“The Salton Sea used to draw a larger crowd than Yosemite as a tropical lakeside getaway.” It’s baffling to see a statement like this because of how bizarrely abandoned it now stands. Like Death Valley, The Salton Sea is well below sea level. Once a dry lake bed, the Colorado River bust one of its sides and flowed into the Salton Sea for over a year. But the Salton Sea does not have a natural outlet. In the 1950’s it became a booming vacation destination. But without an outlet and inconsistent inflow, the Salton Sea became deserted, except for the farming communities that surround the area.
Bombay Beach – Salton Sea
Although we stopped at the sign, we didn’t bother to pay the recreation fee to visit the recreation center. Instead we drove another 5-10 minutes to an area known as Bombay beach. This little area had about 15 small square blocks and access to the seashore. The community is part abandoned buildings, part art installation, and a few modern living homes or RV’s. In one small lot, there was a “Bombay Beach Drive-In” with cars from the last 8 decades lined up to watch an empty screen. Someone had to have put a lot of work into this theater.
If you climb the hill to the beach area, you will find more deserted art pieces. It crossed my mind that these might have been leftover from Burning Man or other desert festivals. Some of the art pieces were beautiful or eerie, with everything disintegrating. We walked around a bit to explore, but with sandals on, we didn’t venture too far.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 2 (out of 4) stars – it was great to see, but I do not need to go again.
- Intensity: Light outfit and closed-toe shoes (sandals if you’re brave, due to debris)
- Location: Salton Sea, California
- Cost: Free
- Restrooms: Nature Pee
Highlights:
- Abandoned art from previous festivals (?)
- Abandonment Porn
Lowlights:
- Dead fish
- Possibility of splinters
I didn’t realize it at the time, but the Salton Sea is far below sea level. At the shoreline, it stands at 226 feet below sea level. We had visited Death Valley the previous year, but I had no idea that California had another area so far below sea level. Looking on the map, the two are a good distance apart.
Thoughts about Seeing the Salton Sea
After visiting Salvation Mountain, we opted to drive to the south side of the lake to get date shakes at Oasis Date Gardens- loved them! So much date flavor in one drink. We drove up the other side briefly, toward LA. From Palm Springs, the Salton Sea seems to be at the edge of civilization, surrounded by desert wasteland. But surprisingly, the further you drive, the further you get into farmland and agricultural area. There are small towns and communities to grab coffee.
We did our best to withhold judgement during our trip to the Salton Sea. To me, it is incredible what humans can build up and simply abandon. Without an outlet, the Salton Sea is getting saltier at 3% per year, but also has other toxins, algae, and agricultural runoff involved. Part of me wonders if it would ever become re-popular in a Dead Sea sort of way. It also seems like it has gone too far in the direction of toxic wasteland. Or maybe it will become a dry lake bed again?
Have I enticed you to visit the Salton Sea? Haha, perhaps not a destination in and of itself, but an addition to a road trip to visit Salvation Mountain, The Banana Museum, and the Doors of Palms Springs, it could be an exploratory little getaway. Let me know in the comments where you’ve found the best abandoned places!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
