The Salton Sea

^ That photo looks photoshopped.

Saw the creepy movie a long time ago.

Can I have your stuff?

I’ve been there...it didn’t smell that bad when I was there, honestly. Maybe I got lucky with the weather. It’s probably worse in the heat. It’s a cool place to take photos - there were huge flocks of pelicans when I was there. If you combine it with a trip to PS then sure, it’s worth a short look.

When I was a child I thought it was "The Salt and Sea," and assumed it was some fancy resort.

Looks fabulous.

I watched a documentary on tv not too long ago. Spooky as fuck. I can’t find it online, but I found this one that looks interesting.

Stay home, stay safe and watch this nice show.

It's an important bird-watching site, so you would expect to encounter a lot of twitchers among the tweakers.

It's not very pleasant-smelling.

So I know a bit about this. I've been a half dozen times, but my partner has worked at the Bombay Beach Bienniale and with their local community center to revitalize the area.

It is unbelievably beautiful, particularly in the afternoon. They have done extensive work in cleaning up the rotting fish carcasses on the beaches, so the smell is much less than it used to be.

Bombay Beach has been semi-revitalized through the Bombay Beach Bienniale, leaving some art installations in place. On any given weekend, there are plenty of photoshoots, artists, and videographers there.

It's still a very poor and depressed area and there has not been any improvement in cleaning up the 'sea'.

Your question is very open-ended. What do you want to know? If it is whether it is worth a visit, absolutely yes.

I’ve been! It’s definitely got a creepy vibe and the area is quite depressed. Hard to believe it was once a glamorous celebrity haunt. Just go for a short visit but don’t make it the focus of your trip.

We would usually stay in Palm Springs but on this trip we stayed in Borrego Springs which is super quiet and dead during the summer but is a bustling golf community during the winter. We stayed in a gorgeous original mid century modern Airbnb and had a blast. A bonus of staying there is that the city is a designated “dark” zone which means very few lights at night. The sky is full of stars and breathtaking. You can book an evening stargazing class in the middle of the desert.

R10 here again. So let me give some background. The 'sea' was created from a leak when they diverted the Colorado River water to LA - the leak wasn't noticed for over 2 years, so a large water deposit is now there. They believe the area used to contain water some tens of thousands of years ago.

The problem? There is no water coming in. It was a mistake, so there are no tributaries or any clean water coming in. It was a very popular 1950's vacation area - the Beach Boys used to play there in the 60's.

However, agricultural development around the sea created a lot of pesticide runoff that all goes into the sea. Over time, because there is no fresh water coming in or out, it has made the water toxicaly polluted and has killed off most of the fish and wildlife that resided there.

A few floods demolished whatever communities were left over - including Bombay Beach. Bombay Beach is probably the most famous area as it is a dystopian landscape of abandoned buildings and structures. It now has quite a bit of artists and outdoor artwork which makes it a fascinating place. There have been many music videos and other things shot there.

Unless some dramatic measures are taken, the water will continue to evaporate and it will leave a toxic dustbowl of chemicals that could endanger the lives of millions of SoCal residents.

It is a wild and extraordinary place - particularly if you know the history. I suppose just driving through it may be strange and not a vibe you'd expect. But if you know where to go, it's like no other.

There are still abandoned places in Bombay Beach with the food in cabinets and furniture that people left behind decades ago.

R11 - besides Borrego Springs, most of the Coachella Valley is a 'dark zone' for star gazing. The Rancho Mirage public library has a planetarium and high-focus monitors for this.

I would agree that a day trip is all that's needed for Salton Sea, but if you look past the poverty and ruins, it's extraordinary.

I guess I come from a different perspective as my partner has been so closely tied to the community and development there. And I know where all the artwork is, although some does change over time.

OP - I'm R10, R12, and R13. I'd be happy to give you a tour.

As far as Idyllwild, it's OK. I think you may need chains to go up there this time of year as there is snow in the mountains. Idyllwild is a decent get away from Palm Springs, but personally, I don't think there's much there. There used to be a great Jazz festival at the music school up there in the Summer, but it's been cancelled for some reason (non-Covid related).

creepy, r13.

your post, not some swamp story.

