A Day Trip to the Salton Sea, Slab City, and Salvation Mountain

Is this a scene from Mad Max or did I miss the apocolypse? This is what I’m asking myself as we drive past the vast Salton Sea on my right and pull into the “town” of Bombay Beach. You couldn’t pay me to live out here, but a day trip to the Salton Sea, Slab City, and Salvation Mountain? Hell yeah. I’d always recommend this experience to anyone wanting to get outside the norm.

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What You Need to Know About Visiting The Salton Sea, Slab City, and Salvation Mountain

Where:

The most desolate looking desert you can imagine, about an hour southeast of Palm Desert, California in the Coachella Valley.

Other Things to See in the Area:

While you’re making a day trip all the way out here, you might as well make it a multi-day desert getaway and combine it with Joshua Tree, Pioneertown, Palm Springs, and Anza Borrego State Park.

When:

There is definitely a wrong time to visit this area and it’s in the summer. Unless you have an affinity for dripping sweat at 120 degrees F, you’d best avoid coming here between June and September. You should even avoid May through October. Not only because of temperatures, but because it’s primarily a snowbird population and many people leave.

Stick to November through March and you’ll find warm days in the 60’s to 80’s with cool nights. Sunsets at the Salton Sea are quite lovely.

Cost:

Free! Say what?! But given gas prices these days, it could set you back a bit.

Salton Sea, California

To see the Salton Sea today is one thing. But to understand how and why it is what it is today, you must look back at the history. I only gleamed a sliver of history, but there are so many who lived it and remember. My friend who has been coming here since he was a child to play at the “sea” recalls details and stories with nostalgia.

History of the Salton Sea

The Salton Sea was created by accident when the Colorado River flooded and broke through into the Saltin Basin in 1905 where they’d been diverting the river for agriculture. Farmers allowed their excess water to runoff into the lake as well so it didn’t dry up.

In the 1950’s and 60’s, developers jumped on the opportunity to turn the the Salton Sea into a resort destination. Vacation homes, hotels, and yacht clubs sprung up. They referred to it as the “California Riviera.” The Department of Fish and Game stocked the lake with fish so there was year round sport fishing and birds flocked to the area. The marinas were full of bars, the lake was full of boats and water-skiers, birdwatchers flocked, and celebrities like the Beach Boys and Frank Sinatra frequented.

In the 1970’s scientists began warning about the long term problems of a body of water with no outlet. There was a problem with rising salinity. As more salt is picked up from the ground below, and the only escape for the water is evaporation while leaving the salt behind, this resulted in a body of water significantly saltier than the Pacific Ocean and increasing by about 3% per year.

The increasing salinity and fertilizers led to a cycle of massive deaths in the fish and bird populations by the 1980’s. Algae blooms occurred making the water hazardous. Sometimes the beach would be littered with fish carcasses. Flooding from excess agricultural runoff and storms caused the water levels to rise, damaging infrastructure. Understandably, businesses decided not to rebuild in a place slated to become inhospitable to wildlife. As you can imagine, tourism drastically dropped off. Botulism spread among tilapia, which were eaten by birds, which killed off 14,000 birds.

The Salton Sea Today

Diverting more water to cities and changes in farming practices have led to less runoff and the sea drying up and shrinking. Dried up lake beds create toxic dust that blows into neighboring communities smelling and causing problems like asthma and creating some of the worst air quality in the country. These public health issues affect some 650,000 people in the area, 85% of which are Latino.

Many attempts have been made to address the environmental catastrophe that is the Salton Sea over the last couple decades but cost, other political priorities, and loss in public interest always seem to prevent any real action.

In recent years, programs have been established to fund and develop projects like creating ponds and wetlands at one end of the lake but there is a long way (and a lot of money) to go to any sort of solution.

There were and still are a few settlements around the lake with populations ranging from around 400 to 1000 people.

Bombay Beach

I visited Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea, which was once a popular destination for beachgoers, retirees, and the elite. After the 1970’s and 80’s, Bombay became a ghost town until recently when artists and intellectuals began moving back in, embracing the alternative lifestyle the area provides. The small community of quirky trailers and bizarre art instillations sits around 225 feet below sea level.

Bombay Beach is definitely worth a drive around. At the very least to see how the locals live and their depictions of art. You can drive through town to the beach where you can actually drive on the beach or park and walk around. Many of the art instillations are created and maintained by locals. Some visitors come for a day, others find themselves at “home” for months. Rules don’t seem to apply here.

There are other areas around the lake of historical curiosity like the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club that became California’s largest marina in 1959 and closed in 1984. It was reopened as a museum and community center in 2010 after significant damage and abandonment for years.

