Tag: Great Salt Lake

Two of my Favorite Things

Two of my favorite things – lakes and salt – it should be great!

Just 25 miles from camp (38 including wrong turns) is the Great Salt Lake. It was well over 100 degrees when I arrived at Saltair, the third attempt to build a resort on the shores of the lake. The abandoned building now hosts just a tiny gift shop and the lake is now a mile and a half away.

The third incarnation of Saltair is all but abandoned. All that remains is a small, sad gift shop.
The third incarnation of Saltair is all but abandoned. All that remains is a small, sad gift shop.

The odor coming off the lake was near suffocating. I’d say it most resembled rotten chicken. I walked out about 15 minutes toward the lake before giving up and taking this shot:

The Great Salt Lake, over a mile from the closest parking. Be glad you don't have smell-i-vision.
The Great Salt Lake, over a mile from the closest parking. Be glad you don’t have smell-i-vision.

The signs say the lake is an important habitat for birds, however on the walk out and back I saw not a single living thing except a couple of flies that couldn’t fly and a few humans trekking toward the lake (on the other hand, I didn’t actually check them, they could have been zombies).

This shot, from the state marina. There were over a hundred boats parked in the lot, but only one car. There's a small channel that connects to the now distant lake.
This shot, from the state marina. There were over a hundred boats parked in the lot, but only one car. There’s a small channel that connects to the now distant lake.

Of course the other mandatory stop in SLC is the highly manicured Temple Square.

Temple Square, Salt Lake City
Temple Square, Salt Lake City