What is the Great Salt Lake and where is it?
Posted on Mar 20, 2026 / Travel
The Great Salt Lake is a huge inland saltwater lake in northern Utah, known for its crazy high salt levels compared to most lakes. It sits in a wide valley just west of the Wasatch Mountains, near cities like Salt Lake City and Ogden. Unlike the ocean, it doesn’t drain anywhere, so salts and minerals build up over time and make the water super salty. The lake is fed by rivers like the Bear, Weber, and Jordan, but it has no real outlet, so evaporation keeps the water level in check. Its salty water makes it easy to float, kind of like the Dead Sea, so swimmers often find it really buoyant and unique. The lake covers thousands of square miles, but its size changes a lot depending on rain and snowmelt. People visit from all over to see the vast salt flats and wildlife around the shoreline.
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