Saline Hot Springs, Death Valley California
Haven't been there, but it sounds interesting. That 2-4 hours of dirt road doesn't sound appealing, but I think my VW bus could handle it.
You really need a well maintained four wheel drive vehicle to get to the springs. The roads are rutted and torturous on a vehicle and you definitely do not want to break down in the middle of the desert where there are no people and no phone signals. Your life may depend upon being well prepared for anything including breakdowns.
Last time out there was about 3 years ago. A buddy and I drove out early one morning from Panamint Springs and spent the night. We entered from the south entrance off 190. There were several spots where you needed four wheel drive and high clearance. It's clothing optional so you do have those that remain clothed but they seem to gravitate to the upper two pools.
We exited out the north road to the 168 and headed west to the 395 and back to Panamint through Big Pine, Independence, Lone Pine... The north road is a bit more maintained than the south but you still needed high ground clearance and I used 4 wheel drive a couple of times. We didn't see any small compact cars out there during our visit.
I would liked to have stayed a couple more nights. Windy and cold during the nights at that time of year but warmed up nicely during the day. Lots of friendly people, a few not so friendly. The caretakers are strict about maintaining the grounds, the common/community areas and the pools. We will visit again but doubt my wife would enjoy it, so it'll be another guys trip.
Here's an 8 min video on a portion of the road and the direction these people took but don't be fooled by the mostly easy portion of the road they videoed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69x40zDe87c
I have been there once and have been itching lately to get back out there. We stayed in lone pine and made a full day trip out there on motorcycles. It was a long day trip. The drive out there is long but is part of the adventure. I agree with everyone else. Be very prepared when you go out there. We went in November and when the sun was out it was amazing and even able to lay out in the sun. On the ride back, as soon as that sun went over the mountain, it got cold quick. We were not prepared for that and it was a cold ride back to Lone Pine.
But worth the trip to see this amazing oasis. And the cleanest park bathroom I have ever seen. A testament to the community caretakers.
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