Best Things To Do At Salton Sea: Ghost Towns, Art Installations, Camping & More!
The Salton Sea is a large, shallow, saline lake located in California’s Sonoran Desert. It is one of the world’s largest inland seas and also one of the lowest places on earth at 227 feet below sea level. The sea is only five feet higher than Death Valley’s lowest point at Badwater Basin. This is also where the San Andreas Fault line begins before advancing 800 miles to San Francisco.
Believe it or not, the Salton Sea was once a vacation destination for the rich and famous but when rising salinity levels combined with toxic agricultural runoff started killing fish, the area started producing a foul smell and the place quickly turned into a ghost town. The Salton Sea which was dubbed the ‘Riviera of the America’s’ became something more like a dystopian world out of a Mad Max film. Desolate and dead.
Although the area is rundown, the Salton Sea is still a man-made wonder as the largest lake in California and one of the largest inland seas in the world. There is something quite calming about being in such a quiet and barren environment.
Besides the sea’s stunning azure beauty in front of the looming Santa Rosa mountains and beautiful bird life that abounds here, the surrounding towns have quite a thriving and unique arts community.
How The Salton Sea Formed
The Salton Sea formed between 1905 and 1907 when the Colorado River burst through poorly built irrigation channels south of Yuma in Arizona. The river filled the Salton Basin, a remnant of prehistoric Lake Cahuilla, inundating communities and farms in the area and was only stopped when a line of protective levees was built out of boulders to block the breach zone. By then the lake was 40 miles long and 20 miles wide covering 400 square miles.
Over the years the salinity, fertilizer, and pesticides from agricultural runoff rose so high that it killed most of the lake’s species of fish except for Tilapia. Tilapia are a species of fish originating from Africa that can withstand high salinity levels although it is predicted that even they will completely die off. They were introduced into the canal system to control algae growth.
The Salton Sea’s Beaches Are A Boneyard
One of the most unusual things about the Salton Sea are the piles of fish skeletons that can be found along its shores. Thousands of Tilapia die every year when winds stir up low oxygen water from the lake’s depths. It is for this reason that the beaches surrounding the sea are a boneyard littered with dead Tilapia.
The Salton Sea Is Disappearing
The Salton Sea has been shrinking for years and slowly killing the fish and birds that live here. California’s largest lake which has been sustained by the Colorado River for decades is now increasingly being diverted from farms in the area to the ever growing desert cities of San Diego and the Coachella Valley.
As the sea’s shoreline retreats, thousands of tons of toxic dust are exposed from the dry lake bed. These exposed lake beds threaten the low-income communities that live here because high winds blow the toxic dust into the already dirty air. Even though government officials have been promising locals to revitalize the area for many years, they are yet to keep their promise.
Best Place To View The Salton Sea
The best place to appreciate the Salton Sea is at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. It is operated by the California State Park Service and offers picnic areas and a Visitor Center where you can learn more about the unusual and unique history of the area.
Best Things To Do Near Salton Sea
This list will cover the best things to do at Salton Sea beginning at the North Shore. Attractions worth visiting near Salton Sea (within an hours drive) will also be mentioned.
Visit Salton Sea Visitor Center
The Salton Sea Visitor Center is the best place to begin your exploration of Salton Sea. It was founded in 1977 by the Sea & Desert Interpretive Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting education about the Salton Sea State Recreation Area.
At the Visitor Center you will find interpretive exhibits, displays on local wildlife, and informational pamphlets to help you gain a better understanding of the history of the area, the environment, and problems the Salton Sea is experiencing right now such as pollution and drought conditions. There is also a free fifteen minute video presentation about the Salton Sea you can watch.
After spending time at the Visitor Center, walk outside to the Salton Sea’s shoreline to see the views from the North Shore. There are picnic tables available for guests to relax and soak in the views. A restroom is also available here for guests.
You can find the Visitor Center at 100-225 State Park Road, Mecca (North Shore). It is open every day of the week, year-round from 10am to 4pm. Note that there is a $7 fee to enter the Salton Sea State Recreation Area in which the Visitor Center is located.
Salton Sea State Recreation Area
The Salton Sea State Recreation Area covers 14 miles of the Salton Sea’s northeastern shoreline which is one of the best places to take in the spectacular views of the massive inland sea and vistas of the Santa Rosa Mountains.
This state park is a great place for sightseeing, photography, birdwatching, camping, boating, and fishing. During the park’s peak season, rangers hold educational programs that include ranger-led tours both on and off the water.
Until now, the Salton Sea was relatively unknown but visitation numbers at the Recreation Area have been slowly increasing as more Californians and out of state travelers learn about this really cool off the beaten path destination. Currently the park sees about 200,000 visitors per year. Peak season at the park is between October and June when day time temperatures are usually somewhere in the low to mid seventies. Summers here can be dangerously hot.
If you’re looking to get out on the water and have your own kayak or canoe, the Salton Sea State Recreation Area is the best place to launch. You can access the sea by carrying your non-motorized vessel across the beach directly to the water. Due to the sea’s decreasing water levels, motorized boat access is currently prohibited.
Salton Sea State Recreation Area is open from sunrise to sunset and there is a day use fee of $7 per person.
Camping At Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a hauntingly beautiful place and to truly appreciate the area’s overwhelming immense beauty, you really should try to spend a few nights at one of the campgrounds located inside Salton Sea State Recreation Area.
Camping here is a peaceful and surreal experience. Imagine waking up in a desolate place engulfed in the silence of the desert, with only yourself and a handful of other people soaking in the serenity. That is what camping at the Salton Sea is like.
You’ll wake up to the most majestic sunrises, enjoy breathtaking mountain views, experience dark skies with an infinite amount of stars, and fall asleep to the gentle lapping waves of the Salton Sea. Maybe even the hoot of an owl. Although the Salton Sea is a weird and quirky place, at the same time the area is quite magical and dreamy.
