The Great Saltair: Ghost Town or a Monument to the Past?
- Nicole
- Dec 16
- 6 min read
Update: Great Saltair
It’s remarkable, much like the lake itself, the story of Great Saltair seems to be shaped by forces bigger than any of us. Over the past ten years, since this article was originally written in 2013 for Summer of Salt: An Exploration of Great Salt Lake, the Great Saltair hasn’t been a quiet relic; it’s lived, breathed, rattled its walls with basslines, and even whispered secrets to the curious.
Once you knew Saltair as a glamorous off-the-lake playground for Victorians and mid-century beachgoers, and later as a moody movie backdrop, today, nearly a century after its rebirth as a music venue, Great Saltair stands more alive (and strange) as ever. Since about 2013, when the Das Energi Festival* put it on the map for electronic music lovers, the venue has been anchoring Utah’s vibrant live scene. It’s grown into a space that hosts indoor and outdoor concerts, festivals, and community events, bringing thousands back to the salty horizon every year.
In the last decade, Saltair’s calendars have been packed with acts you might never expect to see out in the desert wind, everything from EDM festivals to indie gigs and touring shows. The amphitheater and historic pavilion have become stages where star power meets raw landscape, where the salt and sky aren’t just backdrop but participating characters in every setlist.
The vast emptiness around it, the same emptiness that once made it a playground, also feeds its reputation as a bit haunted, with workers and visitors reporting unexplained sounds and shadowed figures in the halls long after the crowds have left.
Saltair isn’t untouched by modern quirks, either. The vast emptiness around it, the same emptiness that once made it a playground, also feeds its reputation as a bit haunted, with workers and visitors reporting unexplained sounds and shadowed figures in the halls long after the crowds have left. It’s the kind of lore that fits here, where land and water have long blurred the line between real and otherworldly.
Of course, Saltair’s story cannot be separated from the lake itself. As Great Salt Lake has receded, the shorelines have shifted, the wind has come up stronger, and the reflected panoramas over the stage are now more alien than nostalgic. What was once a literal lakeside pavilion now sits inland, reminding us that even our cherished places are always changing with the water levels and the years. Sailors depend on the building as a marker to avoid the reef in the Lake.
But through it all, fire, flood, drought, decades, and near-forgotten history, Saltair still invites us out and isn’t just a venue with a past. It’s a witness to the resilience and poetry of this place we call home.
Experience it with an open heart, and maybe a little salt on your boots.
Note: This blog below originally appeared on Summer of Salt: An Exploration of Great Salt Lake in August 2011
It stands alone on the southern shoreline of Great Salt Lake along I-80. Most of us drive
past it as we hurry along down the road, not giving it a second thought. We see it all the time but do we really see it for what it is? For what it was? Once known as the Coney Island of the West, this landmark has drastically changed throughout the years. The current structure itself isn’t that old but the land it rests on is rich in history. Almost 120 years ago the Salt Lake and Los Angeles Railroad Companies combined their resources with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build one of the most distinctive lake resorts of all time: The Great Saltair.
The original building opened its doors in 1893 and rested atop 2,500 wooden pilings that were driven into the lake bed of Great Salt Lake. Over 10,000 people visited Saltair its first day. 50 cents would buy you admission and a round-trip train ride from Salt Lake City. It was one of the first amusement parks in America and soon became the most popular family destination in the West.
Saltair was resurrected three times after being destroyed by fire. In 1925 a devastating fire broke out, burning the pavilion and outlying buildings. After new investors rebuilt the building and amusement park, it would be destroyed again by another fire in 1931. Yet again, investors pooled their monies and it was rebuilt once more.
Shortly after reopening, Saltair soon would become known as the place for dancing. Couples danced the night away on one of the largest dance floors in the world. As a previous ballroom dancer, this is one dance floor I would have liked to trip the light fantastic on. The timing couldn’t have been better for dancing as the big band era swung into the United States. Many big name bands such as Glenn Miller and Nat King Cole helped put Saltair and Great Salt Lake on the map.
My Grandma Marge, recalled that she went there — although not to dance — shortly after she was married. They took the Bamberger from Southern Utah (similar to the Frontrunner we have today; some with open-air cars) into Salt Lake City and then out to Saltair. She mentioned the beach and told me about swimming and what fun they had floating in the mysterious waters of the Lake. She laughed as she told me about the swimwear. “One piece,” she said, “and they weren’t made of spandex. The women’s suits had legs in them and an overskirt that was quite long. The men’s were equally long, down to their knees and they had shoulder straps.” She remembered Saltair as the place to be. Saltair didn’t remain the place to be for long.
The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor took paying customers overseas to fight as America entered World War II. Saltair felt the crunch of the economic downturn and closed its doors. They remained closed for four decades.
Another blaze thought to be set by arsonists in 1970 would destroy any further attempts to resurrect Saltair. This blaze had left only the pilings it once stood on and yet, a new group of investors set their goal for Saltair III to be built approximately one mile west of the original Saltair ruins.
Saltair III was completed in 1982. It was celebrated with incredible pomp and circumstance. It was complete with tours, bumper boats, a new beach and restrooms with showers, and to top off the day; a grand display of fireworks. I remember running back and forth along the beach as the sun slipped slowly into the water and the gulls taking flight all around me. The day was magical and this celebration was one of those events that you never forget.
Only a few months after the completion of Saltair III, Great Salt Lake began to swell into the high water years of the 80’s flooding the facility. It remained partially submerged for years. When the waters finally receded, the building was once again restored only to find out that, due to the Great Salt Lake pumping project, the waters would leave Saltair high and dry with the Lake hundreds of yards away. Saltair is now used as a venue for concerts; the water levels are the lowest they have been in years, leaving a few pilings from the original building visible today.
Throughout the years there were thousands of people that walked through the doors of Saltair to swim, float, and play on this inland sea. They held hands, danced, and screamed as they went up and then plummeted down the hills of the roller coaster, which in many ways is like the Lake itself. One thing is for sure: there have been countless nights of dancing and romance spent here on this Lake. Our Lake. Great Salt Lake.
How to Get There:
Directions to Saltair from Salt Lake City, Utah
From downtown Salt Lake City, head west on I-80 toward Wendover.
Stay on I-80 for about 10 miles, passing the airport and watching the city give way to open lakebed and sky.
Take Exit 111 for State Route 202 / 7200 West and turn right (north).
Drive about 2 miles, then turn left (west) onto Saltair Drive.
Follow the road as it curves toward the Great Salt Lake, Saltair will appear ahead, standing solitary against the wide horizon.
Plan a little extra time, especially for evening shows, and be prepared for wind, dust, and sunsets that tend to steal your attention.
Experience Saltair responsibly! Saltair is located at just west of I-80 before the Tooele exit. Take plenty of water, you will need it no matter what season you visit. Travel comes with its own risks so please be safe and also respectful leaving no trace of your visit. Happy exploring!
Dog Friendly: (Fido isn’t welcome inside the building)
*Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with, sponsored by, or officially connected to any company or organization mentioned or linked in this article. It is listed soley as information for reader only.
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