On my first visit to Death Valley National Park, its historic inn, a green oasis of swaying palms and red-tile roofs, captured my imagination from afar. Five years later, I have returned to the emerald isle in the middle of the hottest desert on Earth, this time as a guest.The Oasis at Death Valley .
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The Panamint Hilton isn’t what you’d call luxury accommodations. It’s a run-down, ratty cabin that’s miles from civilization. But it does have one
massive selling point: it’s nestled within Panamint City, one of the most secluded and well-preserved ghost towns in the United States.
To reach it, you’ll have to hike, wade, scramble and squeeze through over seven miles of sparsely marked trail in Death Valley’s Surprise Canyon, climbing more than 3,600 feet in the process. You won’t have to deal with Death Valley’s legendary heat, though: The canyon is an oasis within the area’s arid landscape (that’s the surprise!) filled with waterfalls, streams and lush greenery. The trail itself is long, treacherous, and occasionally waterlogged, but at its end lies Panamint City and some of the best-preserved ruins from the “Old West”. Only about 100 people a year attempt to reach it.