Miles of Salt as Far as You Can See - Utah Salt Flats

Driving along Interstate 80 in Western Utah, everywhere you look is white. If it were winter time, you would swear you were looking at snow, but being 90 degrees out today, I know better.

I don't know how far along I-80 that is covered with salt but seemed like around 100 miles. Lake Bonneville was a huge prehistoric lake that covered much of Western Utah and dried up more or less.

The Great Salt Lake is leftover from Lake Bonneville.

If you drive this route between Salt Lake City, Utah and Wendover, Utah (Wendover is right at the Utah/Nevada border), the Bonneville Flats Rest Area is a must stop.

You can climb up steps to an observatory platform to view part of Utah's dead sea. People can walk out on the crusty salt, they even have a foot wash station.

Mineral and Salt Refineries Along The Great Salt Lake

You can see some refineries along the interstate. Their is no outlet for The Great Salt Lake, so there is only 1 way for salt and minerals to leave the lake as water evaporates, they have to be taken out.

Extracting minerals extraction from the Great Salt Lake brings more than 1 billion dollars to the Utah economy every year.

There are 5 companies that currently extract minerals and salt through evaporation from the salty lake

Many important products are mined from this lake. Salt for roads, magnesium, and potassium for fertilizer.

Driving a semi truck 700 miles a day, and driven many times coast to coast, I see many great interesting things in the United States.