Utah is known for its expansive deserts and incredible red, rocky landscapes, but up north, you’ll find a dazzling 30,000-acre expanse of pure white stretching as far into the horizon as you can see.
Don’t be fooled, though: this is no snow-covered lake. It’s the Bonneville Salt Flats, one of Utah’s most incredible natural wonders.
The salty land is the last remnant of the ancient Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric lake that once covered much of Utah. As the lake water dried, it left smaller lakes (including Great Salt Lake) and salt deposits in its place. The Bonneville Salt Flats is one such salt deposit the lake left behind.
No matter what time of year you visit the flats, you’ll be in for a treat. Dry season highlights the flat white terrain and its impossibly great reach, which hugs the earth so tightly you’ll be able to make out the curvature of the planet. Meanwhile, extreme heat or a bit of rain make the earth’s surface appear like a giant glassy mirror, offering crystal clear reflections of the sky and surrounding mountains.
The Bonneville Salt Flats aren’t just a pretty sight to see while driving along Interstate 80, either; every year, the Flats host a series of automobile and motorcycle races that put land speed records to the test. Bonneville Speedway in the western section of the Flats is the area’s premier spot for speed trials, especially in the summer months.
(Main image: Dan Kunz used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
