The Great Salt Lake Desert

Great Salt Lake Desert, Juab County, Utah.

The Great Salt Lake Desert is part of the larger Great Basin Desert. It is approximately 250 miles long starting in the northwestern corner of Utah and extending down to Juab County. It is approximately 120 wide about 40 miles west of the Wasatch Range on the east and extending to the Nevada State Line on the west. The Topaz Mountain area is one location where Japanese Americans were interred during World War II.

Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah. The Newfoundland Mountains are in the background.


The Bonneville Salt Flats is home to the world's fastest land speed records and  is so flat in spots you can see the curvature of the earth. The salt flat areas of the desert are also home to a number of salt mining operations such as Morton Salt Company.

Aragonite Area, Tooele County, Utah.

Portions of the Great Salt Lake Desert feature a more distinct  basin and range  pattern typical of the Great Basin.  Salt flat areas are much more wide and mountain ranges are farther apart. The Great Salt Lake Desert is used by the US Military for a variety of reasons from Air Force Testing to the closely guarded secrets of Dugway Proving Grounds.