Studying maps for my upcoming push north, I realized with a slight detour west before heading north, I could visit Bonneville. I jumped at the chance. I headed west out of Salt Lake City at sunrise . The drive along the Southern edge of the great Salt Lake was interesting, the vast salty sea stretches north to the horizon with no distant shore visible . At 75 miles in length, it’s like standing on the seashore of the Atlantic looking forward Europe. The extreme salt content of the water means there are no seagulls, no marsh grass, no signs of life along its barren shores. After a couple of hours of driving, I approached the western end of the lake where the water becomes very shallow. Morton Salt Company has a huge salt mining operation with mountain size piles of pure white Salt surrounded by cranes and rail cars. Eventually the shallow water disappears leaving vast stretches of salt flats,
I pulled off the highway at the sign marking the Speedway and followed a narrow paved road several miles through a empty landscape void of even a blade
of grass. The signs indicated it was all BLM land open to the public. I saw no other vehicles.
I eventually saw a couple vehicles up ahead and as I approached I realized they were parked at the end of the pavement at a parking area on the edge of the vast salt flats. A sign warned of soft edges and requested people stay off the salt when wet conditions would damage the track. I got out of the truck and walked onto the salt, it seemed dry and hard. Several tire tracks led off into the vast white void. I hesitated, I envisioned me sinking my heavy truck into the salt…… clearly the other vehicles next to me were having the same thoughts. I got out my binoculars and scanned the distant flats, no vehicles. I sat in my truck bummed out that I couldn’t drive out there, just couldn’t risk it. I scanned the horizon once more with binoculars and spotted a black dot in the far distance. I watched for several minutes till it became clear what I was looking at, a bicycle heading towards me ! After what seemed like a long time ( probably 15 minutes) the bike approached the parking area and rode up off the salt. I got out a immediately asked what the flats were like. He told me he was returning from an overnight camping trip at a distant island. The surface was smooth and dry, conditions improved the further out you went. He said he had seen a couple trucks like mine out yesterday, He said go for it, don’t worry, I’d be fine.
I hesitated but decided what the heck. I started my truck and put it in 4 wheel drive. I crept out onto the salt, it reminded me of the first time I drove onto a frozen lake in Vermont, my imagination was running wild. I slowly inched my way further out, realizing the biker was right, I drove a couple of miles out and stopped. I got out of the truck and marveled at the strange vastness of this brilliant white, absolutely flat ancient lake bed. As I scanned the horizon, I thought I could actually see the curvature of the earth, probably an optical illusion but still breathtaking. Although the morning air was still cool, the intense UV reflection off the pure white surface was like being in a reflector oven, I could feel myself getting fried. I got a peach out of the camper and sat on my stool eating it, contemplating the alien sights around me. I tossed the peach pit out onto the salt. I then thought of the racers hitting over 400 mph here. I envisioned someone hitting my pit and crashing, I grabbed the pit and put it in the truck.
The Salt varies in thickness ( several feet thick ) but the incredibly smooth flat surface stretches to the horizon, almost 15 miles in one direction. Even driving at 5 mph, I coated my wheel wells with the pure white table salt. It stuck to my shoes. The hard gritty surface yielded no loose salt when I scuffed my feet. I grabbed a tool from the truck was able to retrieve a cup full of souvenir salt.
I heard a noise in the distance and saw 2 vehicles approaching, I guess they saw my black truck and decided to brave it. A minivan drove by at 60 mph, windows down, kids laughing and hooting. I scanned the distant parking and watched other cars arriving and immediately driving out. A Subaru drove by really fast, they waved as they sped by. I could see this could soon become a zoo. Time to go.
Put this unique, amazing place on your bucket list, a must see .
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