Bonneville Salt Flats Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA)

The Bonneville Salt Flats are one of Earth's most unique landforms. The salt flats are about 12 miles long and 5 miles wide and are comprised mostly of sodium chloride, or table salt. Located 120 miles west of Salt Lake City in Tooele County, Utah, the salt flats are a 30,000 acre expanse of hard, white salt crust on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake Basin in Utah. Like the Great Salt Lake, the Salt Flats are a remnant of Lake Bonneville, which covered over one-third of Utah from 10,000 to 32,000 years ago. The salt flats are on the National Register of Historic Places, are designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and are managed as a Special Recreation Management Area.

The salt flats are generally open to the public for recreational purposes. Motor vehicle use is limited by seasonal closure during the spring when the salt is moist or has standing water on the surface. Closure dates may vary and will be posted by sign.

The salt flats are used for land speed racing, archery competitions, running races, photography, videography, and scientific research projects. Public wishing to utilize the salt flats for these purposes need a special recreation or film permit from the BLM Salt Lake Field Office.

2023 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

The Bureau of Land Management, Salt Lake Field Office administers recreational and commercial events on the Bonneville Salt Flats to protect its unique natural resources.

Note: Weather or other factors may cancel or delay events.

August 5th - 11th - Speedweek
August 26th - 31st - Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials
August 26th - Bonneville Off-road Race @ Knolls
September 2nd - 3rd - NAA National Archery Flight Championships
September 30th - Oct. 3rd - World Finals Event

Know Before You Go

Canals

The potash production canals north of Interstate 80 (I-80), located just east of the Bonneville Salt Flats, are leased and managed by Intrepid Potash and are located on a mix of private property, State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) land, and Bureau of Land Management-managed public lands. The canals are industrial facilities leased to Intrepid Potash for potash mining activities and are not designed or safe for public recreation. Therefore, the public should not access, swim, float, kayak, canoe, or pursue any other recreation activities in these industrial canals. In addition, the Utah Highway Patrol has indicated that parking along I-80 to access to the canals is illegal and extremely dangerous due to the proximity to the interstate highway.

Safety Information

Driving on the salt flats at night or when they are wet from precipitation can be hazardous and result in your vehicle getting stuck in the mud. Be prepared with good clothing, sun screen or shade, extra food and water.

Weather Information and Tips

Temperatures on the salt flats often reach over 100 degrees in summer and can go below freezing in winter. Ultraviolet radiation coming off the salt can be intense - be sure to wear sunscreen and sun protective clothing. Be aware that violent winds and storms can strike at all times of year. Stay alert and aware of weather conditions at all times.

Transportation Within and Around the Area

Access to the area is via a paved road. Do not venture onto the salt flats if you are unfamiliar with the area as you can break thru the salt crust and become stuck in deep mud if you unknowingly travel too close to the edge of the salt flats.

Restrictions

No driving vehicles on salt flats when wet or flooded.

Leave No Trace

Do not drive on the salt flats when they are wet or flooded from precipitation.
You can easily damage the salt crust and/or become stuck in the underlying mud.
Come prepared.
Travel and camp on durable surfaces.
Dispose of waste properly.
Leave what you find.
Minimize fire impacts.
Respect wildlife.
Be considerate of other visitors.

Flicker Album

Research and Racing

The Bonneville Salt Flats are one of Utah’s most iconic landscapes, covering more than 30,000 acres of BLM-managed land in the Salt Lake Field Office. Since 1914, this majestic landscape has served as the racing grounds for generations of land speed racers from around the world. For decades, these passionate racers have tested themselves, each other, and their vehicles in an ever-escalating contest to go faster than ever before.

Learn

Educational Information

The Bureau of Land Management, Reilly Industries, Inc. (1991 to 2004), Intrepid Wendover Potash, LLC (2004 to present), and the Bonneville racing community (represented by the "Save the Salt" foundation) are concerned about potential deterioration of the Bonneville Salt Flats, and through cooperative agreements are attempting to replenish salt to the Salt Flats via the Salt Laydown Project. Over the winter, Intrepid produces high quality brine in its holding ponds by mixing water with the sodium chloride or salt that is left as a by-product of the potash mining operation at Bonneville. When the brine has reached an optimum concentration in early spring, it is pumped to the north side of Interstate 80 via canals and discharged onto the southern section of the Bonneville Salt Flats near the access road. When temperatures rise in late spring and the salt flats begin to dry out, this salt laydown brine is added to the natural salt crust layers at Bonneville.

Historical Information

The potential for racing at Bonneville was first recognized in 1896 by W.D. Rishel, who was scouting a bicycle race course from New York to San Francisco. Rishel returned and convinced daredevil Teddy Tezlaff to attempt an automobile speed record on the flats. Tezlaff drove his Blitzen Benz 141.73 m.p.h. to set an unofficial record in 1914. Further attempts to promote automobile racing on the Salt Flats failed until the 1930s when Ab Jenkins, a Utah native driving a Studebaker dubbed the Mormon Meteor, began setting endurance speed records at Bonneville. Jenkins was later instrumental in promoting land speed racing and luring British racing legend Sir Malcolm Campbell to the Salt Flats in 1935. By 1949, the raceway on the Bonneville Salt Flats was 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.

Scientific

Managed by the BLM as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and Special Recreation Management Area, the Bonneville Salt Flats are a 30,000 acre expanse of hard, white salt crust on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake basin in Utah. "Bonneville" is also on the National Register of Historic Landmarks because of its contribution to land speed racing. The salt flats are about 12 miles long and 5 miles wide with total area coverage of just over 46 square miles. Near the center of the salt, the crust is almost 5 feet thick in places, with the depth tapering off to less than 1 inch as you get to the edges. Total salt crust volume has been estimated at 147 million tons or 99 million cubic yards of salt! The Bonneville Salt Flats are comprised of approximately 90% common table salt.