Do not miss the “eye” into Angler Grove by artist Randy Polumbo. It is truly incredible and one of the things that I was most in awe over at Bombay Beach. Check out his website for more incredible work.

You can find it by searching for Angler Grove on Google maps and it’s kind of tucked behind a branching tree. Sometimes the door is unlocked, but currently Google says it’s temporarily closed. You can still look through the window and door. Visit at nighttime for the best effect. I won’t spoil it for you with any interior pictures.

Where to Stay in Bombay Beach

Say you’re driving from a long ways away and don’t want to drive there and back in one day. Consider an absolutely quirky-ass stay in Bombay Beach at one of the numerous Airbnb “trailers.” There are a few that are definitely a vibe, but not cheap. If you’re able to stay in Bombay Beach overnight, don’t miss the sunset at the beach.

Bombay Beach Tile House

The Zig Zag House

There are plenty more, mostly centered in Bombay Beach. Some are quirky and fun, others are just plain dilapidated so read reviews.

Slab City

With a similar apocalyptic vibe to Bombay Beach, Slab City is a squatter’s camp/art commune for people who want to live an alternative, off-the-grid lifestyle distinctly different from mainstream society. Only about 25 minutes past Bombay Beach, it’s definitely worth the drive.

“The Slabs” are named after the concrete slab left over from the disassembly of a World War 2 Marine Training Camp. It was dismantled in the 1950’s and in the 1960’s the land was transferred to the State of California from the Department of Defense. Eventually drifters and RVers looking for a free place to stay began congregating here. In the 1980’s at any given time there could be hundreds to thousands of RVs and trailers.

In 2018, the Smithsonian Magazine referred to Slab City as a “squatter’s paradise” and “one of America’s last free places” where people can disappear. Many get their electricity from solar or generators and obtain water off site. Residents go buy groceries from towns miles away.

Many residents are snowbirds who don’t stick around for the sweltering desert heat of the summer. In the winter of 2020, the population increased to 4,000 people but only 150 in the summer. The demographics of people living there are people who are eccentric but consider themselves retired, artists, transients, outcasts, or just plain poverty stricken.

“Attractions” in Slab City include a free lending library, an outdoor music stage called The Range for shows, an internet cafe, a hostel, and a skatepark, all of which have been closed during the pandemic.

East Jesus

East Jesus is a large area of Slab City that I was most intrigued and entertained by and I’d highly recommend prioritizing this if you visit. The founder died in 2011 but the odd art exhibition continues and evolves and has a caretaker. When we arrived, a man with a long white beard greeted us as “Wizard.”

Art includes large sculptures, political references, and basically any junk that can be repurposed into something interesting. I was endlessly entertained by the bizarre creations. A nonprofit formed after the death of the founder accepts donations to help maintain and expand the facility.

Apparently there is some division among older residents who have lived there for a long time and had a culture of exchange and the younger generation who have turned to methamphetamine and theft. Many residents also worry that the state will sell the land leaving them homeless.

Salvation Mountain

Salvation Mountain is somewhat of an Instagram phenomenon. I get it; it’s colorful. It’s right along the road before you come to Slab City, so I’d consider it an obligatory stop, especially because it’s uplifting.

The History of Salvation Mountain

A man named Leonard Knight wanted to spread the message of God’s love. He started by constructing a hot air balloon with the message of Jesus on it in the 1970’s and 80’s, however he failed to succeed in getting it to fly. He found himself in Slab City and ended up staying. Leonard redirected his efforts in 1984 into building a mountain with the messages instead.

His first mountain collapsed due to rain and he had to begin again, this time making it more durable with adobe clay and straw, as well as discarded tires and other junk, and over 100,000 gallons of paint. He continued working on it and adding to it for 28 years, living onsite and giving people free tours.

In the 1990’s, the site along with Slab City was almost torn down by the county. The county wanted to use the area for paid camping, and claimed there was lead in the paint. Leonard and his supporters gathered signatures and paid for their own testing of the soil and paint which was determined to not contain lead. Salvation Mountain escaped destruction.

Leonard’s health declined and he eventually had to move to a care facility in 2011, but he returned to Salvation Mountain frequently. KPBS recorded Leonard’s last visit in 2013 before his death in 2014. A nonprofit now maintains the site. National Geographic published an article about Leonard Knight and Salvation Mountain posthumously, calling him one of America’s greatest living folk artists.

Leonard’s sole purpose in life was to spread the message of God’s unconditional love. He saw obstacles as trials and lessons to improve himself and how he could serve others.

I hope this blog post convinces you to visit the Salton Sea, Slab City, and Salvation Mountain one day. Who knows what the future holds for each of these and how long they will be there. I think they deserve a visit either to contribute, talk to the locals, or learn about the area.

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