Camping at Trona Pinnacles

Hidden in an area seemingly in the middle of nowhere between the southern tip of the Sierras and Death Valley National Park lie the Trona Pinnacles. Trona Pinnacles are giant spire-like geological formations known as tufas. It is amazing how they tower, scattered about the desert floor. And it is even more amazing that the area was completely underwater at one time!

Trona Pinnacles are an excellent example of the areas geologic past, they make a great road trip stop, they look great in pictures and have even been featured in several movies. For us, they made an interesting place to call home. Camping at Trona Pinnacles allows for up close encounters with these amazing tufas and further exploration of the area nearby!

Camping at Trona Pinnacles Info

Cost: Free

Ownership: BLM; 14 day camp limit

Directions: From Ridgecrest, follow the CA-178 east for about 14 miles. Turn right onto the dirt Pinnacles Road. Follow the main dirt road over the tracks and then veer right toward the tufas in the distance.

Road Conditions: The road to the Pinnacles is dirt/sand and washboard conditions but no 4WD or high clearance is necessary. 

Miles from Town: About 23 miles from Ridgecrest

Cell Service: T-Mobile: No; Verizon: Yes

Solar: Excellent

Where to get Water: There are water jug refill machines at Walmart and Stater Bros in Ridgecrest ($1.75)

Our Experience Camping at Trona Pinnacles

Camping at Trona Pinnacles was one of those perfect two week home experiences. We had an all around very enjoyable stay here. When you first arrive at the base of the pinnacles there is a visitor log book, large parking area, and vault toilet. As we drove around and between the tufa formations we were amazed by the height and size of them!

And we also noticed that there are designated camping areas dispersed among the bases of the tufas. There are numerous dispersed sites that can accommodate anything from tents to large rigs. For a short stay camping at Trona Pinnacles, sleeping at the base of the tufas makes for a fun close up encounter with these cool geologic features! We, thinking long term (14 days), knew that we value privacy so we drove beyond the Pinnacles, up the dirt road and found our ideal spot. It was roomy, felt secluded and had a great view of the Trona Pinnacles. 

With Trona Pinnacles being an OHV destination itself and being in close proximity to nearby OHV areas like Wagon Wheel, we did encounter some OHV traffic while we were camping at Trona Pinnacles. Most of it was travelling to and from the tufas. Most other traffic (day use and other campers) stayed down and around the tufas.

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Our spot was close to the railroad so we got used to the train schedule and even got a honk and a wave from the train conductor. After a while at our camp spot we thought it reasonable to set up our solar shower bag and shower outside. So we did and as we were finishing up we realized that on a road which we had never seen a soul on, there was a truck uncomfortably close! We didn’t even hear them pull up. We like to think that they weren’t there very long and that they didn’t even notice us (wishful thinking?). 

Back to the traffic, they say planes, trains and automobiles but we can’t forget to mention the fighter jets! One morning we were waking up, eating breakfast, no big deal. Then, out of nowhere two F-18 fighter jets zipped between the Pinnacles, arc right over our trailer, and barrel roll up and over the hill nearby. It happened so quick – you don’t hear them until they’re right there or already gone so it seemed unreal, like from a movie! Our own personal airshow. We saw fighter jets regularly from then on during our stay but that was the coolest encounter we had with them. 

Fun Around Camp

We’ve gotten very good at entertaining ourselves and finding things to do so while we were here we never got bored. With great weather and a roomy spot, we played lots of yard games. We threw the Nerf football, played bocce rock, hit rocks with sticks, and threw rocks at other rocks (targets). We worked out, ran to and through the tufas and climbed around, rode the bike and went for walks enjoying the areas geology: tufas, mounds, washes, and badlands. There were some boulder covered hills nearby too so while we were camping at Trona Pinnacles we made it to the top of the 5 or 6 closest. And conveniently, we had service for our hot spot so we were able to work and paint a lot, too. 

The surrounding area was surprisingly beautiful. There were wildflowers all over and the cacti were beginning to flower. We also experienced gorgeous sunset skies and even a beautiful moon rise over the mountain in the distance. Besides for the factory in Trona, there was minimal light pollution so the stars were amazing here too! 

We had a very enjoyable stay here. It was April when we camped at Trona Pinnacles. We were ready to head north but it was too early to be in the mountains or at high elevation. The weather here was great in April. Some warm days, some hot days with reasonable if not comfortable night time temperatures. We got rained on twice but the weather came in and left quickly. Summer and early Fall would probably be way too hot to spend much time here. The only shade is in the shadows of the tufas. 

In the Area

As you can see, we had a great time camping at Trona Pinnacles, no complaints! The Pinnacles were awesome and the surrounding area was fun to check out. We did take the opportunity to get to know some more of the area while we were here too. 

From the Pinnacles, we took the back roads to the Red Mountain area. On our way there we noticed the large number of OHV recreation opportunities in the area. We didn’t summit Red Mountain (unfortunately I chose a poor source of information regarding how to do that so it didn’t work out) but we did manage an enjoyable day hike with some of the most incredible wildflower displays we’ve ever seen. 

While in the area, we also got acquainted with the city of Ridgecrest. We met Michelle from Kool Threadz Skate Shop and she’s freaking awesome! If you’re in the Ridgecrest area stop in and say hi. She is also carrying some of our Lost Coast Longboarding T-shirts in the Kool Threadz Skate Shop which is pretty awesome! There are also a couple of museums in the area worth checking out. We go to a lot of libraries throughout our travels and the Ridgecrest library was one of the more pleasant, friendly, easy to use ones! 

For some ideas about what to do in the nearby areas check out these articles:

• Hiking Owens Peak
• Ridgecrest Skate Park
• Boondocking at Fossil Falls

And check out some of these other adventurous articles from our travels!

• Backpacking to Ediza Lake and Iceburg Lake
• Best Hikes in Badlands National Park
• Hiking Black Canyon Trail
• Slot Canyon Adventure: Ding and Dang Canyons
• Adventurous Hike Through Ashdown Gorge

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