There are five campgrounds in the state park; Headquarters Campground, New Camp Campground, Mecca Beach Campground, Corvina Beach Campground, and Salt Creek Beach Campground. Headquarters Campground has full RV hookups and is therefore the most popular of the campgrounds. Both Headquarters and Mecca Campgrounds have shower facilities.
The majority of campers descend upon Salton Sea between October and June, after the scorching summer temperatures have passed. Daytime temperatures during this peak season are somewhere in the seventies and drop into the fifties at night. Reservations are recommended for stays during the cooler months but not necessary for off-peak travel. Although summer can be extremely hot, camping here will be fine if your RV has air-conditioning.
Nightly rates are $30 per night for full RV hookups at Headquarters Campground and $20 per night for sites at other campgrounds within the state park. These are probably the cheapest campground rates in the state of California!
For more information on camping at Salton Sea State Recreation Area or to make a reservation visit the official Salton Sea State Park website.
Dos Palmas Preserve
Dos Palmas Preserve is an oasis in the desert with warm pools and hundreds of swaying fan palms. This lush sanctuary in the middle of the dry Colorado Desert is fed by artesian springs and seepage from the nearby Coachella Canal.
The flourishing wetland provides shelter for a variety of threatened and endangered species including the Pupfish, a relic species that originates from the Pleistocene era. Another endangered species that calls these wetlands home is the Yuma Clapper Rail, a small marsh bird that roams the damp wetland floor.
This gorgeous grove of fan palms is less than five miles from the Salton Sea Visitor Center and is a must see! The 1,400 acre property is managed by the Bureau of Land Management therefore anyone can visit at any time.
Directions to Dos Palmas Preserve: From Salton Sea State Recreation turn onto Parkside Drive. Stay on Parkside Drive until the end (about two miles) then turn right at Desert Aire Drive. Follow Desert Aire to its end, then turn left onto Powerline Road, then take another left at Sea Breeze Drive.
Bombay Beach
Bombay Beach was once a vacation destination for the rich in the 1940’s and 1950’s but is now nothing but a mostly abandoned town that sits in ruins. Some residents have chosen to stay and according to the Census Bureau from 2010 there are still approximately 295 residents living here. The once happening resort town now attracts tourists who enjoy visiting ghost towns and abandoned locations. Be sure to check out the abandoned drive-in theater and the shipwrecked boats along the shore.
Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge
The Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge is a sanctuary and breeding ground for birds and other wildlife. The refuge is located within the Pacific Flyway which is an important migration route for migratory birds. This habitat is critical to these migrating birds as a resting place and wintering area.
There are two short walking trails that will introduce you to the wetlands in this area and where you can observe wildlife. The Michael Hardenberger Trail is a 1/2 mile trail that will lead you to a freshwater pond which is a known nesting spot for the Yuma Clapper Rail bird. The second trail, the Rock Hill Trail is a two mile round trip tail that winds through different habitats which begins at the Visitor Center.
Be sure to stop by the Visitor Center at the junction of Sinclair and Gentry Roads. Inside you will find information on desert and wetland ecosystems along with trail guides.
Boiling Mud Pots and Volcanoes
The Boiling Mud Pots is an area that contains a geothermal field where you can watch mud boiling and popping. Microorganisms that incredibly survive in the boiling mud combined with an acidic environment is what breaks down the rock into the muddy ponds you see before you. Please be careful when you are out there, the ground is very soft and you could fall through.
Directions to Boiling Mud Pots: To reach the mud pots, drive south on Highway 111 until you pass through the small town called Niland. Then keep an eye out for Schrimpf Road, a rough dirt road that you’ll need to take to Davis Road. At the intersection of these two roads you should be able to see mud-shaped mountains. Head towards them!
Tips For Visiting Salton Sea:
- Be sure to fill up on gas because there are no gas stations nearby.
- Bring lots of water (especially in summer) and snacks for the entire day.
- You will need sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat in summer. This is the desert!
- Off Season: June to September with temperatures between 70-115 degrees.
- On Season: October to May with temperatures between 50-70 degrees.
How To Get To The Salton Sea
Salton Sea is approximately two hours from Los Angeles and three hours from San Diego. The best place to view Salton Sea is from its eastern shores at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area along Grapefruit Drive. You can also take in views of the Salton Sea from Bombay Beach or from the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Salton Sea
Can you swim in the Salton Sea?
Can you swim in the Salton Sea? Sure you can, if you want to. But do you really want to? Even after seeing the dead bodies of Tilapia fish washed up along the Salton Sea’s shoreline? While the Salton Sea is beautiful, it is very toxic! So swimming is absolutely not recommended.
Once upon a time, this massive lake was a terrific spot for swimming, but when nearby farms in the Imperial Valley started dumping huge amounts of chemicals from fertilizer during the 1970s (as agricultural runoff), the Salton Sea took a turn for the worst. Now the lake’s waters contain a plethora of toxic elements including arsenic, phosphorous, selenium, and lithium. And these toxins are increasing in concentration because the sea is drying up!
Tilapia are known to thrive in salty and toxic waters, so if Tilapia are dying, it is a very bad sign. Do not risk swimming in the highly contaminated waters of the Salton Sea, even if someone dares you.
Is the Salton Sea worth visiting?
Absolutely! The Salton Sea is a hauntingly beautiful place that deserves to be on every California bucket list. In addition, there are several interesting and quirky destinations nearby worth visiting too such as Bombay Beach and Slab City. Because the Salton Sea is located very close to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park, you could easily add a side trip to the Salton Sea on a Palm Springs & Joshua Tree road trip.