I want pictures

R12, nice post. That makes me want to explore the area a little bit more; not just a quick drive-through like I did a few years ago.

Bombay Beach trailer park. Last I thought of Salton Sea was years ago. I remember photos of some old eccentric dude by his trailer in shorts, had tan legs and ancient wrinkly knees.

Never been there and not in a hurry to go. Maybe some day.

Here are some pics

This is not far away - Salvation Mountain.

The swing is still there as of 2 months ago

R2 Wonderful film. Twists galore, and very moral at heart.

A couple of years ago, I went to Borrego Springs to see the famous dragon and other sculptures. Whenever the wind shifted to the east, an incredible foul smell blew through the town, it was from the Salton Sea about an hour's drive away. It smelled like rot and garbage and dead fish, but as I was a good distance away I only got whiffs as the wind allowed.

Not planning to visit after that, but I do recommend a detour through Borrego Springs if you're ever in the area. The dragon is awesome.

Here are some pics from 2019 Bienniale - BUT, a lot of the artwork is removed. Some of the art stays and improves the area - although some vandals do get to it.

R23 - I'm not going to say that there isn't an odor at times, but with the cleanup, it's much less than it used to be. You can still smell a foul odor at times, but it's not overwhelming like it used to be.

R15 - what was creepy about my post?

Or are you referring to the tour? I've actually met up with a few people over DataLounge in the past. It's not a big deal.

R23 could you imagine seeing that dragon at night when you were stoned? That would freak me out!

R26 - there are quite a few sculptures there.

I would want to see the TV Wall in East Jesus!

R10, (12, 13, 14 etc) Thank you for telling us so much about the area and the art installations. I had an outdated impression of the area from an old documentary. Maybe I’ll get down there someday.

I didn't notice any smell.

How have I never heard of this? Of course, I've heard the reference of "the Salton Sea" but apparently never knew much about it, or the area. Lived in LA for 10 years and love Palm Springs, and also photographing odd desert art or abandoned buildings (have done Route 66 several times cross country). Great posts, R12! I'm interested in Idyllwild too, more curious if anything. I've thought about moving to Palm Springs. Adding this to my list to visit next time I am in the area. I've also met several DL'ers, (maybe 10 years ago now.. that's how long I've been on this forum).

Very, very strange place. When we were there about 3 years ago it was hotter than hell (it was February) and stank to high heaven. The "sand" on the beach was made from fish bones - you could still see things likes mall vertebrae under your feet. Driving south from Palm Springs you pass through date palm plantations near the sea. We explored the ruins of Bombay Beach, slowly encrusting with salt. In one of the houses was some graffiti that reminds me of the current state of the US: "This is how we fell apart".

^^ "small vertebrae"

R31 - it's because it had such a bad rep for so many years. My partner has lived in Palm Springs for almost 10 years - probably less than 5% of the people we know have ever been. Their first reaction is - Eww! The Smell! And at one time, they were probably right.

Based on your photography of desert art and abandoned buildings, this would be a goldmine for you. My partner is a photographer and director of an art gallery - he's taken several photography groups to Salton Sea/Bombay Beach for this purpose.

Personally, I think a great full day trip is to do Joshua Tree in the morning, drive down to the 10 and then backtrack a bit to do Salton Sea in the afternoon. I don't think you can do Borrego Springs sculpture in the same day. That's too much and BS is on the other side of the sea.

Idyllwild is a small mountain tourist town. I don't think there's anything unique there - a decent amount of artists, but not really the art you want. Think wilderness scenes, eagles, wolf paintings - crap, in my opinion. It's more for hiking, camping, and escaping the desert heat. It pales in comparison to Big Bear, and I don't really like Big Bear that much outside of skiing.

I always confuse this place with the one they used for the ending of Carnival of Souls (1962).

