Prior to this, the area had been explored by another fur trapper in 1827 looking for an easier route to California. So, the salt flats were named after Captain Benjamin L.E. When you’re at the Salt Flats, you’re walking on 147 MILLION tons of table salt! The flats are 12 miles long, 5 miles wide, and at certain parts, the salt is 5 feet deep (trust me…our van got stuck!).Įxcuse the history nerd come out in me for a second! In addition to the sheer awe you experience when you realize that you’re standing on 147 million tons of table salt, the flats also have an incredibly lush history! This land formed during the Ice Age where it encompassed two-thirds of Utah and was 1,000 feet deep! It was mapped in 1833 by a fur trapper and, back in this time, it was common for employees to name discovered land after employers (whether they’ve met them or not!) in hopes of better wages.

The Race Track can be found by taking Exit 4, and then following the signs to travel North, and then East.The Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah is a MUST to add to your bucket list. We saw countless professional photographers and videographers doing their thing, but there is plenty of room for everyone! Personally, we found the Westbound stop to be more easily accessible. There are rest area style stops both Eastbound and Westbound along Interstate 80. The area is open to the public for general frolicking and enjoyment. And it definitely looks and feels like you are traversing ancient lands, or even the alien surfaces of distant planets!

Remnants of Pleistocene-Era Lake Bonneville, this is the largest area of salt flats west of the Great Salt Lake.

Over 30,000 acres of wide open salt fields surround Interstate 80, just East of the Nevada / Utah Border.

Chancing across the Bonneville Salt Flats and the Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway was another unexpectedly awesome gem of a find on the slow but lovely ride back East!

Bonneville salt flats 2018