Trona Pinnacles, San Bernardino County CA

Great Display of Geological Formation.
A dirt road takes you up, close & personal. Drive thru or walk. We came back the 2nd day after traveling to Death Valley and camped here. Beautiful night sky, firepits but do watch we did spot a rattlesnake. Great Tourist Attraction

5 miles from main road. Dirt road is good til last mile for 100 yards, Clearance vehicle recommended. Nice camping area and perfect for star gazing instead of going further to Death Valley

Trona Pinnacles is an absolutely breathtaking location that offers an endless array of unique photo opportunities. This stunning place was once underwater, which adds to its already mesmerizing allure. It's no wonder that many films have been shot here, as the landscape is truly one-of-a-kind. If you're looking to capture some truly unforgettable photos, Trona Pinnacles is definitely worth a visit.

What an amazing landscape experience. Breathtaking and worth a trip if you’re in the area.

Great spot for both sunrise and sunset.

Some of the prettiest skies one can ever see. In August/September, especially during a new moon, the stars are absolutely breathtaking.

This was part of an impromptu camping and star gazing plan that we were invited to. 3+ hours drive to get to the camping ground from Orange County. Witnessed the rise of milky way galaxy and plenty meteor showers! Had good night nap under the sky full of stars and woke up to a beautiful sunrise.

Couple of things to keep in mind- high ground clearance vehicle recommended. If you wish to take your usual sedans here, you will run at risk of flat tires. Last mile of road leading up to Trona structure is NOT paved, has pointy rocks and crystalized salty rocks. You won’t need permit for camping but keys to use public restrooms are paid.

Trona is known for its dark skies which makes it a great location for star gazing and night camping

I recommend a quick visit if you are passing through Death Valley
You can camp at night

This is the view you will see after driving on the dirt road for about 30 minutes.

There is a dry lake called Searles Lake in the southwest part of Death Valley.
At its southern end, there is a somewhat strange terrain with rocks growing out of the ground.
That is Trona Pinnacles.
This protruding rock is called Tufa. There are over 500 Tufas here.
The largest one is said to be 140 feet (43 meters) long.
Tufa is mainly made of calcium carbonate, and if you look closely, it's a porous rock with lots of tiny holes.
It was very hard to the touch and had sharp edges.
Tufa was formed 10,000 to 100,000 years ago.
Sediments formed by a mixture of calcium-rich groundwater and alkaline lake water grow at the bottom of Searles Lake.
It seems that such a strange shape was generated.

The terrain is so unique that it has been used for filming many movies and TV shows, including the Star Trek movie version.

Crazy landscape! Fun to wander around and take photos of the stars when it gets pitch black