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

R36 was my post about Slab City on the south end of the sea. It has Salvation Mountain as a tourist attraction, but it is a shady place with ne'er-do-wells and society dropouts. Never been myself because of the rumors and perhaps the danger is overhyped.

But some people like that stuff. I just would never find myself there after the sun goes down. To me, it's not an essential visit if you want to learn about Salton Sea - this is just an add-on for those interested.

The documentary at R7 (narrated by John Waters) is fabulous; it has everything. I stopped by there on a trip a few years ago but didn't stay overnight. I visited the Sonny Bono Nature Preserve, which was great for seeing owls and other birds, and basically stopped here and there for views on my way to Palm Desert. Didn't smell anything untoward. Salton City is surrealistic, like an inhabited moonscape. But I'm from the northeast, where treeless, harshly exposed landscapes are exotic.

R32 - all those palm tree farms and other agriculture around there is what has killed the place with runoff fertilizer and pesticides. They just DO NOT BELONG THERE in the desert.

Moreover, there should NOT be farms of cabbage and lettuce and other crops down there. It is THE DESERT. This shit does not belong there and it's an ecological disaster.

If they have any hope of saving some of the area, they have to buy out all of the agriculture in that area. It's ridiculous. It makes me as angry as when I see huge grassy lawns in the Palm Springs area or Phoenix area. Massive, irresponsible waste of water and resources. Same goes for all the golf courses.

[quote] They have done extensive work in cleaning up the rotting fish carcasses on the beaches, so the smell is much less than it used to be.

Do you have their contact information?

[quote] What about Idyllwild?

Idyllwild is a good base to hike up to Mt. San Jacinto. City people rent cabins up there for the weekend as a sort of mountain escape. It's a cute little place to escape the chaos of the city.

A little more on Idyllwild.

[quote]They have done extensive work in cleaning up the rotting fish carcasses on the beaches

Seems like the least they could do.

I went there two years ago during a trip to LV and PS. I love shady seedy places and the desert, so I was really happy that day. It’s all very exotic to me, being from the East. I like how when you stop in some of the crossroad towns, it feels like you’re in Mexico. Slab City was forboding, and I wouldn’t go there at night by myself, but I loved how strange it was. It’s like being in one of those melting clock Salvador Dali paintings.

Idyllwild has apparently had a bit of a boom in the last few years and isn't as easy to visit or find lodging during the summer - many in PS use it now as the place to get away when it's 115-120F in the summer in the valley.

Don’t go hiking in Idyllwild!! You’ll get lost for days and then die!

You're high, right?

Idyllwild is a great place... trails all over through high desert mountain pine forests. Don't go in summer. Fall, late fall... or given it's another dry year, this winter would be good.

We took a day trip there about ten years ago from Palm Springs. What I remember most:

1) the smell 2) stopping at the date store 3) hurrying back to Palm Springs to take my east coast-based nephew to In & Out Burger.

Dumbest OP of the 8 o'clock hour.

Thanks, OP. This was an interesting read. Report back from your visit!

Save yourself the trouble and watch a few videos like this on YouTube. We don’t want you getting kidnapped by felons & meth freaks!

Imperial County is usually made fun of on Datalounge. But I've been to many of the sights there and I'll offer my 2 cents worth.

I don't think it's worth going all the way to the edge of the Salton Sea. There are other lakes in California that are far more rewarding. For bird watchers, the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge is a reason to go to there. When I was nearby it, an enormous flock of what had to be 50,000 birds passed overhead and that was an astounding sight.

The area southeast of the sea is an active geothermal area, and there are at least 2 geothermal power plants, maybe more. Nearby one of them is the Calipatria Mud Volcanoes, officially called the Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field. They are gurgling, burping hills of mud like something you might see at Yellowstone. There are signs that you are not allowed, but nobody anywhere around to enforce it, so effectively you can visit it. Put plastic bags on your shoes to keep the fine porcelain-like mud off them.

