The Grandstand via Racetrack Trail

The trail starts out at a turnout on Racetrack road, and you simply head out onto the dry playa to explore at your leisure. Starting from the pullout at the northern end of Racetrack Playa, you get to explore The Grandstand, a dark rock outcrop that stands out in stark contrast to the nearly white, dead flat playa. You'll also see many "moving rocks" scattered about, mostly near the Grandstand and between it and the trailhead. Drive to the pullout at the southern end of the playa, park, and walk east. You'll see authentic moving rocks (note the long trails in the mud), and you may even be able to see the curvature of the earth in the extraordinarily flat lakebed. Recent scientific studies finally caught some of these rocks in the act of moving, showing that it happens when there is a thin layer of water on the playa, and perhaps a sheet of floating ice. The ice makes a large surface for the wind to work on, and it drags any imbedded rocks along with it wherever it goes. Another theory says that rocks may move across wet mud under very high winds, which have been recorded as high as 70 miles per hour near the playa's surface.