Update: The Spiral Jetty Today A Landscape in Flux
- Nicole
- Dec 12, 2025
- 8 min read
Today, the north arm of Great Salt Lake feels more like stepping onto another planet than ever before. The causeway breach that once allowed water to mix between the lake’s two halves is now functioning more like a curtain again, and the north arm, home of the Spiral Jetty, has returned to being hypersaline, neon pink, and stunningly... still.
Salinity levels here rise and fall with every storm and every dry spell, often reaching concentrations so strong they crystallize across the lakebed like shattered glass. Since the lake has been at historically low elevations in recent years, the Spiral Jetty sits fully exposed, etched into a vast, glittering plain of salt that stretches farther than the eye can see.
Some days, depending on wind and temperature, the water reappears in shimmering puddles that reflect the sky like spilled mercury. Other days, the Jetty looks like a fossil left high and dry, its basalt boulders dusted in white, surrounded by a landscape that feels both fragile and fierce at once.
The pink foam that once towered over me during my earliest visits has become rarer but still shows up after windstorms or late-season algal blooms. When it does, it gathers in pastel drifts along the shoreline, cotton candy, but make it feel prehistoric.
The north arm’s bacteria and algae continue to paint the water vibrant hues, shifting from pale rose to deep magenta depending on the light. If you hit golden hour just right, the whole scene glows like it has a heartbeat all of its own.
"The Jetty looks like a fossil left high and dry, its basalt boulders dusted in white, surrounded by a landscape that feels both fragile and fierce at once."
Walking to the shoreline today can take longer than it used to. Each year of drought pushes the water farther away, leaving behind cracked clay, glistening nodules of salt, and thick carpets of crystals that crunch under your boots like broken dishes. It feels like trespassing into a place that is still forming itself.
What’s most striking now is not just the beauty, but the silence. The wind, the crunch of salt, and the distant flap of a pelican’s wings are often the only sounds. It’s peaceful and haunting all at once. The Jetty has always been an artwork shaped by time and nature, but today that story is louder: a reminder that Great Salt Lake is not just a backdrop, but a living, changing landscape. Standing here now, you can feel both its vulnerability and its resilience. And maybe, in some quiet way, your own.
If you return after years away, don’t expect it to look like your memories. Expect it to surprise you, because here, transformation is the landmark.
Original story printed in "Summer of Salt: An Exploration of Great Salt Lake" 2012
If you are a little adventurous and like to see sites that are a bit off the beaten path, then this earthwork is for you. You will find it just down the road from where black asphalt meets a pink lemonade colored Great Salt Lake, not far from the Golden Spike National Historic Site. I have been to the Spiral Jetty a handful of times and my first visit was not just weird but brought me to a place that was in fact other-worldly. The pink colored fluffy foam created from the agitation of the Lake was taller than I was. Over the years, my fascination with Great Salt Lake and the Spiral Jetty has never waned.
The Spiral Jetty was built by artist, Robert Smithson in April 1970, and is located on Rozel Point, a peninsula on the northeastern shoreline of Great Salt Lake. In this region of the Lake the salinity level of the water averages 27% -- a little more than eight times saltier than the ocean -- and bacteria and algae that call this place home turns the water bright pink.
The Spiral Jetty isn’t just a piece of art but a special kind of off-the-beaten-path roadside attraction. If you walk far enough out onto the dry lakebed you can touch the mounds of pinkish-white fluffy foam created by the waves as they lap upon the shoreline. You’ll see thousands of insects encrusted in their final resting place along the shoreline in their grave of salt. It’s different and a little eccentric.
To create this earthwork, Smithson used over six-thousand tons of black basalt rocks and earth from the site; he formed a coil 1,500 feet long and 15 feet wide that winds counterclockwise off the shore into the water. Many years later the earthwork was donated to the Dia Art Foundation by Smithson’s wife and artist, Nancy Holt.
If you go, plan to make a day trip for the journey. It’s the best way to see all of the sites along the way. From Salt Lake City, head north on I-15, travel past the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and maybe take a break there to see the beautiful wetlands and migratory birds that call Great Salt Lake their home. Continue northbound on I-15 until you reach Exit 365 that leads to Corinne and onward toward the Golden Spike National Monument. This is where in 1869 the east met the west and the railroad joined the nation as one.