Also due to the geothermal activity there are several hot springs, some free. Slab City Hot Spring, Five Palms Oasis, and High Line Hot Well (often called Holtville Hot Spring). I've been to High Line and it is excellent, free and well mainained in the winter by snowbirds. Ot can get pretty crowded. It the summer it is not as crowded, due to the hot weather, and as well maintained, but it can be very cruisy on a warm summer night. Or really any night. But BLM cops sometimes visit. I've also heard Five Palms hot spring is cruisy, but I haven't been there as you have to go on dirt roads to get to it.

Near the Salton Sea is the famous Slab City, popularized by the film "Into the Wild." The East Jesus art area is near that. Salvation Mountain is nearby, though the man who made it has passed away and I don't know if they are still maintaining it. The International Banana Museum is in Mecca, to the north.

I'll also add that some of the best Mexican food I've ever had has been in El Centro and Imperial County. Fresh produce is also high quality there, due to the many farms. Holtville is the "carrot capital" and they have a carrot festival in February. People who live in this county are generally down to earth and friendly. Sadly there is a lot of poverty and people who are just barely getting by, amidst all the agricultural prosperity.

Also in the general area are the Colorado River, Glamis Dunes off-road recreation area, the vast Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Agua Caliente Hot Springs County Park, the Desert View Tower, the town of Borrego Springs, with Ricardo Breceda's metal sculptures, Laguna Mountain Recreation Area, still forested with sweeping desert views, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Lake Cuyamaca, and the rugged San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains National Monument (thanks Bill Clinton).

Idyllwild is not too far away, you get to it from Palm Desert by taking the Palms-to-Pines Highway (74) up the mountain. Idyllwild is a small mountain town, forested, artsy and gay-friendly. It has hiking trails and rock climbing. Some southern California rock climbers practice there before going on to Yosemite. The best place to eat in Idyllwild is the Gastrognome. More expensive, but worth it.

[R52] Thanks, that is great travel advise. I’m going to cut and paste for whenever I get to go back. I agree with the Mexican food, I had the best tacos of my life in a strip mall somewhere between Palm Springs and Salton Sea. The owners were so nice, too.

[quote]an enormous flock of what had to be 50,000 birds passed overhead and that was an astounding sight.

I hope you brought an umbrella.

Americans really fucked up our lakes. Lake ecosystems are dying. We need a lake commission or something to clean them up.

I think the Salton Sea definitely worth a visit if you enjoy creepy, semi-deserted places that have a vaguely menacing vibe without actually being dangerous (by day; I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable wandering around there alone at night). I don’t think you need more than a couple of hours, some of which you’ll spend in the car driving to different points on the lake.

It’s depressing but quite picturesque in places where there are abandoned buildings along the lakeshore. Away from the lake, where there are people living in dilapidated trailers, it’s just depressing. If you like to take pictures that look strange and ominous, this is the place to go. The water, the sky, the barren mountains, the empty, decaying buildings … great photo ops. R31, this is the place for you!

R35, that’s the Saltair Pavilion on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. I’ve been there, although, almost 50 years after the movie, it had been renovated, opened, closed and re-opened. There were few people there when I visited, but it wasn’t abandoned.

OT, but the desert surrounding the Great Salt Lake is mondo bizarro. For example, just a short distance from the pavilion on I-80, there’s the exit for Dugway, UT, one of the few closed cities in the US and home to Dugway Proving Ground. One can only guess what goes on there. Probably best not to know.

There are old salt and mineral processing plants here and there – some active, some closed – huge, steampunk-looking buildings rising out of the absolutely barren salt plain with absolutely dead barren mountains behind them. All this is less than an hour from Salt Lake City, which is quite pretty and green, and the snowy, forested Wasatch Range. Overall, I think the drive on I-80 from Salt Lake to the NV line ranks high among the weirder stretches of interstate in America.

R39, you're talking about the Imperial Valley. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for anyone to shut down the Imperial Valley, nor should they. Not only is it highly productive agricultural land, very important to California's economy, but closing or limiting agriculture there would dis-employ and impoverish tens of thousands of people who are already pretty damn poor.

