About the Great Salt Lake (Fielding: organic, live, softeners)

[Prickly Pear]

So I'm not too familiar with Utah, having only been to southern Utah from Saint George to Lake Powell to Monument Valley, usually whenever I hear someone talk about Utah I only hear about the mountains. Not that Utah doesn't have beautiful mountains and rocks, but I never hear about the lake. I mean, it's a pretty big lake. And it's near a big city. But I wonder why I never hear about it. Do people in Utah frequently use the lake for recreation? What water recreation can be done with the lake? Is the water warm in the summer? Does the lake get waves? Are there beaches (if so, what are they like)? Are there a lot of fish? Or is the lake simply not that great for human recreation?

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

It's name is the Great Salt Lake b/c it us very salty. No swimming, just floating on top. It is at a very low level the last few years, so very muddy with sand flies (or some kind of flies). People do boat on it.

[Prickly Pear]

It's dense enough to prevent swimming? There must be a certain amount of salt that must be required for that... as obviously you can swim in the ocean. What are the water temperatures?

[UTES]

The Great Salt Lake is shallow - so it's pretty warm in the Summer.

Frankly, it's not a lake locals hang out at. There's no fish, it often smells bad, is polluted with heavy metals, and there are few decent beaches. The only part of it I visit is Antelope Island - which has buffalo and other wildlife, a nice visitors center, a maintained beach (with showers) on the North side, and a seasonal café.

Bill

[Prickly Pear]

So it's not really somewhere good to visit? That's what it is sounding like from you two... I guess that makes sense.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by :-D

So it's not really somewhere good to visit? That's what it is sounding like from you two... I guess that makes sense.

No! It's definitely worth a visit. You just have to know what to expect.

Originally Posted by :-D

It's dense enough to prevent swimming? There must be a certain amount of salt that must be required for that... as obviously you can swim in the ocean. What are the water temperatures?

The Great Salt Lake, the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, and one of the saltiest anywhere in the world, is one of Utah’s most fascinating attractions. The remnant of the ancient Lake Bonneville, it is fed by three major rivers and a several small streams. Because the lake has no outlet, its salinity is determined by the amount of inflow (and its salt content) and the amount of evaporation. While the salinity of the lake varies from year to year, it does at times reach as high as 28%. That’s close to eight times as salty as the world’s oceans. The lake is currently about 75 miles long and 35 miles wide. Overall, it covers about 1,700 square miles, making it just slightly smaller than the second smallest state in the United States -- Delaware. But as large as it is, the lake is surprisingly shallow. While there are points at which it is 33 feet or so deep, its average depth is only about 14 feet.

As you might guess, the lake does not support a wide variety of marine life. As a matter of fact, the billions and billions of almost microscopic brine shrimp you’ll see swimming in the lake are the only animal life in the water. These are marketed for tropical fish food worldwide.

The salt itself is pressed into pellets for use in water softeners, and formed into salt-lick blocks for livestock consumption. Large quantities of bulk salt are shipped out-of-state for use in industry, while much of the salt is used locally for melting ice on roadways.

The number of islands in the lake varies just like its size, its depth and its salinity do. Remember that the lake is fed by mountain streams and those streams are fed by the snow that falls each winter and melts each spring. While there may, at times, be eleven islands in the lake, there are eight named islands that have never been totally submerged during historic times. At 15½ miles long and 5½ miles wide, Antelope Island, a place of unique and sometimes almost other-worldly beauty, is the largest of the islands in the lake. It has been designated a state park and is accessible by way of a causeway about 40 miles north of the city. Admission is $9 per vehicle. The park is open during daylight hours throughout the year.

Here's some information about Antelope Island, should you ever decide to visit... Upon crossing the causeway to the island, you will find a visitors’ center, staffed by individuals who can help you make the most of your trip there. Ask them for directions to Bridger Bay Beach on the north end of the island. A two-mile long, hundred-yard wide expanse of white, round, perfectly smooth grains of sand, Bridger Bay Beach is perhaps the nicest beach on the entire lake. It is where many people come to float like a cork because you cannot sink in the Great Salt Lake. Just lie back, listen to the sound of the gulls overhead and try not to splash, because getting salt water in your eyes is not a pleasant experience. If you’re not up for a "swim/float," you can drive your car most of the way to the highest point on the island and then walk the rest of the way to the top. From there you can see all around the island and across the lake to the skyline of the city. When the sky is blue and the air is clear, the water is blue, too. You may also enjoy visiting the Fielding Garr ranch. Ask the staff at the visitors’ center for directions to the small log cabin, built in 1848 by Fielding Garr, an early Mormon settler who was assigned by the Church leadership to manage its tithing herds out on the island. The cabin was occupied off and on all the way up to 1981. Finally, if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see a few free-roaming bison out on the island. There’s a herd of about 600 of them, as well as antelope, deer, coyotes, bobcats and over 250 different species of birds. Visitors to the island in late October can watch as the herds are rounded up and veterinarians and state park wildlife biologists weigh, vaccinate and conduct various health tests on each animal.

