Spiral Jetty — Attraction in Four Corners States

The Spiral Jetty is a naturalistic art installation done in 1970 by Robert Smithson. Smithson chose a space so far removed from the city you have no choice but to be fully engaged. Here there is not a single sound from the outside civilization.

The road to reach the Jetty cuts through rough rural terrain on a dirt road. You will have no signal, and the drive itself if roughly 30 min off of the main highway. I would suggest downloading your map. The drive includes scenic mountains, herds of docile cattle and rolling soft golden fields. Upon arrival you will find a lovely sizable parking lot, do not expect, bathrooms, trash cans, or picnic tables. This space has been left as natural as possible. Be sure to pack out any trash or water bottles, (please bring water the drive is long you will be thirsty), the space is meant to be ‘leave no trace’.

The Spiral has been created to be walked. The path is 15 feet wide and covered in large basalt stones. It is not easy other than being on flat terrain. I do believe that this is entirely the point of the artist. The path signifies the inward journey. From the center of the spiral you can look out and see a soft broken ring of distant mountains. The salt lake rises and recedes depending on the time of year. I went in late January and the lake was quite a distance from the art installation itself. The space is very salty.

I would encourage you to hike up the hill behind the parking lot for a view of you are a confident and experienced hiker. There is not a designated path and the terrain is rough and loose. Please use caution.

I did see dog prints in the space so I am assuming there are no rules against them being with you as long as you are respectful and...

Spiral Jetty, land art from 1970 in a remote area of the Great Salt Lake, is accessible on a dirt road from Golden Spike. It is made from volcanic basalt rock. After we first moved to Utah in 2006 it was submerged in water but over the years, as the lake has dried up, it can be seen and more people are going to see it. Some years ago I was hesitant to go on the dirt road (and into the wilderness with no services or cell phone!) but supposedly they have smoothed it somewhat and finally wanted to go see it! The area of the salt lake is so eerie and strange and very quiet! The surface sand has a salt crust which makes a crunching noise when you walk on it. I scooped up some of the wet salt from the lake shore and it reminded me of kosher salt. Therefore I rename this area the Great Kosher Salt Lake! The dirt road to this area from Golden Spike. See my photos. It looks like gravely rocks you can easily drive on than unfinished dirt road with lots of rocks. If you're in a truck with big wheels it's fine. The thing you can't see is that the way they made it, it has indents like a washboard. So if you're in a car or smaller SUV you will feel it, the vibrations. It's worse the slower you go so you have to go faster, at least 30mph. I went up to 45 depending, just watch the road and the conditions. Take a pit stop at Golden Spike on the way there and back. Get last gas at Corinne. See the UMFA website for info on SJ and their...

Great Sight! Everything else was worse than expected.

The Spiral Jetty is something I've heard about from art classes, and I wanted to see it before I leave Utah. I decided to go with some friends to get pictures done, to make the 3 hour drive a little more worth it than just so come and see and leave. Great choice. I think there still is value, if you want to see it, to going out and walking in the sand and along the rocks and then going out to the water. We went for sunset (the sunset was AMAZING) and there weren't a ton of people.

Spiral Jetty itself: 5 stars

Everything else: there is a 19.5 mile stretch of gravel road. Some machine must have just gone over it, because it felt like we were going over those bumps they put on the freeways to make sure you don't drift off for 30-40 minutes straight. No pot holes, but the bumps were relentless and it felt like the sedan was falling apart. Definitely recommend 4 wheel drive. It seems like going a little faster was helpful (it was better than going slow, surprisingly) Also, there is NO BATHROOM or civilization for about an hour drive distance from the jetty, so be prepared for that! The one plus: it was very clean and well kept.

The Spiral Jetty attraction...