The place looks really depressing. Why go there?

... I mean, you could just visit your local landfill instead and save yourselves the trip.

Incredible that this sea exists only by man made accidental flooding.

The scientist in this video has a PhD and is convinced it can be revitalized.

[quote]The place looks really depressing. Why go there?

Because it's the last affordable place in California? A place where weirdos can do their own thing and collect junk and be left alone.

You actually go there?

R33, There are plenty of areas with mall vertebrae.

I live in Brawley California, just south of the Salton Sea, which is a short trip to the Mexican border. Spooky part of the country. Lots of strange things and people in that part of the desert. The Outer Limits type of place.

I'm sure the pollution doesn't help.

It could be a quiet disaster for the entire LA basin and Coachella Valley. Blowing winds carrying polluted, toxic particulant damaging lungs to millions. If they were smart, they would cut a canal from the SS to Gulf of Mexico and pump water back into the SS.

I love the Salton Sea!

R67 Or the could revitalize it?

It's like the day and night difference between Niagara Falls. The US side looks broken, run down and the Canadian side, well, that's basically their Las Vegas. Reminds me of Vegas hotels too.

[bold]If you wake up next to a dead hooker near the Salton Sea, you will be SO HAPPY you have planned for this contingency. [/bold]Not saying you'll kill anyone, just warning you about the possibility of waking up next to a dead hooker.

Research the issue, maybe discuss the matter hypothetically with your criminal attorney, hide a waterproof packet with phone #, to-do list, and hydrogen peroxide in your car.

Mkay

R65 what is it like living in Brawley? How did you end up there? Do you like living there?

One of the two most beautiful blues I ever saw, along with Crater Lake. 💙

This thread is PROOF that DL is no longer fun....Or GAY.....

A giant water desalination plant could have this fixed in a decade or so.

R73 really?

R75 That would have helped. The fish wouldn't have died. How does it not dry up?

They got the salt part in Salton right.

You are an astute observer, R76. The desalination plant would have to be surrounded by many Fukushima-type water tanks to catch the concentrated brine, only clean pure water would go back into the less-salty Salton. This results in less water over time. :(

Agriculture and cattle farming. Even have a small goat farm. (Not lesbian) It’s a way of life, 72. Work is 7 days a week. Not for the faint of heart. We are really worried about the SS. California has been talking about this time bomb for decades yet it will cost big bucks and seems to be on the back burner again for now.

R79 Are you near it?

If they ever get rid of the smell, please have them call me.

Don’t go there. Meth and Satan worshippers hang around there, they don’t like strangers and cell service isn’t reliable.

Satan worshipping. Is that a thing.

CA has so many weird places. I've been somewhat fascinated with 29 Palms and that area since it was mentioned on DL.

If you like 29 Palms, head up to Pioneer town. The cut off is in Yucca Valley, about 10 miles before Joshua Tree entrance. It is an old ranch set where TV and western movies were filmed. A bit touristy but fun. 29 Palms eastward is total creepville. Fascinating how some desert rats live......And to think we make fun of West Virginia mountain folks. WV is sophisticated & tame compared to SS, Amboy and other depraved desert communities.

R79 I think you are poster R65? How did you end up in Brawley? Do you like it there? Did you grow up being interested in agriculture? Is Brawley a tiny town with nothing to do? Is it creepy in Brawley?

It’s comforting to know your goats are not lesbians!

[quote] Satan worshipping. Is that a thing.

Yes, but it's mostly bored teenage metal-heads smoking weed and tagging rocks with pentagrams. Christ worshipers are much scarier.

Bump because I love this danky sea!⛵

I want to hear more, please.

Me too. More sea.

Bump

Time to head out there and write your American Gothic best seller

I went there once 40 years ago with my crazy Egyptian bf in an RV he'd borrowed from his Armenian friend. We tried to sleep in the RV in a parking lot but a trooper woke us up at 3 am and we had to move. That's all I remember except that it was fishstink season. Everyone kept telling us we should come when the dead fish weren't lining the shore.

