Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park
The Racetrack
For decades, the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley was one of geology’s greatest mysteries. Large "sailing stones"—some weighing hundreds of pounds—leave long, winding trails across the dry lakebed, yet no one had ever actually seen them move. Theories ranged from literal "dust devils" to magnetic anomalies, until researchers finally captured the movement on camera in 2014.
The secret? A rare "Goldilocks" combination of rain, ice, and sun. On freezing nights, a thin layer of water forms "windowpane ice" over the playa. As the morning sun breaks the ice into large floating panels, light winds push these sheets against the rocks. The ice acts like a massive sail, providing enough momentum to shove the stones across the slippery, saturated mud at a glacial pace. It’s a fleeting, silent phenomenon that requires the perfect storm to occur, explaining why it remained a secret for so long.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
Cottontop Cactus
They are known for forming these dense, multi-headed clumps (sometimes called "polycephalus" because of the many heads) and are incredibly hardy, surviving in some of the most extreme heat and rocky soil conditions.
Reflections in Badwater Basin
Milky Way at Badwater Basin