The Weird, Wonderful--and Dying--Great Salt Lake

#Spotlight

The Great Salt Lake is an oddity.

It's the largest lake in the American West, its maximum depth is only 33 feet, and it's the second-saltiest body of water in the world. But the Great Salt Lake is also dying. Years of water mismanagement compounded by climate change have pushed the lake to the brink--more than half the lake bed is exposed, and water levels hit historic lows month after month in 2022. Not only is the GSL a significant part of Utah's identity, but it's integral to to everything from the region's snow conditions and wildlife habitat to industry and even art and tourism.

Taking two days to journey around this weird and wonderful lake we thought would always be there, I explored its isolated places, its people and what we stand to lose if we let it disappear. And even though the state has dedicated significant resources to saving the Great Salt Lake, we can only hope it's not too little too late.

[left]: Campers set up their tents near what used to be the shore of the Great Salt Lake in Antelope Island State Park.

(Update: During the 2023 legislative session, Utah dedicated even more funding to water conservation for the Great Salt Lake, and created a Great Salt Lake commission. After a record-breaking winter snowfall season, 1.4 million acre feet of water has flowed into the lake, raising the water level to almost average depth. However, the lake loses an average of 2 million acre feet of water each year to evaporation).

The iconic Bonneville Salt Flats on the Great Salt Lake's southwestern corner is home to a world-renowned racing track. But competitions have been discontinued due to the salt crust being too thin to support fast-moving vehicles. A typical salt pack for the race track needs to be around 1 to 2 feet, but since flooding can't replenish the crust as often, it now measures just a few inches thick.

The Weird, Wonderful--and Dying--Great Salt Lake - Four huge concrete tunnels make up the Sun Tunnels, an art installation on the GSL's...

The Weird, Wonderful--and Dying--Great Salt Lake - Retention ponds and canals create a rainbow of colors across the lake due to various salinity and...

The Weird, Wonderful--and Dying--Great Salt Lake - Visitors watch a re-enactment involving replica trains used in the transcontinental railroad at...

The Weird, Wonderful--and Dying--Great Salt Lake

The Spiral Jetty is arguably the most famous land art installation on the Great Salt Lake. Created in 1970 by artist Robert Smithson, the jetty was meant to disappear and reappear depending on the lake's naturally shifting water levels.

For 10 years, visitors have been able to walk out onto the Spiral Jetty as the Great Salt Lake's shoreline creeps farther and farther away.

The salt flats attract locals and tourists from all over the world to play, ride and pose for pictures on its otherworldly surface. The Bramwell family drove nearly three hours from their home in Vineyard, Utah, to spend the day playing on the flats.

The Fonoti family of Syracuse, Utah, dig for gypsum along the GSL's northeastern shoreline. Selenite crystal and gypsum hunting is popular with crafters and artists who use the semi-transparent pieces for various items.

Brine shrimp turn portions of the Great Salt Lake bright pink. They are the only creatures that can survive the lake's salty environment, and millions of birds feast on them as well as brine flies during migration season. As the lake dries up, so do these crucial food sources.

The Weird, Wonderful--and Dying--Great Salt Lake - Where the intense saltwater of the lake meets the confluence of the Bear River sits a critical...

The Weird, Wonderful--and Dying--Great Salt Lake - A bison herd settles in the distance on Antelope Island State Park, Utah. The exposed lake bed...

The Weird, Wonderful--and Dying--Great Salt Lake - A historic pioneer cemetery used to be near the far reaches of the Great Salt Lake's...

This photo essay was shot in May 2022 and published in February 2023 as part of Fifty Grande's Unplugged Issue.

The Unplugged Issue (#5) - Fifty Grande
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