There is a place on earth where rocks slide along the surface as if they are alive and have a mind of their own. This place is called Racetrack Playa, and it is one of the most remote places in the U.S. If you have never been to Death Valley, move it to the top of your list, especially if you are a spiritual person! I have been to many places, and this is one of the most powerful. The energy here is a feeling of power. A strong power, like that of death, yet it gives you strength and empowers you!
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In this article, I plan on giving you the highlights of Death Valley as it is a huge place, and there is a lot to see. It is one of my favorite NP's (National Parks) in the U.S., and it is highly underrated (If you want to just see awesome pics of Death Valley especially Race track Playa just scroll through it is a beautiful place). You can get to Death Valley in about 2 hours from Las Vegas, and it is a great side trip if heading to other parts of California or the Eastern Sierras. Be aware of the time of year in which you visit the park. Summer heat can be deadly especially when combined with the wind and dry air. Be prepared. To reach all of the listed destinations, you will need: 4 wheel drive, a map of Death Valley, case of water, make sure the gas tank is full when you enter the park, food and maybe keep some extra resources just in case you get stranded. There are a few places in the park to stay and get food, so you are not completely stranded, but remember it's a huge place! I will layout the adventure in my suggested route for the most sites in the easiest order! Here we go!!!
If you are heading to Death Valley from Las Vegas I suggest entering Death Valley through the town of Beatty. Here you can refuel for a decent price before you enter because gas gets expensive in the park. Shortly after entering the park there is a small ghost town on the right called Rhyolite, there are some cool things to see and it's a quick stop!
From there, continue on west into the park. You will see a light right turn for Titus Canyon, a dirt road that requires 4 wheel drive. This is one of the coolest off road drives I have done, it is a must! Note: roads are not well marked so try to count miles and distance via an oriented map! Titus Canyon is a 24 mile dirt road over Red Pass, it passes through Leadfield (another ghost mining town) this is a cool place to see some old mining shafts! Note: Do not enter old shafts they are extremely dangerous! I will let this canyon drive speak for itself, plan on allotting 2-3 hours based on how much you want to stop and take in the ride!
Head over Red Pass to Leadfield the old mining town.
From Leadfield, continue on through the canyon narrows to the main road!
When you exit the canyon turn right onto Scotty's Castle Rd. one of the main roads through Death Valley. To get to Racetrack Playa, head north toward Ubehebe Crater! Ubehebe Crater is a large volcanic crater. You can hike down into it if you want, but I figured the best view was just stopping to look from the top!!!
From here, you will head to racetrack Playa, it is incredible!!! It is about 26 miles of off road driving it takes about 2 hours each way, so plan accordingly! It is well worth the drive, I promise!!! This is where you need to watch you map and turns carefully. There have been people who get lost in this part of the park, and it can be a very dangerous situation. When I went I did not see a single soul on my journey to and from Racetrack Playa, it's a powerful place!
When I first got out on the playa there were a few dust tornadoes it was surreal! To see all of the racing rocks, thus the name "Racetrack," you will have to walk due east towards the ridge. Here on the southeast corner of the playa (a playa is a dried up lake bed) you will meet the edge of the ridge where these rocks tumble down onto the playa. From here, they are off to the races! There are hundreds of them, and they can race for thousands of feet!
Over the years, there have been many theories to explain the mystery of these rock movements. Some research suggests that a rare combination of rain and wind conditions enable the rocks to slide across the surface, and leave a trail. About a 1/2 inch of rain, will wet the surface of the playa, providing a solid but extremely slippery surface. The added ingredient is winds of 50 mph or more that can push the large boulders along the slick mud. Some of these rocks are quite large and look very heavy, some easily over 50 pounds! Note: Please do not disturb any rocks on their journey across the playa, leave them for others to enjoy, and for them to continue on their journey!!!
It's amazing how every rock takes it's own path! Obviously, the varying shapes and sizes create unique paths for every stone, but some paths just look so perfect!
Some go as far as the eye can see!
Racetrack Playa is one of my most favorite places on earth! I hope you get the chance to go some day! From here, turn around and head back the way you came to Ubehebe Crater. There are still a lot of awesome sights to see! At this point, I suggest spending the night in the park. There are a few resorts and camping options for you to consider. What you have done so far would take the better part of a day! The second part of the trip heads to the southern part of the park! Get back on Scotty's Castle Rd. heading south towards Stovepipe Well. When you get to Rt. 190 turn right to head west towards the sand dunes parking lot. Park there to head out onto the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes. This is a lot of fun. You can head out as far as you want just be aware of the conditions and how far you are going from your car! The dunes are a blast!!!
Don't be fooled the dunes are much larger and far more spread out then they look!
Make sure you get out there and walk around!
From here, head back east from where you came to then head south on Rt. 190. Turn off Rt. 190 onto Badwater Rd.
There are a couple places left to visit! From here it's pretty easy. Artist's Pallet is a pretty quick side excursion that is well worth the view! Imagine seeing every color you can think of in the rocks and that is Artist's Pallet! It's a one way road so you will make a left onto it coming from the north and loop back onto Badwater Rd.
I also recommend stopping at Badwater Basin. It is the lowest point in the U.S. at 282 ft. below sea level. From here you can walk out on the salt flats, and get a good feel for the wind and heat in Death Valley!
From here, there are two ways you can go. You can continue on south on Badwater Rd., which is probably the way you want to go if you're heading to southern CA, or you can head back north to get back on Rt. 190. If you go north back to Rt. 190 stop by Zabriskie Point. It's another quick stop for a nice view before you leave the park and head back to Las Vegas!
I hope you enjoyed your visit to Death Valley, and I hope you really get the chance to go someday! Thanks for reading, and please follow me for more travels!
