Trona Pinnacles National Natural Landmark

00:00 Title
00:08 Trona Pinnacles National Natural Landmark
09:42 Wagon Wheel OHV Area

The famous Star Trek episode featuring Captain Kirk vs the Sleestak Reptilian was filmed at Trona Pinnacles. Many other classic sci-fi movies used this intriguing landscape as a backdrop, so Trona Pinnacles may already be a familiar sight. A visitor might as well be on Lunar Base 7 when exploring this landmark, since this extraterrestrial landscape looks like no other place on earth. This is where the fun begins, because it is easy for an imaginary sci-fi theme to takeover. Before long, the kids are making space age lazar sounds while hunting reptilians and adults join right in. Trona Pinnacles definitely has a way of turning a mild mannered campout into an adventurous deep space mission!

A high ground clearance vehicle is best for Trona Pinnacles because the lengthy entrance road is nearly always in washboard condition. There are a few deep sand pits along the backcountry trails, so a 4x4 is an even better choice. "Pack it in-pack it out" style camping is permitted at Trona Pinnacles and the star gazing at night is literally out of this world. Camping is also an option at the neighboring Wagon Wheel Staging Area in Spangler Hills and this is actually a better spot for large RV campers. 

Yes, there is a reptilian lurking in every shadow at Trona and this place can be very creepy during inclement weather. Things definitely are spooky at night and one never knows what to expect. I camped at Trona several times during my two and a half year Covid camping tour. I filmed at least 50 hours of time lapse video and did many star trails compositions in the middle of the night. Waking up before dawn at Trona is the strangest experience of them all, because the mind starts to wonder what planet is actually being stood upon while sleepy eyed. This is one place where packing some astronaut food really comes in handy.   

Many video creators venture to Trona Pinnacles solely to make a sci-fi video of their own. While camping at Trona, I have witnessed massive drone lazar battles and all sorts of weird activity after dark. The weirdness at Trona does not always end at dawn. One morning while lining up the tripod for a sunrise photo, a paramotoring pilot glided right over the pinnacles through the picture frame. This made for a good photo opportunity and the rest of the morning was spent capturing a few images of the paramotorists soaring over the peaks. 

Trona Pinnacles is the ultimate for night landscape photography. The problem is this destination attracts visitors 24/7, so shining headlights can interfere with a star trails composition. However the light from other vehicles can be used to light the foreground. Night photography at Trona is interesting, because it is so easy to make a composition that looks as if it was filmed on a distant planet!