[UTES]

As my friends here know, I'm usually much more positive about things Utah has to offer.

Something "official" descriptors of the Great Salt Lake conveniently fail to mention is the lake, which has no outlets, was the destination of untreated sewage and industrial waste from cities around it for over 100 years. That's why high levels of metals (e.g., mercury) are still present. The organics from sewage are long broken down, but the metals (and other toxins) have nowhere to go.

I used to spend quite a bit of time on the GSL beaches when younger. We'd have teen parties there. But, that was before I learned what was in the water. So, now I usually go out to Antelope Island on motorcycle runs and check out the wildlife and snap some pics. No more going in the water for me.

Bill

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

No! It's definitely worth a visit. You just have to know what to expect.

The Great Salt Lake, the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, and one of the saltiest anywhere in the world, is one of Utah’s most fascinating attractions. The remnant of the ancient Lake Bonneville, it is fed by three major rivers and a several small streams. Because the lake has no outlet, its salinity is determined by the amount of inflow (and its salt content) and the amount of evaporation. While the salinity of the lake varies from year to year, it does at times reach as high as 28%. That’s close to eight times as salty as the world’s oceans. The lake is currently about 75 miles long and 35 miles wide. Overall, it covers about 1,700 square miles, making it just slightly smaller than the second smallest state in the United States -- Delaware. But as large as it is, the lake is surprisingly shallow. While there are points at which it is 33 feet or so deep, its average depth is only about 14 feet.

As you might guess, the lake does not support a wide variety of marine life. As a matter of fact, the billions and billions of almost microscopic brine shrimp you’ll see swimming in the lake are the only animal life in the water. These are marketed for tropical fish food worldwide.

The salt itself is pressed into pellets for use in water softeners, and formed into salt-lick blocks for livestock consumption. Large quantities of bulk salt are shipped out-of-state for use in industry, while much of the salt is used locally for melting ice on roadways.

The number of islands in the lake varies just like its size, its depth and its salinity do. Remember that the lake is fed by mountain streams and those streams are fed by the snow that falls each winter and melts each spring. While there may, at times, be eleven islands in the lake, there are eight named islands that have never been totally submerged during historic times. At 15½ miles long and 5½ miles wide, Antelope Island, a place of unique and sometimes almost other-worldly beauty, is the largest of the islands in the lake. It has been designated a state park and is accessible by way of a causeway about 40 miles north of the city. Admission is $9 per vehicle. The park is open during daylight hours throughout the year.

Here's some information about Antelope Island, should you ever decide to visit... Upon crossing the causeway to the island, you will find a visitors’ center, staffed by individuals who can help you make the most of your trip there. Ask them for directions to Bridger Bay Beach on the north end of the island. A two-mile long, hundred-yard wide expanse of white, round, perfectly smooth grains of sand, Bridger Bay Beach is perhaps the nicest beach on the entire lake. It is where many people come to float like a cork because you cannot sink in the Great Salt Lake. Just lie back, listen to the sound of the gulls overhead and try not to splash, because getting salt water in your eyes is not a pleasant experience. If you’re not up for a "swim/float," you can drive your car most of the way to the highest point on the island and then walk the rest of the way to the top. From there you can see all around the island and across the lake to the skyline of the city. When the sky is blue and the air is clear, the water is blue, too. You may also enjoy visiting the Fielding Garr ranch. Ask the staff at the visitors’ center for directions to the small log cabin, built in 1848 by Fielding Garr, an early Mormon settler who was assigned by the Church leadership to manage its tithing herds out on the island. The cabin was occupied off and on all the way up to 1981. Finally, if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see a few free-roaming bison out on the island. There’s a herd of about 600 of them, as well as antelope, deer, coyotes, bobcats and over 250 different species of birds. Visitors to the island in late October can watch as the herds are rounded up and veterinarians and state park wildlife biologists weigh, vaccinate and conduct various health tests on each animal.

This is the comment I was looking for! Thank you

[InSandy]

Katzpur did a great job with the description. The lake is hard to boat in, though sailboats seem to do well the salt is pretty hard on other engines.

A year or so ago I went out and we rented some kayaks right there where the causeway meets the island. We were able to get to the small egg island and back in about an hour. It was a lot of fun.

Last time I went swimming must have been brine shrimp explosion. I had them all over under my swimsuit when I got back, Very gross. But it is an experience that should be done once to feel what it is like to go from standing up in the water to sitting and stay on top without any effort. Just be prepared to walk and walk and walk out to a point where you are in deep enough water to be able to do that.

Birding is great there during the spring and fall migrations.

[MaxPowerUtah]

I have enjoyed going to Antelope Island to see the views of the lake and valley as well as wildlife. Haven't done much in the lake itself but it is definitely worth the experience.