Great Salt Lake State Park: Mirabilite Springs on Silver Sands Beach

 On the peaceful shores of Silver Sands Beach in the Great Salt Lake State Park sit several natural springs. These springs pass through a layer of mirabilite and bring it up to the surface. When it is cold enough, that mirabilite starts to crystalize and build terraces, similar to the terraced mounds you can see in Yellowstone but, different minerals and temperature. The mounds were discovered in October 1999. And well, I think they are absolutely fascinating so we make a point in visiting at least once or more a year. 

Quick Details:

Length: It is about 3/10 of a mile to the mounds, 6/10 of a mile round trip, plus whatever exploring you do.
Trail Type: Out and back, can make a loop by walking back along the shoreline.
Difficulty: DR3. Its super flat with one small hill, but it is beach sand and mud.
Elevation Gain: Not much
Restroom: Yes there are flush toilets by the marina and in the Visitor Center.
Dogs? Yes, leash required. However please keep good control and don’t let them walk on or otherwise harm the fragile mounds. I wouldn’t trust my dogs around them myself. Not if I wanted to get close enough to take photos anyway.
Other Info: Fee area. $10.00 per car. Waterproof boots strongly recommended. Also note: not only is it illegal to try and take a sample home, but it will completely disintegrate before long. So please leave them for everybody to enjoy.

To Get Here:

Take i80 to exit 104 (west of Salt Lake City). Head north, then turn left at Saltair. Follow the frontage road for about 1.8 miles and you will reach the fee station.

Silver Sands Beach is to the north of the Visitor Center.

The mountain sculpture at the airport (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)).

Saltair (PSP).

Marsh plants for days (PSP).

Fun bird murals next to the fee station (PSP).

The Kennecott Smelter Stack. Tallest man made structure west of the Mississippi. You know, I keep regurgitating this little factoid, but I can’t seem to find anything to support it LOL. but it is 1215 feet tall. Ope, here we go. Outside link.

The Visitor Center.

Brine shrimp in a tank in the Visitor Center. These are the only things that live in the Great Salt Lake.

The Trail:

Trailhead sign.

There is a short but kind of steep hill to get down to the beach.

The mounds off in the distance.

Huh. The little stream you used to have to cross must of meandered elsewhere.

Antelope Island.

Before long we have reached the mounds.

The terraces are just so neat! These mineral formations have only been observed in the Canadian Arctic, Spain, Antarctica, and here. So they are quite unique and rare.

The source spring.

Terraces and crystals.

A bigger mound. Looks like this might be 2 or 3 springs that have combined into 1 mound.

Terraces.

Another mound.

Crystals.

Source spring.

Itty bitty mound.

Another little one.

Crystals.

Back to the biggest one.

This one is forming terraces over a stick. Neat.

Crystals.

Source spring. It looks like this one has dried up.

From what I have read, it is theorized that the reason there are multiple mounds is that the crystallization essentially plugs the spring, so it works its way to a new outlet.

Terraces.

Crystals in what was the source spring.

Different angle.

A pair of smaller ones.

The Kennecott smelter stack.

Crystals.

Tight terraces leading to bigger terraces.

I’m not quite sure what is going on here. It looks kind of like the mirabilite mounds, but also not.

Same here. It looks like the sand has been pushed up, and some mirabilite is on it, but still.. not quite. Maybe this is a newer spring coming up? Or maybe it's just a little hill.

Looking back towards the mounds. We counted about 9 of them today.

Spring run off and Antelope Island.

Random dead fish. Fish don’t live in the Great Salt Lake, so it either ended up in it and died, or a bird dropped it here.

The big sand mound.

The little mounds again.

Back to the 1st two we saw.

I have found that I generally take at least 2 circuits around the mounds. Today was no exception.

Crystals.

The biggest mound again, with Antelope Island in the background.

Terraces.

Panoramic, which kind of skewed the horizon a bit.

Terraces.

One of the mounds.

Another mound.

Spring source.

The big mound again.

Another mound.

Source spring.

Another angle.

These little streams almost like like big river systems seen from very high up.

The smelter stack again.

Panoramic of the big mound.

Terraces with water running down.

Looking back towards the Visitor Center.

Back to the mound with a stick.

Terrace details.

Crystals.

More terrace details.

The smaller mounds.

Alright, we saw them all twice. We decided that we would follow the shore of the lake back, making it a short loop.

The smelter stack again.

The spring water heading towards the lake.

We saw this white shape in the distance and though maybe it was another spring mound. Nope, dead seagull. Most dead birds you find out here have been essentially mummified by the salt. This looks more fresh.

We made it to the lake. Antelope Island in the distance, and a little sandbar island.

Panoramic showing Stansbury Island and Antelope Island.

Landis decided to wade out to the little sandbar island.

The wonky shores of the Great Salt Lake.

Little sandbar islands.

Antelope Island.

Stansbury Island.

That little mound is Promontory Point.

Panoramic.

The smelter stack again.

A jetty and the overlook.

Stansbury Island and a wonky peninsula.

Classy sand art. Left by someone else.

Carrington Island.

Salt foam.

Little bay.

Another panoramic.

Little sandbar islands.

Starting to get a little sunset.

Panoramic.

The waves were just so soothing and calming today. We both wanted to pull up a camp chair and just relax for a while. Haha, maybe next time.

Little jetty. As far as I know it is not named. Its just listed as a viewpoint on the park map.

On the jetty.

The view.

Looking back towards the beach. There used to be a lot of cairns here for the orb weaver spiders, but they have been removed.

The wonky shoreline of the Great Salt Lake.

Heading back up the steep little hill.

We did a little more exploring around the park but I decided to put that in a separate post.

Anyway, I absolutely love coming out to see the mirabilite mounds. They are always different. I just find them so fascinating. It wasn’t too busy today, we even got some time alone with them. Plus the Great Salt Lake was particularly pretty and calming today. Going with 10 out of 10 squirrels.

As for difficulty, its mostly flat but it is beach sand and mud, so it’s a little weird to walk on. DR3.

Dogs are technically allowed, leashed. But personally I wouldn’t bring them for fear of them accidentally damaging the fragile formations.