Love this thread. Can you get in the water?--if anyone talked about that I missed it. Isn't salty water supposed to let you float easily?

Here’s an out-of-date article, that mentions attaching some money to help fix the area, but it was pre COVID, I doubt California still has its “rainy day fund”. But the article does include 55 photos of the Salton Sea.

Salton Sea is a super site fund, and if i recall correctly years ago Congress decided not to fund it at that time.

I watched a documentary years ago about a young man who had moved to Bombay Beach on the Salton Sea. His father had moved there to get away from gang violence in south-central LA. The son was so bored and hated Bombay Beach so badly that he dedicated himself to working out. His goal was to attain a football scholarship to any college to improve his life. The documentary shows how ugly and desolate the Salton Sea can be. But there’s also beauty to the area as well.

Here’s a preview of the documentary Bombay Beach:

What is the sea good for?

Can't believe people actually live there.

Is it salty like the dead sea?

No one swims in it? Boating?

It's really pointless, R98. I can't imagine the feds funding a clean up. Maybe Newsom was going to somehow grift the money toward Kimberly Guillfoyle? How was he ever married to her?!

Pointless or not, immediate action should commence. When it eventually dries up, the winds will blow massive TOXIC dust and particulate westward over the Coachella Valley, Riverside County and ultimately toxic chemical debris to the Los Angeles basin. It will cause irreparable damage to the lungs and health of millions of So Californians.

Years and years of agricultural, settled chemicals just waiting to take flight.

Clean it up.

What do you do with the dead fish?

Didn't think of that, R100. Yes, clean it up!

How to recycle dead fish?

This might be why they don't do anything. They don't know what to do.

Get Erin Brockervich on it.

Since the Salton Sea is below sea level, and the sea of Cortez is only 50 miles away of flat land away, it wouldn't take much to dredge a canal to bring salt water to the Salton Sea - but it would require Mexico to agree. The sea of Cortez is a rich fishing grounds and a lot of tourism centers around fishing it, so I'm pretty sure Mexico isn't too eager to have the toxic backwash of the Salton Sea potentially mixing with and flowing back towards the gulf.

Just ignore it then. Deal when it becomes a crisis.

With all the pollution waiting to happen when the sea dries up, doesn't that mean that it's not very healthy for residents now?

Sounds like it be best to give it back to nature. She’ll fix it.

I read somewhere the main problem is all of the agricultural runoff and pesticides that find its way into the sea. If you wanted to help the health of the sea maybe stop farming in the area? I don’t think that will happen.

California, you gonna die.

The residents won’t leave. Old people are stubborn.

I had no idea the Sea of Cortez was so close to the Salton Mess. This was before smartphones and I can't read maps well or I would have insisted we put pedal to the metal and go see it.

I stopped by to explain to everybody that saying one is three hours from the Salton Sea is worthless information. You could be anywhere from Las Vegas (likely) to Catalina Island, or parts of Arizona and Mexico.

Sad there are so many rivers it connects with.

Poison rivers.

R105 and R112, what you are calling the Sea of Cortez is known as the Gulf of California in English. Why are you calling it the Sea of Cortez?

[quote]Why are you calling it the Sea of Cortez?

That's one of the names by which it is known. What difference does it make?

Could not find on map.

So can't do anything.

"The Sea of Cortez is a marginal sea located in the Pacific Ocean. It serves as a divide between mainland Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Other English names for the sea include the Gulf of California, the Vermilion Sea, and the Sea of Cortés, while its Spanish names include the Mar de Cortés, Golfo de California, and Mar Bermejo."

A toxic stew of agricultural chemical runoff.

Bet there's no covid.

R2 Damn, Val still looked good.

Why would you let your dog or anyone else swim in there? I watched the documentary upthread narrated by John Waters and some of those crazy people Who live there were saying they swim in there.

At 0:46 it shows one of the boat clubs that was on the shore of the Salton Sea. In the 60s and 70s people used to go boating, water skiing, fishing, etc. Not anymore.