I know families are vacationing, but we are still sticking to road trips and outdoor activities. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t plan for future travel. There are many unique and exciting destinations within the U.S. to visit. One is the Bonneville Salt Flats Utah.
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The Bonneville Salt Flats Utah is one of my family’s bucket list travel destinations. It is a seemingly endless expanse of crystalline white salt crust edging the Great Salt Lake basin in Utah. It’s the perfect backdrop for family photos and Instagram-worthy photo ops.
The Bonneville Salt Flats span 46 miles, offering a wide array of memorable, one-of-a-kind attractions that should be added to everyone’s vacation checklist. Here are the top 5 Reasons to Visit Bonneville Salt Flats Utah in 2021. Trust us, you’ll be glad you made the journey.
Reason #1) The Breathtaking Views
The stark beauty of the Bonneville Salt Flats extends over 30,000 acres between Salt Lake City and Wendover, NV. In the summer, the salt flats dry out, enabling you to walk on the eerily barren salt crystals.
If you want the best view of this vast wilderness, check out the Bonneville Salt Flats Rest Area (Westbound). There, the salt flats seem to endlessly extend into the horizon. The nearby Bonneville Speedway Viewpoint also offers breathtaking views of the flats and has a viewing area.
Although summer is a popular time to visit, the salt flats in the fall provide a doorway to another world. In October and November, water covers the earth and offers pristine reflections of the surrounding mountains and sky.
Reason #2) Bonneville International Speedway
If you want to know where the fastest racetrack on earth is located, look no further than the Bonneville Salt Flats. Men and women come to the flats from all over the world in an attempt to break the land speed record in different vehicle categories, and the speed limit on the raceway is a breezy 1,000 mph.
Two of the most popular racing events on the Bonneville Speedway are Speed Week and World of Speed, which occur in August and September each year. Cars aren’t the only vehicles attempting to break land speed records here-motorcycles, go-karts, and even the occasional barstool join in the competition.
Reason #3) Danger Cave
Located just 15 minutes away from the salt flats, Danger Cave is Utah’s first State Monument and one of the oldest excavated Native American sites in U.S. history. Indigenous peoples inhabited the caves for more than 11,000 years, and you can have a chance to experience their history firsthand. Book a cave tour with Metcalf Archaeology to learn about these ancient cultures and even try your hand at throwing an atlatl (spear).
Reason #4) Hellfire Rocket Launch
Whether you’re a fan of rocketry or not, the Hellfire Rocket Launch event on the salt flats is sure to captivate people of all ages. Each summer, the Utah Rocket Club launches high-powered rockets of varying complexity, size, and construction on the 40-acre launch site on the salt flats. Learn more information about the Utah Rocket Club and upcoming events here.
Reason #5) Proximity to the Great Salt Lake
In addition to its many fascinating features, the Bonneville Salt Flats is also less than two hours away from the Great Salt Lake, which naturalist John Muir called “one of the great views on the American continent.” Due to its salinity, you can actually float on top of the water, soak up the sun on the lake’s sandy white beaches, and participate in countless other recreational activities.