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 remote and rugged Bonneville Salt Flats serve as a fitting backdrop forIndependence Day, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Con Air, The World’s Fastest Indian, Mulholland Falls, and many more films.

The BLM’s Bonneville Salt Flats also attracts amateur racers from all over the world for the annual SPEED WEEK, with timed speed events on 3 to 5 mile straightaway tracks.

Learn more about the history of this unique location: on.doi.gov/1EuCmOU