A local treat that is on the left side of Highway 178 as you approach Trona, about 2.2 miles before the dirt road turn-off to Trona Pinnacles. One of the employees at Esparza's Mexican Restaurant (a good place to eat in Trona) said the Fish Rocks have been here for decades, and at one point when they were either cleaned or painted over, someone repainted the faces, and they've been there ever since. Although I don't condone graffiti, I can't help but love how these look, and as they've been embraced by many in Trona, who am I to argue? They sure look really cool. I am a night photographer and took star trails photos of these Fish Rocks a little while ago, so I'm ever so grateful for this great subject matter. read more

Fish Rocks - Fish rocks at night, showing the movement of stars caused by the rotation of the earth through a long exposure photo. -Ken Lee, photographer - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Trona, California

Between Ridgecrest and Trona, there are the Fish Rocks -- an outcropping of stones painted with eyes and teeth -- in Poison Canyon, not far from the turn-off for the Trona Pinnacles. Some call them the "Whale Rocks," but they're more commonly the "Fish Rocks" or "Fish Head Rocks." Poison Canyon, officially Salt Wells Canyon, was plagued with graffiti (and still is). The Fish Rocks came about some time in the 1930s or '40s (some claim even earlier, 1928) and became a favored landmark with the locals. When the heads were painted over in colors meant to match the pinks and beiges of the natural stone, along with the rest of the graffiti, the people of Ridgecrest and Trona became infuriated with the loss of their bizarre, though beloved Fish Heads. Someone repainted the eyes and teeth about a year later and this time they stuck and became protected. The Fish Heads can be seen off Highway 178. There are a couple dirt road pull-offs on the western side and you can walk right up to them. Though there is some graffiti on the surrounding rocks (a Mercedes sign I'm sure was meant to be peace, for example), but the Fish Heads are pristine. They're pretty trippy in person. The eyes and teeth are only painted on one side -- you only really see them heading northbound, from Ridgecrest to Trona. My boyfriend's dad was saying his friends used to throw beer bottles at them as they drove back to Ridgecrest from the factory in Trona at the end of the day. Back then the highway went right beside them. A dirt road goes right by them, but is broken up into a wash. read more

Fish Rocks - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Trona, California

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We visited the fish rocks on the way to Death Valley and took some EPIC photos that we'll never forget. I hope everyone gets a chance to stop here and swim with the fishes ;-) Thank you to the artist who put smiles on our faces. read more

Fish Rocks - I imagine the fish in the back is talking or laughing about something ;-) - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Trona, California

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