Salton Sea, California

What you actually see

The shoreline is bleached, the beaches are made of pulverized fish bone and barnacle, and the mid-century resort infrastructure at Salton City and Bombay Beach sits half-buried. It photographs unlike anywhere else in the state. Bombay Beach has been partially reclaimed by artists, with large-scale installations scattered across the sand and an annual spring art event.

Salvation Mountain and Slab City

At Niland, on the eastern shore, Leonard Knight's Salvation Mountain is a fifty-foot adobe-and-paint hillside covered in scripture and color, built by hand over three decades. Beyond it lies Slab City, an off-grid settlement on a former Marine base. Both are free and both are best visited in the morning.

Birds

The sea supports over 400 recorded bird species. The Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge on the southern end is the best access point, with viewing platforms and trails; winter is peak season for migrating waterfowl and cranes.

Practicalities

There is very little food, fuel or shade around the sea, and the smell can be strong when the water turns over. Bring water, fill the tank in Mecca or Brawley, and plan roughly ninety minutes of driving each way from Palm Springs.