"Panamint Springs Resort offers the only gas, lodging, and food within the 65-mile long Panamint Valley. This otherworldly area, defined by its glowing white playa, star-shaped sand dunes, and lava-colored hills, only officially became a part of Death Valley National Park in 1994 after the signing of the California Desert Protection Act. It is, in this same spirit, something of an afterthought to many Death Valley travelers, who often stick to the more touristy east side of the park." - Krista Diamond