The Bonneville Salt Flats stretches over 30,000 acres. These public lands are managed by the Bureau of Land Management. In many areas the depth of the salt has been recorded at over six feet. The Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great Salt Lake are remnants of ancient Lake Bonneville. In a revolving cycle, every winter a shallow layer of standing water floods the surface of the salt flats. Then during the spring and summer, the water slowly evaporates. Wind blows, smoothing the surface into a vast, nearly perfect flat plain. The salt surface contains potassium, magnesium lithium and sodium chloride (common table salt).
Made famous by high speed racers and commercial filmmakers, each year thousands of visitors descend on the salt flats for Bonneville Speed Week. Since the first speed record attempt in 1914, hundreds of records have been set and broken on the flats. Since 1949, this raceway has been considered the standard course for world land speed records. On this natural straightaway the 300, 400, 500, and 600 mile per hour land speed barriers were broken. Speed trials are typically scheduled throughout the summer and fall with most events open to the public. The annual Speed Week is usually held in mid-August.
Every rainfall on the salt flats erases tire marks and flattens the densely-packed salt pan. This salt pan is completely inhospitable to plants.
Bonneville Salt Flats is located along I-80 on the Utah side of the Utah-Nevada border. The raceway is just a few miles from Wendover, Nevada and is roughly a two hour drive from Salt Lake City.
Due to the Salt Flats unique geology, history, and scenic beauty, this area was designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1985. Here are some tips to follow when visiting.
These guidelines will help preserve the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Appearances are deceiving - Stay on existing roads or areas designated for vehicles. The salt might look hard, but much of the area is a thin salt crust over soft mud. It's very easy to get stuck in this mud.
Salt water is highly corrosive - Stay off the salt surface when it is covered by water. Not only is the wet salt surface soft and easily damaged by vehicles, the salt water can "short-out" the electrical system in your vehicle.
Temperatures fluctuate - This is the desert. Temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and drop well below 0 in the winter. It can be very hot during the day and cool or even cold at night.
No bathrooms or water available - There are no facilities or services on the salt flats. During racing events there are portable toilets and some water.
No camping allowed - Overnight stays on the salt flats are prohibited. Camping is available nearby.
One online reviewer said, "It has miles of hard, white, salt- a perfect surface for driving a car as fast as it will go. Some wheel- driven cars have topped 450mph! The landscape is so flat and expansive that you can actually see the curvature of the earth.
Speed Week is held every August; it is popular with racers and car enthusiasts-500 cars have run there the last few years. There are no grandstands, no big prize money, just racers out there having fun and going fast. This is the way racing used to be.''
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