Do people swim in the Great Salt Lake? (swimming, horseback)

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by MillennialUrbanist

In the past, I had a great experience swimming in the Dead Sea in Israel. The beaches on the Dead Sea are very built-up, with hotels, showers, paved roads, nearby restaurants, and even nightlife. All while having completely bare wilderness areas less than a mile away, or even just off the main road.

I read that the Great Salt Lake has a similar composition, and that you can float on a surface like a cork. So I've been wanting to try swimming in it, considering how it's much cheaper than flying to Israel again, and it's a new experience to try. But I haven't read much about resort-type beaches there, like the historic Saltair. Just state parks with unimproved swimming areas.

Do people actually go swimming in the Great Salt Lake on a regular basis? Or is it a forgotten treasure of sorts, being treated more like a bug than a feature, despite having the Utah capital named after it. Would you recommend going there to swim in the Lake? And if yes, are there any lakeside resorts to stay at, as opposed to making day trips from Salt Lake City? Or am I better off saving up for another trip to Israel, and just swimming in the Dead Sea again?

Interesting question. I swam in it many years ago but don't remember how much I floated. I do remember a very strange smell. I used to go to Salt Lake City on a somewhat regular basis but didn't go to the lake much and don't recall any hotels or anything close by like you described. One area on the lake I always wanted to check out was Antelope Island. In my opinion if you want to visit Utah visit Dinosaur National Monument, Goblin Valley State Park, or any of the national parks.

[MrJester]

Speaking of swimming in the Dead Sea and Salt Lake City, how warm is the water in the Great Salt Lake during the summer?

Also, are there any mud baths, like those in the Dead Sea, over in the Great Salt Lake? Maybe some mudflats, where you can change into your swimsuit, roll around in the mud, and wash it off afterwards with a swim in the salt lake?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by MrJester

Speaking of swimming in the Dead Sea and Salt Lake City, how warm is the water in the Great Salt Lake during the summer?

Pretty warm, because it's so shallow.

Also, are there any mud baths, like those in the Dead Sea, over in the Great Salt Lake? Maybe some mudflats, where you can change into your swimsuit, roll around in the mud, and wash it off afterwards with a swim in the salt lake?

No mudbaths, but places to change into your swimsuit. You don't want to try to wash anything off with the water in the Great Salt Lake. You want to wash the water from the Great Salt Lake off with a good fresh water shower (which is available).

[jamary1]

I "swam" on a visit to Antelope Island. Why? Well....because...just "because".


It was a long walk to get deep enough to float but it was worth it because of the buoyancy. The water was disgusting, warm and very "scummy". I started to get out but several buffalo were on the beach and we had been warned that they were "cranky" and aggressive. So I stood there for a while and when I started to dry, I started itching like mad. I was so glad when the buffalo moved on and I could get to the showers to rinse off.


I'm glad I swam. It wasn't a pleasant swim but it sure was an interesting one.


Wear water shoes or sneakers. Lots of small rocks; I was barefoot and it was painful.

[SWFL_Native]

Sounds like an awful experience!

[markg91359]

Originally Posted by SWFL_Native

Sounds like an awful experience!

I'm 59 and I swam in the Great Salt Lake once in my entire life. It isn't very pleasant.

Utahns frequently get questions from outsiders about swimming in the Great Salt Lake. I think people see the lake on a map and assume swimming there would be a fun experience. My advice to those outside the state is that their visiting time can be used far more productively. If visitors get tired of Salt Lake City, I would suggest they look at traveling up the canyons and at hiking in the nearby Wasatch Mountains.

I know I've tried to talk countless relatives visiting the state into doing something else.

[slomofo]

In the past 30 years, I've been in the GSL precisely three times. The first time was in the late 80s at antelope island where I only had to walk a quarter mile out til the water was knee deep. I'm not sure why, but there were old tires in the water every 10 feet or so and you could tell they were there for a long time because they were white walls. My second time was at the black sand beach near the marina where I had to walk 200 yards just to reach water, then another 150 yards or so til the water was ankle deep on my two year old. Now the last time may come as a surprise, but maybe not. The last time I bought an inflatable kayak and wanted to make a day trip to Stansbury island, but figured Antelope would be a better test run since it was closer. I made my treck out from Saltair, walked about two miles before the water seemed deep enough to float on, sat in the kayak and the hull was touching ground. Another mile or so later, I finally got into the kayak, was able to paddle a good 15 minutes when I came across a sandbar that I had to drag my kayak over and then it was back to wading in calf deep water. To make a long story short, the distance between Saltair and Antelope island is maybe 10 miles and you can walk all the way there.

They need to change the name from Great Salt Lake to Great Stinky Puddle.

[Katzpur]

It used to be a lot more fun than it is now. I'm 70 and swam in it as a kid out at the old Saltair. You didn't have to wade out in the water forever before you reached some depth. You could get in the water right at the beach and you were floating almost immediately -- kind of like at the Dead Sea. The water was quite a bit deeper then, I guess.

[SWFL_Native]

All I know is each time we went out to Antelope island I wanted to be somewhere else. Utah has so many wonderful enivoronemntal experiences and the GSL isn’t one of them (for me).

If you want to swim or be near water then Pineview, Strawberry, and Jordanelle are all great options. Bear Lake and Flaming Gorge are great for longer trips or a house boating session down on Lake Powell.

The Air Museam at Hill AFB is great if your up that way and looking for an alternative activy. The air show was a blast as well in the summer!

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by SWFL_Native

All I know is each time we went out to Antelope island I wanted to be somewhere else. Utah has so many wonderful enivoronemntal experiences and the GSL isn’t one of them (for me).

Despite my good experiences as a child swimming in the lake, I probably wouldn't recommend it to people today. That said, I love Antelope Island! And I work part-time in the tourist industry. People who have visited the island almost always come back having had a very positive experience. I'll continue to recommend it to tourists, but without the swimming experience.