Coordinates: 40°47′59″N 113°48′00″W – The Bonneville Salt Flats are just one of the many salt flats located west of Salt Lake City, Utah off Interstate 80. It’s really hard to miss. It’s a flat salt pan left over from the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville that dried up zillions ago. The terrain is flat for miles and packs a hard rock salt surface perfect for breaking land speed records conveniently at the Bonneville Speedway. There’s no pay access to get on the speedway or a speed limit! Just put the pedal to the metal and have a blast.
These salt flats have also played host to several familiar movies such as “Independence Day” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Pontiac even named one of its cars after the flats – the Pontiac Bonneville.
The flats are basically a large desert of salt with a stiff hot wind blowing through the valley, which can get really hot in the Summer months (as you will see and hear in the video below). There are a couple of parking areas where you can pull off and walk out on the flats and water hoses equipped to rinse the salt off your shoes. An access road off Interstate 80 will lead you to the speedway. There’s no real hiking, but if you wanna drive fast and see a rare landscape, it’s a great stop if you’re in Utah.
Bonneville Salt Flats Photos
