Salt places to visit · Near Wendover, Utah
Bonneville Salt Flats
A vast white salt pan on public land, famous for land speed records since 1914.
At a glance
| Where | Tooele County, Near Wendover, Utah |
|---|---|
| Type of place | Salt flat and speedway |
| What you'll see | Flat white salt to the horizon, and in late summer and autumn, the racing events of Speed Week and World of Speed. |
| Size | About 12 miles (19 km) long and 5 miles (8 km) wide, with a crust almost 5 feet (1.5 m) thick at the centre. |
| How much salt | An estimated 147 million tons, about 90% of it halite, the mineral of table salt. |
| Who manages it | It is public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and open to visitors. |
The salt story
The flats are what is left of prehistoric Lake Bonneville. Racers have driven here since 1914, and on 3 September 1935 Sir Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive a car over 300 mph, here on the salt. Speed Week has been cancelled in some years, including 2015 and 2022, when the salt was in poor condition.
Hours, seasons and prices change. Check with the site before you travel.
More salt places
Cite this page
For school projects and reports. Teachers often prefer the original sources too: see the list below.
The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). Bonneville salt flats. https://saltalmanac.com/places/bonneville-salt-flats
“Bonneville Salt Flats | Salt Places to Visit.” The Salt Almanac, 8 Nov. 2026, saltalmanac.com/places/bonneville-salt-flats. Accessed [today's date].
“Bonneville Salt Flats | Salt Places to Visit.” The Salt Almanac. Last modified November 8, 2026. https://saltalmanac.com/places/bonneville-salt-flats.
Original sources
- Wikipedia. Bonneville Salt Flats. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonneville_Salt_Flats