Why is the Great Salt Lake pink this time of year? Here’s the answer, and the best place to see it this fall.

The North Arm of the Great Salt Lake at Rozel Point taken from an iphone in 2018. Deann Armes, The Ogdenite

In Northern Utah, we have beautiful fall leaves—and a lake that changes colors with the seasons. The Great Salt Lake, on the northern side of the railroad divide referred to as the North Arm, turns a beautiful shade of cotton-candy pink in late summer and fall, thanks to its primary residents: salt-loving microorganisms called halophiles that are pigmented a lovely pinkish-violet and pinkish-orange algae (Dunaliella salina), according to Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

The salmon-bubblegum-hued waters can be seen north or south, but the highest concentration of halophiles and most brilliant pink waters are at Rozel Point peninsula on the northeastern shore of Great Salt Lake where you can also see the Spiral Jetty, a 1,500-foot earthwork sculpture by artist Robert Smithson created in 1970.

The Spiral Jetty is a massive piece of land art made from black basalt rocks, crystal salt, and other natural elements from the site coiled atop a sprawling bed of white salt. This, along with a pink Salt Lake backdrop creates an atmosphere of other-worldly beauty. The Spiral Jetty was built during drought and only reemerged in 2004 after being covered by water for decades—a signal to current drought conditions that threaten the Great Salt Lake, a state treasure and source of nourishment for thousands of migrating birds.

Read more about the fascinating history of the Spiral Jetty here and the Great Salt Lake here.

See what organizations like this are doing to save the Great Salt Lake.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Spiral Jetty is about 68 miles northwest of Ogden. You’ll take I-15 N to I-80 W traveling through Corinne to Golden Spike National Historic Museum (another great stop). From there, take these detailed directions.