Searles Valley is a dry, closed basin. Geology, mining, and local history shape this destination: Searles Lake combines a dry salt flat with deposits from earlier lake phases, while Trona stands out for its development as a mining town and its railroad history. You can focus on either geological history or local history.
Salt Flat, Tufa Towers, and Elevations
Searles Lake lies on the valley floor and is a dry salt flat covering about 100 square kilometers. Its salts and muds were deposited during the Pleistocene and Holocene by a series of large lakes. This sequence is important for understanding the chronology: the deposits do not come from a single lake event, but are the result of several large lakes. The salt flat’s dry state and its depositional history therefore offer two different perspectives on the same place.
The Trona Pinnacles are calcium carbonate tufa towers rising from the floor of the dry Searles Lake basin. In 1968, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated them a National Natural Landmark. Alongside the salt flat and the deposits, the shape of the tufa towers offers another distinct geological point of interest.
The elevation figures also refer to different points on the valley floor: at dry Searles Lake, it is 1,621 feet above sea level; at the valley’s southwestern end, it is about 3,300 feet. The first figure refers to the lake, and the approximate second figure to the southwestern end of the valley. This allows you to compare the elevations without treating the two locations as the same place.
Mining and Local History
John Searles discovered borax near the surface of Searles Lake in 1862. Significant evaporite mineral deposits were discovered at Searles Lake in 1863; mining there began in 1873. These dates mark different stages: the discovery of borax, the discovery of significant deposits, and the start of mining ten years later.
Trona was officially established in 1913 as a separate company town, operated entirely by the mining company to house its employees. The Trona Railway was built between 1913 and 1914. The founding of the town and the construction of the railroad took place close together in time, but refer to two different events. The Trona Railway Museum displays artifacts from the Trona Railway, complementing the construction timeline with objects associated with the railroad.
The Trona History House was built in 1920. Access requires an appointment in advance. If you would like to include the house in your visit, be sure to arrange an appointment beforehand.
Planning Notes
Fish Head Rocks can be seen when driving east. The Trona History House, however, is accessible only by appointment in advance. These different notes can help you distinguish a visit focused on local history from a drive in an easterly direction.
Explore more destinations: Rialto, Adelanto, Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City, Yucca Valley, Wrightwood, Joshua Tree, Parker Dam
For the regional travel overview: San Bernardino.
