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RICK RUSSELL'S
Surprise Canyon / Panamint City
Personal Slide Collection

by Rick Russell

	One of the two smelting stacks built in 1876 still stands tall at 65 feet in Panamint City. Old black and white pictures of this tower is what lured me into the area. But I had no idea that the only way to reach Panamint City was to walk nearly 5 miles.
	This is a photo taken in Surprise Canyon before the route was repaired after nearly 6 years. Some of the holes at the bottom of the waterfalls would swallow a flat fender--I had never seen anything quite like this before. The road had always been subject to washout but in the early days low-cost Chinese labor was used to rebuild the road. I estimate the road stranded the residents in Panamint City in about 1983.
	My first attempt to reach Panamint City was on foot. Unfortunately within a short distance from the bottom we reached snow. The snow was difficult to walk through and we were not prepared for it. But I did establish that once you reach the top of the falls, the canyon seemed to open up and road bed was intact.
	Originally I thought stacking rocks at the bottom of each fall would take too long so Don Ferguson carried ramps to place at the bottom of each fall. The problem was that no one had enough guts to drive their vehicle up onto a ramp that could not be properly secured. If the ramp slipped out from under your wheels, it would not be a pretty sight.
	Just for the sake of those environmentalists who might be reading this, the green brush completely washes out of the canyon about every two years. This, combined with the fact that there is water in adjacent canyons for the animals (including the new Wilderness Areas) and that most 4-wheelers avoid summer travel when temperatures reach 120 degrees seems to provide for an ecosystem that includes man and his machine.
	The county must have had a different type of road in mind when they estimated $2 million to repair Surprise Canyon. The Bakersfield Trail Blazers, a 4x4 club from Bakersfield California, and a few friends stack enough rocks to allow the vehicles to be winched over the seven falls in two weekends. I would guess there were about 30 volunteers a weekend.
	By the time the group reached the last two waterfalls most of the loose rock in the canyon had been used to fill holes. So a few volunteers climbed to the top of the canyon and threw more rocks down to the volunteers below. Of course everyone was evacuated before any rocks could be tossed into the canyon.
	Occasionally a winch was used to move larger rocks. It was an amazing accomplishment. Even today several of the club members (Joe Stocker) continue to remind me that I just kept telling the volunteers, "there's just one more waterfall." Actually the only thing I do remember, is that the last couple of falls looked impossible but I sure wasn't going to tell anybody. By the end of the first weekend we still couldn't see the last three obstacles.
	On the second and final trip the group had plenty of experience and knew that stacking rocks was the best way to reach the top. I still had no idea how a Jeep could get over the last couple of waterfalls. But the Bakersfield Trail Blazers were ready to finish the job and drive 4x4s into Panamint City.
	Most of the original volunteers returned to abuse their bodies and vehicles at least one more time.
	At the top of the last waterfall were several mining carts and a pickup. It appeared that after the big washout the miners living in Panamint City carried their belongings to the top of the waterfalls in these vehicles and then walked down. The vehicles were a convenient anchor for the last two waterfalls. In the canyon, a tow strap was tucked around rock outcroppings to get the first vehicle up. Then the next vehicle was anchored to it and so on until all vehicle were over the obstacle.
	The amazing thing was that the road after the waterfalls was in great shape. It appeared that the miners graded the road down to the falls, looked over the edge and said to themselves "no-way." At least this made the 4.5 mile trip into Panamint City an easy drive.
	With the exception of the smelting tower all of the original buildings were gone. Only the "modern day miner" cabins remained. One building is "U-shaped" and seems to contain an office and barracks. As I remember, the accounting records were dated as late as 1978. It appeared that the miners just got up and left once their supply line was washed out.
	From Panamint City there are two other canyons that branch out. Sourdough Canyon heads north just before tower and Thomspon Canyon turns northeast after passing the tower. In Sourdough Canyon several pieces of mining equipment still remain without any reasonable way to remove them.
	Unfortunately, this old mining cart disappeared within a few years after the first visit. There was also a wheel barrow and an old pot-belly stove in the barracks that's gone. It is important for everyone who visits these special places to leave everything the way you found it. Besides being against the law, this allows everyone to have the same experience you did.
	If you drive through Panamint City the road to the northeast leads into Thompson Canyon. There was another small settlement here called Thompson Camp. From there the road leads up to a mine before reaching a dead-end.
	Every year the California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs holds an event called Panamint Valley Days. Usually held in November, this event offers several trips including one up Surprise Canyon. Don't worry, all their trips are not this difficult. For more information call (916) 332-8890.
	It didn't take long for the word to travel that Surprise Canyon was tough enough to require a winch. Even Harry Lewellyn, a well-know 4x4 guide, upgraded his Ford Explorer and took the challenge. This is definitely a "most difficult" trail.
	I even took a Hummer up Surprise Canyon with a minimum amount of body damage. However, it went up the waterfalls just like the rest of the 4x4 vehicles on the end of a winch cable. This is one great experience!
	If you do drive any 4x4 longer than a Cherokee, the risk of body damage goes up exponentially.

My favorite picture. This picture was taken by Bill Delaney, a professional photographer. On the return trip each person winches the vehicle in front of them back down the waterfalls. This leaves the last person with two options: Slide down or, as shown in the picture, use a rear winch to lower yourself down.

Surprise Canyon Story | Rick's Slide Story | Surprise Canyon Map | Video Clip and Stills from Rick's Video

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