Great Salt Lake
The largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere
Great Salt Lake, in northern Utah near Salt Lake City, is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere — a shallow, briny remnant of a vast Ice Age lake called Lake Bonneville that once covered much of the region. With no outlet to the sea, the water that flows in can only evaporate, leaving its dissolved salts behind, so the lake is several times saltier than the ocean and dense enough to float a swimmer easily.
Because it is so shallow, the lake's size swings dramatically with wet and dry years, and in recent years drought and upstream water use have shrunk it toward record lows, exposing broad salt flats and raising alarm about dust and collapsing ecosystems. Even so, its brine shrimp and the millions of migratory birds that feed on them make it a critical stop on the continent's flyways. The Bonneville Salt Flats to its west are a remnant of the same dried lakebed.