Zzyzx Road: Discover A Lush Oasis in the Mojave Desert On Your Way To Las Vegas

Zzyzx Road. If you’ve ever driven between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, I’m sure the peculiar name has piqued your interest. Having done this drive many times, I’ve often wondered what was at the end of Zzyzx Road.

A few weeks ago I finally had the time to take a drive down the mystery road. What I discovered was a lush oasis in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

If you’re on the way to Las Vegas from L.A. and have time to spare, I encourage you to discover the hidden oasis for yourself!

Whether you’ve driven Interstate 15 through the lonely Mojave Desert before, or it’s your first time taking this popular road trip, you’ve likely seen or will see, the middle of nowhere sign for Zzyzx Road. Those who take the exit for the curiously named road are in for a treat.

Zzyzx Road skirts around the edge of Soda Lake, a bright white, dry lakebed which was once a large ancient lake known as Lake Mojave.

At the end of the four mile road is Zzyzx, a place that has a very interesting backstory, as well as a beautiful lake lined with palm trees.

Finding the lake from the parking lot at the end of Zzyzx Road was not hard. I followed the only road from the parking lot towards the left and eventually came across a gravel path that wrapped around the lake.

The lake, named Lake Tuendae, is the highlight and centerpiece of Zzyzx. It is a perfect rectangular shape and lined with evenly spaced palm trees. It seems abnormally perfect. And that’s because Lake Tuendae is man-made.

This artificial pond has a 0.25 mile trail that wraps around its perimeter. I took the short stroll around it and enjoyed the views of the Soda Mountains that loom behind Lake Tuendae.

Lake Tuendae was once part of a health spa but now functions as habitat for wildlife. Mud hens and dragonflies live here year round and migratory birds will stop here on their flight paths over the desert. It’s also one of only three places where the endangered Mojave tui chub fish live.

At the far end of the lake are fantastic views over Soda Lake and its vast salt flats. The crusty white lakebed sweeps across the Mojave Desert floor all the way to Devils Playground Mountains in the distance.

The surrounding barren mountains and the dry lake have a stark beauty to them. The views from this point alone are worth making the side trip off Interstate 15.

After enjoying the views over Soda Dry Lake, I completed the circle trail around Lake Tuendae. This side of the lake provides an opportunity to view the tall palm trees with the desert as a backdrop.

This side of the lake also provides an opportunity to photograph the palm trees reflecting on the lake. Sadly, since it was already late in the afternoon during my visit, the photos turned out quite dark.

So if you want to get some nice photos I recommend coming when the sun is higher because the Soda Mountains cast a shadow over the lake once the sun is closer to setting in the west.

Also on this side of the lake are buildings on private property. The public are not permitted to explore the grounds which belong to California State University.

These buildings were once part of a 12,000 acre health retreat known as Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Resort. The resort which was in operation for thirty years (from 1944 to 1974) was the dream of Curtis Springer who essentially never even owned the land he built on.

The quirky history behind Zzyzx

Curtis Springer was a lecturer and radio evangelist. At the peak of his radio fame, Springer’s show was syndicated by over 200 stations in the U.S. and almost as many overseas. His shows were a combination of preaching, gospel singing, and testimonials from customers using his ‘miracle’ medicinal cures.

Although Springer claimed to be a doctor, it was later found out that he never graduated from any college whatsoever. In Pennsylvania he was charged with practicing medicine without a license but skipped town while on bail.

Eventually he wound up in Los Angeles where he read about a mineral spring in the Mojave Desert. He and his wife found the springs on the edge of ancient Soda Dry Lake and decided they would build a health retreat there. They filed a mining claim for the area and proceeded to build what would become Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Resort.

Springer hired hundreds of homeless men from Skid Row to come and help build the site. They built a hotel on the main street through Zzyzx which Springer named “Boulevard of Dreams”.

The first advertisement for the resort ran in November 1945 in the Los Angeles Times offering bus trips to Zzyzx with the promise of mud, sun, mineral baths, and ice cream.

Springer’s idea would prove to be a huge success! Guests from all over southern California flocked to the retreat to experience its healing waters. At its peak between the 1950s and early 1960s, Zzyzx Mineral Health Resort was hosting up to 100 guests per night. In fact, the business was doing so well that Springer expanded the property to include private airstrip named Zyport.

But things started to go sideways in the 1960s when Curtis Springer began allowing friends who made large donations to his business to build houses on his land in Zzyzx, which he technically did not own. His mining claim did not allow occupation or development of the land beyond mining use, and it was practically used for everything else but mining!

It turns out that the IRS and Bureau of Land Management had been investigating Springer since the early 1950s for tax evasion and squatting on land he did not own.

In 1968, Springer was arrested on counts of false advertising and misrepresentation. Apparently, even the water from the underground river that he called “hot mineral springs” was heated using a diesel generator.

After serving 49 days in jail, he returned to his resort and continued operation. Now there was a spotlight on his operation and in the years following, reporters were constantly stopping by for expose stories.

Finally, after six years of court proceedings, the Bureau of Land Management forcibly evicted Springer in 1974 from the town he never actually owned.

Two years later, the site was turned into a university research center which still operates to this day. California State University now use the buildings as a desert studies center.

What does Zzyzx mean?

So what does Zzyzx mean? Absolutely nothing! Curtis Springer chose the vowel-less name because he said it sounded like sleep and thought it was appropriate for his place of rest and relaxation.

In addition, he saw the potential of having a name that would be the last listing in any directory. According to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, Zzyzx is alphabetically the last place in America. And in case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced ZYE-ZIX.

How to get to Zzyzx

Zzyzx is situated on the western edge of Mojave Desert National Preserve. From Interstate-15 take the exit for Zzyzx Road. Follow Zzyzx Road for four miles until you reach a parking lot. At the parking lot you’ll find information boards and a restroom.