Too Salty to Sink In! Great Salt Lake Sightseeing Tour

It’s true! The Great Salt Lake is so salty that it is impossible for a person to sink while swimming in the lake. Swimming in the lake feels quite strange…it’s as if an imaginary inner tube is beneath you, pushing you to the top!

Visit the Great Salt Lake on a fully-narrated 2-hour guided tour that departs from downtown Salt Lake City. On the drive to Great Salt Lake you may see some of the 257 species of birds that visit Great Salt Lake every year as part of the Central and Pacific Flyways for migratory birds, numbering several million a year. You’ll take in the beautiful Rocky Mountain views that surround this inland sea as your guide shares stories and history that you’d never get on your own. Reservations are required and can be made online.

Great Salt Lake Sightseeing Tours

The Great Salt Lake is a curious sightseeing attraction for tourists traveling through Utah, but pales in comparison to the number of visitors received at other tourist attractions in Utah, such as Temple Square in Salt Lake City and Utah's five national parks in the southern region of the state (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Capitol Reef, and Canyonlands National Parks). So what is so fascinating about a lake that many locals will tell you is dead? Well, it IS America's Dead Sea!

The Great Salt Lake is the largest natural lake found west of the Mississippi River, measuring about 70 miles long and 30 miles wide, depending on the year. More importantly, Great Salt Lake is the saltiest lake in the western hemisphere! It has been known to get up to 30% salt in the northern region by the end of the summer, which is nearly ten times as salty as the oceans. Great Salt Lake is so salty that you simply cannot sink in it! A century ago, it was a popular swimming destination, with beach resorts dotting the shores, including Saltair - "the Coney Island of the West." It has been several decades since the lake was known as a desirable destination to most locals, but it has a rich history and a fascinating science to it that many tourists and visitors will find worth the time to discover. The stories and science of the Great Salt Lake can be experienced best with a knowledgeable guide provided on our Great Salt Lake Sightseeing Tour, which offers departures at 9:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:30 PM, and 5:00 PM for the 2018 tour season.