2001 Trip Report - Rendezvous - Panamint Dunes Hike

Panamint Sand Dunes  Hike         

by: Vicki Hill

On Sunday morning, when everyone else had taken off from Panamint Springs in a roar of dust, a few hardy hikers set off for a SHORT drive to start a walk to the sand dunes. We were looking for any wildflowers that might have been sticking up their heads, but it was too early. Instead we  saw beetle tracks and a stray lizard or two. However, the weather was  beautiful and provided some of us the first touch of sunburn for the  season. The walk was a little over two miles slightly uphill to the edge  of the dunes. Thank you to the 11 others who joined me and made this walk  interesting and fun. Getting out and examining the dunes up close is so  much better than seeing them in the distance. And the view of Panamint Valley from there is the best.

You can really see the dry lake from that vantage point, and the dunes  themselves are pristine. No footprints or tire tracks mar their surface unlike other dunes that are easier to get to. It was a relaxing way to end the weekend, and maybe next time there will be some flowers.