The Pinnacles
The spires are quite obvious even when seen from the highway and look intriguing from afar - a long line of sharp points that seem quite alien in the otherwise dead flat dry lake bed. There is one main group, a smaller collection a short distance east, then others further east, beyond a wide dry wash - total extent is about one mile. They are perhaps best viewed from a distance as up close the mounds are dusty and weathered with rather drab colors, though walking around is interesting enough, and the pale, low relief badlands to the south are worth exploring too. Sunsets are particularly pretty, especially viewed from the top of the small hilly area to the south, when the towers glow orange-yellow and are etched against the gaunt hills of the
Slate Range at the eastern edge of the valley. Beyond, the Panamint Mountains rise higher still, topped by 11,000 feet Telescope Peak.
The pinnacles of the National Natural Landmark have some similarities to those at
Pinnacles National Park, an otherwise unconnected site set in wooded, hilly land near Salinas, close to California's Pacific Coast.