The Bonneville Salt Flats are famous the world over for their land speed records, but it’s also fun to visit them just to stroll around on the other-worldly landscape. This place has a surreal beauty that just can’t be beat, and it’s so large that it’s visible from space!

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The Bonneville Salt Flats covers a vast, 46 square miles just west of the Great Salt Lake. This strange landscape was once part of the ancient Lake Bonneville, which was 320 miles long and 150 miles wide. As the lake dried up, the salt flats were left.
Matt Nelson/500px via Getty Images
The flats are made up of 90 percent table salt, but the depth of the salt crust varies from up to five feet deep, to just an inch. It's estimated that the salt flats contain 147 million tons of salt.
You can see this startling wasteland from space! Here's a photo taken from the International Space Station. It shows just how large the Bonneville Salt Flats are, compared to the landscape surrounding it.
NASA.gov
In this photo taken several years earlier from the International Space Station, you can see the large expanse of the salt flats as well.
NASA Johnson/flickr
The bright string of lights in the lower center portion of the photo is Salt Lake City and its surrounding suburbs. You can see the large patch of tan to the northwest of those lights...that's the Bonneville Salt Flats!
You can visit the salt flats to see for yourself just how amazing they are.
Sandwich/flickr
Take I-80 westbound from Salt Lake City, then take Exit 4 near Wendover. You'll find a parking lot for the recreation area there.

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If you're visiting in the spring, you might find that the salt flats are flooded with a few inches of water.
Abstract Aerial Art/Digital Vision via Getty Images
You definitely don't want to try to drive on the flats when there is water present. In some places, the salt crust is thin, and softens when its wet. Your vehicle could easily become mired in the salt, and even if you don't get stuck, the salt water that splashes up on the undercarriage can cause serious damage.
In the summer, make sure to bring a hat. Slather on the sunscreen and bring plenty of water - the UV rays that bounce off the flats are really intense.
Cavan Images via Getty Images
Professional and amateur auto racing is popular here during summer and fall months. You might also recognize the salt flats in automobile commercials and movies.
Matt Nuzzaco/Moment Collection via Getty Images
The Bonneville Salt Flats are a popular spot for photographers to shoot all kinds of interesting photos. When you visit, you might see everything from a fashion shoot for a national company to a local photographer taking family portraits.
David Madison/Stone Collection via Getty Images
You'll want to bring your camera along to get some photos, too! While the Bonneville Salt Flats are certainly impressive when photographed from space, they're also incredible at ground level.

Have you visited the Bonneville Salt Flats yet this year? Tell our readers about your trip, and share your photos in the comments!

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Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah 84083, USA