Get out of LA: Trona Pinnacles
The Trona Pinnacles are a strange geological phenomena in the Mojave Desert. Over 500 stone spires jut out from the middle of a dry lake bed, some towering a hundred feet or more into the sky. They’re formed out of “tufa”, a kind of limestone left behind when Searles Lake dried up over thousands of years. Dry lakes leave behind all kinds of unique minerals, which in this case also resulted in the discovery of the cleaning chemical Borax. And now we all use that shit to make slime in quarantine. Life, right?
The Pinnacles themselves look pretty out of this world. Dry lake beds are already weird as is, but add in some crazy big rock columns and it kind of makes you feel like the Mars rover. A lot of film companies noticed that too, and quite a few sci-fi scenes have been shot at the lakebed, like some from Star Trek and Planet of the Apes. Lady Gaga’s “Stupid Love” music video was also filmed here, if that’s more your speed.
The Pinnacles are a little more complicated to get to than some other parks. You might want reliable 4-wheel drive to access some of the cooler areas, and the road is sometimes closed after it rains. On our way in, we ran into issues with Apple Maps– DO NOT RECOMMEND. There is really only one way in and out of the area, and that’s an old dirt road 5 miles off the 178. The trip took about 3 hours from LA, because you have to go through Ridgecrest and enter from the NORTH.
The Trona Pinnacles themselves are considered a National Natural Landmark, but much of the area surrounding them is classified by the BLM as public land. That means you can enjoy camping and hiking on this land for FREE. There are many other areas like this on the 395, as well as across the rest of the country. Plan ahead and follow Leave No Trace principles as you would camping anywhere else; pack in, pack out. It’s in a desert and there isn’t drinking water in the area, and there’s one toilet for miles. Use your brain.
All in all it’s a spectacular spot to get away for awhile, and a pretty cheap trip out from LA. The views and especially sunsets are great, and there’s plenty to explore. If you go, be respectful of the environment. Even though it’s in the desert, parts of it are delicate so watch where you drive and step. Do all that and you’ll be good to go.
