Drought reveals Spiral Jetty public art

It’s hard to say if the artist who came up with the Spiral Jetty in a remote part of the Great Salt Lake knew it would become a symbol of climate change and the ongoing drought when he constructed it 50 years ago.

Artist Robert Smithson had construction crews dump 6,000 tons of black basalt rock in a spiral formation, at the northeastern edge of the Great Salt Lake. His public art installation submerged as the waters rose in the years after it was built.

The Spiral Jetty remained hidden for 30 years, but as the water levels dropped, it re-emerged around 20 years ago. Now, it appears to be here to stay in public view for the foreseeable future.

For many years after the rocks broke through the receding water line, the art installation remained surrounded by the often pink-hued water. As the levels continued to drop, the entire area dried out, serving as another visual reminder of the ongoing drought in the Western United States.

The drone captured some great aerial footage which we posted on Instagram. You can see, especially after the warm summer months, very few people make the trek to visit the Spiral Jetty:

Getting there

I was pleasantly surprised by the drive to this remote site! It’s about two hours from Salt Lake City.

Head toward the town of Corinne, UT, and go west on the highway toward the lake. Google Maps’ directions were spot on for us.

They’ll take you on very-well-maintained gravel roads through cattle ranches to the small parking lot above the jetty.

Make sure to bring food and water with you, because there’s nothing else around for miles.

There’s also no cell service… though walking out a ways into the dry lake bed, my phone pinged with a text message. I was surprised to hear it, but it’s good to know for emergencies.

I’d stop at the Bear River Valley Country Store on the way in to fill up the gas tank. It’s the last store you’ll see for many miles. There are no bathrooms or anything near the Jetty.

We rented an SUV (based on past drives to other remote sites) but any car could make this trip (as of December 2021) in good weather.

Jetty photos

We were fortunate to have a non-windy day, so the drone flew well over the jetty. We were even more fortunate to be the only people there for hours!

While the best shots here would come from a drone, the hill above the jetty provides a good vantage point for photos.

Farther out, you’ll see the waterline. It’s hard to tell what color it is from the lot, but it’s likely worth a walk out.

During parts of the year (usually summer into fall and even December in our case) the algae and microorganisms in the salt water create a pink hue.

Its vibrancy changes based on a variety of factors, but it’s truly a wonder. Sticking your feet into the water, you’ll immediately notice the buoyancy created by the high salt content!

The pink even reflects in the clouds above!

The white foam, salt formations, and pink water create great photo options. If it’s not windy, you’ll get beautiful glassy reflective surfaces in the water.

If you fly a drone, you’ll be amazed at what the waterline looks like from above!

Down a ways from the Jetty, you’ll see some old wooden remains sticking out of the dry salt bed.

This is part of an old drilling platform. The worn-away wood and corroded metal are a great spot for photos, with either a huge sky or mountains in the background.

Jetty history

The jetty was an art project by the late Robert Smithson, who died a few years after its completion in 1970. He apparently didn’t like the construction crews’ initial work, so the whole jetty was reconstructed shortly after completion.

I’ve heard different stories about the spiral shape.

Some say the artist was inspired by the moon landing, and the spiral resembles a galaxy.

Others say it forces you to walk counterclockwise, and think about going back in time.

I’ve also heard it was designed based on petroglyphs, or the rumor that the Great Salt Lake had a whirlpool in it.

The shape is also said to resemble salt crystals on a molecular level.

It could be a combination of all of the above.

Based on aerial photos, water last crept up to the edge of the jetty rocks in 2018. The waterline appears to be farther than ever, as I write this.

Decades after its creation, the Jetty remains relevant in the art world. Its prominence was used as part of a protest against an oil company’s plans to start drilling from barges anchored off-shore.

You really never know what you’re going to get when you arrive. What we found on our trip wasn’t much like the satellite images from Google Earth. Nature changes the salt formations, the color of the water, and more over time… making it a spot we’ll return to in a few years.