Much of the Bonneville Racetrack has become rougher, and there has also been an increase in the amount of sediment on the south end of the racetrack. In recent years, there has been an apparent conflict between these two major uses of the area as the salt crust has diminished in both thickness and extent. The salt crust on the Salt Flats has been used for many years for automobile racing, and brines from shallow lacustrine deposits have been used for the production of potash. Both areas lack any noticeable surface relief (in 1976, 1.3 feet on the Bonneville salt crust and 0.3 foot on the Pilot Valley salt crust). The Bonneville salt crust covered about 40 square miles in the fall of 1976, and the salt crust in Pilot Valley covered 7 square miles. The areas are separate, though similar, hydrologic basins, and both contain a salt crust. The photo below shows parts of the salt crust cracking and forming ruts in the mud.The Bonneville Salt Flats and Pilot Valley are in the western part of the Great Salt Lake Desert in northwest Utah. If we had more time, we would’ve done sunset at the rest stop, spent the night in Wendover, and shot sunrise the next morning at the speedway. The I-80 is heavily-patrolled by Idaho State Troopers, and the speed limit is 75mph… so traffic is flying. While some people illegally use the “emergency vehicle only” U-turn options, it’s a risk. While you can easily get back on the I-80 heading east… the next closest exit you can use to turn around is half-an-hour away! So it’ll literally take an hour to get from the speedway back to the rest stop… even though “as the crow flies” it’s only four miles. If you decide to then go to the speedway site, be prepared for a long drive back around to the rest stop. If you’re driving from SLC, you’ll hit the rest stop first. The I-80 doesn’t have exits in the area which allow you to easily go between the two sites.
This is important to keep in mind: if you’re aiming for sunset photos, you need to pick one of the spots ahead of time and commit.
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