The Edit: The Bonneville Salt Flats are a free roadside stop on Interstate 80 in western Utah near the Nevada border, about 90 minutes west of Salt Lake City, and we stopped there for 30 minutes with our kids on the drive south to Kanab. There is nothing to do except walk out onto the salt, take photos with the mountains behind you and let the kids run, which is exactly why it works as a leg stretch on a Utah road trip. The crust is firm and bright white in dry weather and turns into a mirror after rain. Bring sunglasses, rinse the salt off your hands and shoes, and expect wind.

Bonneville Salt Flats: At a Glance

Detail	What to know
Where	Interstate 80 near Wendover, Utah, about 90 minutes west of Salt Lake City
Cost	Free, open year round
Time needed	30 minutes to an hour
What to do	Walk the salt, family photos with the mountains behind, let the kids run
After rain	A thin layer of water turns the flats into a mirror
Bring	Sunglasses, water, something to wipe salty hands and shoes
Good for kids	Yes, flat and wide open, but it gets hot and windy
Next stop	We continued south to Kanab and the rest of our Southern Utah road trip

The Salt Flats

The Bonneville salt flats were a quick stop along our road trip down to southern Utah. We didn’t spend too much time on the flats, but we did stop for a thirty-minute break to stretch out our legs, as well as snap some quick photos.

There’s not very much to do at these Utah salt flats besides walk them and stop to take some pictures of the mountains behind the flats. The cool thing about them though, besides the salt, is how the salf flats can look exactly like a lake. Especially after a bit of rain.

We set up our tripod and took some quick family photos, before hopping back into our car and continuing down to Kanab Utah. Even though we didn’t spend too long there, we still had so much fun!

Bonneville Salt Flats FAQ