PI-39 Commonly Asked Questions About Utah's Great Salt Lake and Ancient Lake Bonneville

Famous resort, Saltair, built in 1893 and destroyed by fire in 1971. Photo courtesy of the Utah State Historical Society.

What activites/industries exist in and near Great Salt Lake?

The Great Salt Lake and its environs have been used by swimmers, boaters, bikers, hikers, and hunters for recreational purposes from the mid-1800s to the present.

Long-term water-level fluctuations, both high and low, have adversely affected lake recreation over the years, however.  Nearly a dozen resorts have either been flooded or left high and dry. 

The most famous resort, Saltair, was built in 1893 and destroyed by fire in 1971.  The lake and and its three state parks, Great Salt Lake Saltair Beach, Antelope Island, and Willard Bay, attracted over a million tourists in 1994.

Oil occurs in natural seeps on the north shore of the lake, and drilling in the late 1970s disclosed additional oil beneath the bed of the lake.

The extraction of common salt from the lake started in the mid-1800s and continues to be an important part of the State's economy.  Other products, including magnesium metal, chlorine gas, sodium and potassium sulfate, and magnesium chloride, have been extracted since the early 1960s.

Oil occurs in natural seeps on the north shore of the lake, and drilling in the late 1970s disclosed additional oil beneath the bed of the lake.  The brine-shrimp industry harvests brine-shrimp eggs, for use as fish food, and exports them world wide. 

Eight state waterfowl management areas and one federal migratory bird refuge dot the southern, northern, and eastern shores of the lake.  Established during the early 1900s, these areas serve as important resting, feeding, and nesting areas for millions of ducks, geese, grebes, shorebirds, and other water-dependent birds.  Visitors are always welcome, and hunting is generally allowed during the regular waterfowl hunting season.