The largest remaining piece of prehistoric Lake Bonneville, Great Salt Lake covers 1,700 square miles and is the largest lake in the USA outside the Great Lakes region. Its shoreline is 10,000 miles long and the lake’s high salinity gave it the name "America's Dead Sea." Regardless of the high salinity, the lake is rich in many species of animal and plant life and is a popular recreational destination. The high salinity is caused by the fact that the lake is fed by three rivers – the Weber River, the Bear River, and the Jordan River – but it has no outlet, only evaporation.

There are 11 islands on the lake, with Gunnison Island being protected as the main rookery for a number of endangered birds. The whole lake is a heaven for birdwatchers because the surrounding wetlands offer a home and sanctuary for many migratory birds. Around the lake, visitors come for great hiking, biking, sightseeing, and golf, and in the winter there is skiing, ice skating, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. Map

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