BD: The surface is hard-packed with loose rocks scattered on top. The Chicken Strip is just loose rock and is soft but in good condition. Not sure that one is better or worse than the other, but they are different.
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Tue Jan 26, 2016 9:12 pm

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

I've been into both strips with 8.00s on my 170 without a problem. It's better with bushwheels though :D .
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Wed Jan 27, 2016 10:28 am

Re: Panamint Springs Resort

Thanks for the pireps. Sounds like it'll be ok.

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