Ballarat, Trona Pinnacles and Randsburg

 

After leaving Death Valley via the west entrance we turned south and followed the Panamint Mountains to the ghost town of Ballarat.  There was not much to see there, the most exciting thing a Coachwhip Snake, so we did not stay long but continued south.

From Ballarat we went to Trona Pinnacles, a National Natural Landmark south of the city of Trona where we explored and hiked for several hours.  The area is known for its tufa spires and has been the setting for a number of movie scenes including Star Wars.

Further south we left the main road to visit the ghost town of Randsburg, not really a ghost town at all but an old mining town that is now a tourist destination.  We poked around there for a little while before heading on to our final destination, the home of friends in Redlands, California.

Nevada 2018

When we were in Death Valley for six days in March and April we came in via Beatty, Nevada.  We also spent a day outside the park in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in the Amargosa Valley.  We also spent some time in the ghost town of Rhyolite, a town now filled with unusual statues.  These photos are all from Nevada, a state we want to visit again.  The photos from Ash Meadows are in a separate post.

Beatty, Nevada

Rhyolite, Nevada

Wild Burros

Amargosa Valley