Feeling Salty: The Great Salt Lake, Its Ancient Predecessor and the Island that Saved America’s Bison

Continuing on our Season One journey through Utah, we will consider the Salt Lake Valley. For some travelers, it can be nothing more than a spot to stock up on supplies or get a night's rest before venturing on to one of Utah's national parks. Don't sleep on the GSL, though. The Great Salt Lake has a pretty cool natural history of its own. From its predecessor in the Pleistocene, Lake Bonneville, to its modern incarnation as the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, the Great Salt Lake has shaped the land around it in thousands of different ways. Just how salty is it? You'll have to listen to find out.

Pairs well with I-80 and I-15, and is perfect for passing through the Salt Lake Valley.

Beyond the lake itself, the land around it plays host to thousands of migrating birds, unique endemic species, and a herd of American Bison with a winding controversial history of their own.

Knowledge Nugget: The (Disappearing?) Bonneville Salt Flats and Speedway

Deep Dive: Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams