El Mirage, in the Antelope Valley, is the closest dry lake to Los Angeles, and likely sees more use than any other. Cars have raced on its surface for decades, and it was enscribed with land art in the 1960s. At its southern edge is a private airport used for early drone development by the CIA, the first of two such sites in the Antelope Valley, operated by Predator and Reaper drone-maker General Atomics.
