19 Facts About Salt Lake City Lake: The Populous County In Utah

It is the most popular tourist location in Utah.

The sunsets are very breathtaking in Utah. There are beautiful beaches in the city.

Between the great lakes and the Pacific Ocean, Great Salt Lake is the biggest lake. In the Western Hemisphere, it is the largest great saltwater lake. The water in the lake is salty.

Salt Lake was a part of Lake Bonneville, a massive ancient lake. Now it is just a landlocked lake. The lake has its share of intriguing myths and legends.

The lake was once thought to be the inland extension of the Pacific Ocean. It was thought to be a river connected the Pacific Ocean and the lake by the Native Indians who lived here.

Beautiful views of the lake can be seen from the Great Salt Lake City. Antelope Island State Park is also a recreation center in the city. The white sandy beaches are popular for sunbathing and swimming.

If you like this article, make sure to check out other fun fact articles such as Lake Atitlan Facts and Lake Champlain Facts.

History Of The Salt Lake City Lake

The Great Salt Lake City was originally inhabited by Native Indians. The lake is fed by Jordan, Bear, and Weber Rivers and has no outlet.

The lake has reduced in size due to evaporation. At first, the surface is was 2,400 sq mi (6,215 sq km) in the year 1873, and now it has reduced to 950 sq mi (2,460 sq km). Salt Lake is similar to the Dead Sea with the same chemical compositions.

There are very few forms of life in Salt Lake due to its high salt content. Brine shrimp is one such aquatic life popular in the lake.

At first, the city was inhabited by the Western Goshute Tribe and the Shoshone Tribe. Jim Bridger was the first European who came to Salt Lake City in the year 1825. President of the church, Brigham Young traveled from the United States into this Mexican territory.

They found it a safe way to practice religion, and the area was devoid of human settlement. They arrived in the year 1847. The old remaining tribe had been dead due to the measles outbreak.

From then on, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has occupied this city. It took 40 years for the construction of the Salt Lake temple initiated by Brigham Young.

The city was initially called the Great Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics. In the year 2007, the 16th Winter Deaflympics was hosted in the city.

Ecotourism In Salt Lake City Lake

Initially, during the Ice Age, Salt Lake was a part of Lake Bonneville. The Earth's climate became drier, and the size of the Great Salt Lake reduced. The extreme salinity of Salt Lake is due to the fact that there is no outlet for the lake.

The lake is landlocked from all sides finding itself standing independently. Lake Bonneville is a prehistoric lake, which dominated all the mainland of Utah.

There is the Bonneville shoreline trail, which is an ancient shoreline. You can travel by bike or use the trail for hiking. The volume of the lake has dropped by 50%.

The Great Salt Lake is famous for people visiting to float on its waters as you can't sink in the lake. Bridger Bay is the area most popular for this.

This is a unique experience to lie back on the water and experience the warmth of the sun and the sound of the seagulls. The Great Salt Lake is two to seven times saltier than seawater!

In the Antelope Island Marina and the Great Salt Lake Marina, you can find fresh water to wash off all the salt residue from clothes and all the equipment which were carried to the beach. There are many shower rooms and hotels nearby to clean up.

Though different types of fish cannot reside in the Great Salt Lake, about 250 different species of birds can be found here. Birdwatching is also 0ne of the famous sports which tourists can enjoy while visiting the lake.

This is also a popular area for sailing. There is a large amount of open water and steady winds which are favorable for boating.

Mornings and evenings are the popular time to set sail. Fishing along the shores of Salt Lake is favorable.

The wide range of activities and recreational sports that you can experience in Salt Lake Valley makes it a popular destination for tourists. From mountain biking to parties at the white beach, there are sports that cater to everyone's liking.

Animals In & Around The Salt Lake City Lake

Many types of algae reside in the Great Salt Lake. Only brine shrimp can tolerate the saline water. Both life forms feed on the algae produced in the lake.

This lake is twice saltier than the ocean water. In some cases, the lake water is seven times saltier than the oceans of the world.

The Great Salt Lake City is also a popular location for watching migratory birds. It is a major stop for these birds.

Coyotes, elk, and bobcats can be seen roaming freely on the island. Many visitors come to see these animals in their natural habitats. In some places, goose and duck hunting is allowed but is very restricted.

A popular way to see around Great Salt Lake City is kayaking. There is around 10,000 mi (16,093.4 km) of shoreline around the lake.

Some of the birds which can be observed here are the American avocet, black-necked stilt, snowy plover, white-faced ibis, American white pelican, western sandpiper, eared grebe, bald eagle, Wilson's phalarope, and various ducks. Lake City is the second saltiest lake in the world.

Apart from boating, fishing, and camping, mountain biking is also an interesting way to explore Salt Lake. There are several campgrounds that support horseback riding and ATV riding in the sand dunes too. All these facilities are located miles from the beach.

There are also many hotels situated alongside the city. On Antelope and Stansbury island, mountain biking trails can be found. The cleanest and nicest beaches on the Great Salt Lake are on Antelope Island.