Once there, stop at the visitor center and gift shop. They have a short informative film, and make sure to use the restrooms as there aren’t any to be found after leaving here. The road to the Spiral Jetty is oftentimes an adventure in itself so this is also a great place to ask the rangers about the road conditions before you venture off on your way to see the adventurous pink lemonade shorelines of Great Salt Lake. This is what the trip is all about, isn’t it?
Just past the Golden Spike Monument and what is left of the old railroad line, the landscape opens up into desolate rolling hills and dirt roads that look out onto something almost like a mirage of a beautiful watery oasis. Just don’t drink the water and in fact, make sure you have plenty of your own with. Some to drink, some to wash off with, especially if you have your dog with you. The high content salt will dehydrate our furry friends faster than it would you or me and it also becomes encrusted in their fur. Make sure to have enough water for a make-shift bath if necessary so your fur-baby enjoys the ride as much as you do.
It wasn’t too many years back that the road was so bad that if you were in a low-clearance vehicle you would have to leave it and walk about two miles in to reach the shoreline; however, during the past few years, the state has made major improvements on the road, and while it is dirt, you’ll likely experience a little wash-board in places but even the most sensible sedans won’t have any trouble making it all the way to the Jetty.
As you drive along the winding road towards the Jetty don’t forget to keep an eye on the sky – sometimes you might see flocks of American white pelicans flying through the region. These birds nest on Gunnison Island and sometimes must fly hundreds of miles to forage for food to provide dinner for their young. When you reach the end of the road, the vista takes you by surprise, it isn’t like anywhere else in Utah, and perhaps it isn’t like anywhere else on the planet.
From the dirt parking area you are able to see the Jetty in its fullness, seemingly stuck in sea of white salt. Although depending on the water level of the Lake it may be underwater but lately with the historical Lake lows and drought conditions, the Jetty is out of the water in its full state of strange. If you have come here before you will find the newer monument just up the hill erected as an Eagle Scout project that explains the history of the Jetty.
As you walk up towards the monument, be aware that rattlesnakes are plentiful -- depending on the season – so keep an eye on Fido. (The nearest veterinarian is located in Brigham City, approximately two hours away.) But by all means let your dog run on the salty flat lakebed and be part of this foreign world.
You will find this to be an amazing place to taste the salt, take photos, and enjoy the out-of-this world landscape. There are lots of people that love the Great Salt Lake; however, for those of you that haven’t been and want to experience a new love of place and a bit of adventure this is a great place to start.
How to get there:
The Spiral Jetty is located approximately 2.5 hours from Salt Lake City. There is little to none cell service or Wifi. Directions below from Utah.com:
Head north on I-15 for approximately 65 miles.
Take the Corinne exit #365 (west of Brigham City).
Turn right onto Route 13 (note: the last gas station you'll have access to is in Corinne).
The road becomes Hwy 83 past Corinne.
Continue for 17.7 miles.
Follow the signs to Golden Spike National Historic Site Visitor Center.
Turn left onto Golden Spike Road and continue for 7.7 miles up the east side of Promontory Pass to Golden Spike National Historic Site Visitor Center.
Drive 5.6 miles west on the main gravel road to a fork in the road--continue left, heading west. Look for small white signs directing you to Spiral Jetty.
Cross cattle guard #1--you'll cross 4 cattle guards total before you reach Rozel Point.
Drive 1.3 miles south to a second fork in the road.
Turn right onto the southwest fork, and go for 1.7 miles to cattle guard #2.
Continue southeast for 1.2 miles to cattle guard #3.
Go for 2.8 miles south-southwest to cattle guard #4 and an iron gate.
Drive south for another 2.7 miles around the east side of Rozel Point. You will see the north arm of Great Salt Lake and an old oil jetty (not Spiral Jetty) left by old drilling explorations.
The road will curve north and ends at a parking lot directly next to Spiral Jetty.
Experience the Spiral Jetty responsibly! There are no facilities at this location so please remember to take snacks for you and Fido. 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 of this landmark by leaving no trace and not damaging the Jetty. Happy exploring!
Robert Smithson's landmark earthwork "Spiral Jetty" (1970) has been added to The National Register of Historic Places In 2024, fifty-four years after it was created, Smithson’s Spiral Jetty has become a barometer for the climate emergency. The National Register of Historic Places is the National Park Service’s official list of the historic places worthy of preservation and is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.
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