Death Valley National Park Off-Road Jeep Adventure Drive
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To our surprise, we walked what seemed like far-off distance out on to the dark playa without seeing really any rocks. After shooting a few pics, we took our best guess in which direction we came from and started walking back. It is amazing how dark Death Valley is at night, it is one of the darkest places we have ever visited – and is perfect for viewing the Milky Way and constellations that you normally could not see near civilization.

After tromping through the black abyss, we decided to call it a night and wait until sunrise to fuller explore the Race Track.  The first night in the Jeep it got pretty cold. Despite Death Valley being one of the hottest places on earth during the summer months, temperatures do fall below freezing several times a year – especially during the winter months. Before sunrise, we fired up the Jeep drove the short distance from the campground to the Race Track.

One of the most popular destinations at Death Valley is the Race Track that is home to the mysterious moving rocks

Although the sun still hadn’t yet crested over the mountains, we could see further out onto the playa. It was then, we realized why he didn’t see any moving rocks – all the rocks were located on the other side of the playa! It was about a half-mile walk to the moving rocks and the closer we got to the mountain side the more distinct the rock trails were. While the movement of the rocks may forever remain mystery, scientists theorize that the rocks move due to a combination of high wind and thin layer of water or ice that may form on top of the clay-like soil causing the rocks to skid across the ground leaving behind their distinguished trails in the mud.

Although no one has actually seen the rocks move, the famous Death Valley Racetrack rocks are said to only move once every two or three years and their tracks can last for many years. It is hypothesized that the moving rocks are most likely moved comination of strong winds, that can reach up to 90 mph & wet clay that provides a slick surface

On day two, we headed further down the playa to explore the Race Track Grand Stands. Resembling a floating island in a dry lake bed, the Grand Stands is a group of rock formations that rise above the playa that overlook the moving rocks.

On the far end of the Racetrack sits an island of rocks named the "Grandstands" because it looks acoss the playa and the Racetrack

We were able to find some traces of moving rocks near the Grand Stands, but their trails were not as distinct as the ones we found further down the playa.