It is covered with white sand. Antelope Island also has a state park situated in the northern Utah region. Antelope Island was formerly a working ranch and had private ownership.

Great Salt Lake Fishing

Fishing at Salt Lake is impossible due to no fish present, but in Farmington Bay and Bear River Bay, where freshwater comes, you can explore fishing. There are some brine fishes found in the lake, but they are limited to the southern shore of the lake.

There is a Garfield Beach Resort that was founded by Capt Thomas Douris in the year 1881. Steamboats named General Garfield traveled to the resort. The resort was burnt down in the year 1904 and in the year 1981, a new resort was built and was around 5,249 ft (1,600 m).

The resort was originally called Garfield Landing. It is located near Black Rock and outside of the town of Corrine. On the south shore of Salt City, the Great Salt Lake State Marina and the Antelope Island are situated.

The landscape looks beautiful on overcast days. The islands of the lake and the sailboats skimming through it look as if they are floating in the mid-air.

The lake is about 20 ft (6 m) and very shallow. Only a few winds, make the water rough. The lake is one of the largest tourist attractions.

Western Utah was covered by a prehistoric lake called Lake Bonneville, there are remnants of Lake Bonneville along the shorelines of Salt Lake. They look like terraces on the mountainside. If you follow the Bonneville Shoreline, you can bike or take a hike.

The lake level has been decreasing gradually since prehistoric times. Currently, the level of the lake is approximately 20 ft (6 m).

The shoreline has shifted by as much as 15 mi (24.1 km). The Bear River Dam Project will bring down the level of the lake by more than 8.5 in (21.5 cm). The level of the lake changes gradually every five to eight years.

Lake Powell is a popular place in the Western Hemisphere. The most fun thing to do here is to rent a houseboat. The houseboat has all the features of a home, including showers, kitchens, and many bedrooms.

These floating lodges can be moored at any location. Apart from Lake Powell, people find it easy to access the lake from Wahweap Bay. There are many boat rentals and accommodations available at this spot.

At present, Lake Powell has decreased by 40% of its original capacity. The water gets quite warm, making swimming a great experience. There are also many great fishing spots near Lake Powell where you can find fishes like crappie, largemouth bass, tried bass, bluegill, or largemouth bass.

Great Salt Lake Boating

Boating is best experienced at Lake Powell. Once you're through the narrow stretch of the Colorado River you get to see the beautiful sights of Padre bay. There are perfect arcs of sand, many rock formations, and placid waters that are a delight to see for anyone visiting the place.

Hiking, biking trails, beaches, and wildlife are some of the main attractions of this city. There is a marina in Antelope Island State Park and another on the south shore of a Great Salt Lake City Park.

There is one precaution that travelers should take while boating and after boating, which is to thoroughly rinse out the boat. The engines of the boat should be flushed out.

This should also be done after camping and swimming. After camping in a camper or RV, the RV should be rinsed thoroughly, and fuel should be backed up as there is no gas station for 7 mi (11.2 km).

The clothes after swimming might get dry and flaky, and it is advised to clean them up immediately.

All this is due to the fact that the water in the Great Salt Lake is very salty. While boating, an enormous amount of salt can get deposited on the engines, and the residue might build up and cause rusting in the engines.

Similarly, the tires of a camper van or clothes can be drenched in salt and require urgent cleaning to remove it. The picturesque views of the lake oasis, water recreation, and convenient location make Salt Lake an optimum choice for outdoor adventures.

The three major tributaries of Salt Lake are the Weber River, the Jordan River, and the Bear River. At the north slope of the Uinta Mountains, the Weber River starts, and then flows into the east edge of the Salt Lake.

The Bear and Prove River also originates from it. From the freshwater Utah Lake, the Jordan River flows, and not from the Uinta.

Due to the deposition of dust in the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains, there have been reports of dust in the snow. Due to the dust accumulation melting occurs at a higher pace, and the snow cannot reflect the sun's heat.

'Coney Island of the west' is the nickname of the Great Saltair. The Great Saltair is a lineup of bathing resorts around the lake. Visitors love the fact that they cannot sink in the salty waters of the lake.

At first, in the olden times, they used to carry their wagons, and later cars and trains also experienced floating like a cork. For every 45 minutes, one train left to the Coney Island of the west.

It had rollercoaster rides and amusement park fairs. But in the year 1925, Salt Air Island was burnt down.

In the Wasatch front, the Utah division researched that industrial and municipal usage of water amounted to only 11%. That meant that there was only a 1.3% decrease in the Great Salt Lake's water level.

63% of the water use was for agricultural purposes. This was due to the shortage of water in Utah, near Salt Lake, and the government had commissioned people to shorten their shower times, run washing machines only when they were full, cut back on watering lawns, and less flushing of the toilet.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 19 facts about Salt Lake City Lake: The populous county in Utah then why not take a look at Lake Chelan facts, or Lake Como facts?