Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Utah Corinne The Spiral Jetty

The Spiral Jetty

An earthwork sculpture built by Robert Smithson in the Great Salt Lake only reemerges during drought.

Corinne, Utah

T tvstay profile photo
Added By
tvstay
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The Spiral Jetty   Adam Gray / Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Photograph of a person standing in the middle of Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty in rural Utah by Michael David Murphy   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spiralje...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennymont/295...
spiral jetty, late 2012   zackofalltrades
spiral jetty, late 2012   zackofalltrades
spiral jetty, late 2012   zackofalltrades
spiral jetty, late 2012   zackofalltrades
spiral jetty, late 2012   zackofalltrades
spiral jetty, late 2012   zackofalltrades
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/srharris/1366...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaui/35254037...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalydaly/3363...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/fodness/14618...
Spiral Jetty, circa 1970   http://www.globalartmagazine.com
From the top   yyyzzz / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Built in 1970 of mud, salt crystals, basalt, and dirt, the Spiral Jetty is 1,500 feet long and extends far out into the Great Salt Lake.

However, no one saw this work for over 30 years. Built during a drought by Robert Smithson, once the water levels returned to normal the spiral was then submerged for three decades, reemerging during a drought in 2004.

The black basalt rocks are now covered with white salt encrustations, and the water has a pink hue to it. The jetty disappears if the lake level is higher than 4,197 feet, and currently, the jetty is fully visible as the lake level is below its historical average.

There is a plan to restore the jetty, but not everyone agrees with the plan. The sculptor, who died in a plane crash only three years after completing the jetty, expressed a love of entropy and the eroding powers of nature. His project is part of a late 60s sculptural movement known as land art.

It is likely Smithson would have been very happy with the jetty's disappearing act and changing appearance.

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

Sculptures Art Underwater Week Water

Know Before You Go

Odometer readings vary with each vehicle. The distances given below are only approximations. The Department of Natural Resources has posted signs at each turn/fork to indicate directions to the Jetty. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THESE SIGNS AS SOUVENIRS. 1. Go to Golden Spike National Historic Site (GSNHS), 30 miles west of Brigham City, Utah. Spiral Jetty is 15.5 dirt road miles southwest of GSNHS's visitor center. 2. To get there (from Salt Lake City) take I-15 north approximately 65 miles to the Corinne exit (exit 365), just west of Brigham City, Utah. Exit and turn right onto Route 13 to Corinne. LAST GAS before Spiral Jetty is in Corinne at the Sinclair truck stop. 3. Past Corinne, the road becomes Highway 83. Continue west for 17.7 miles. 4. Turn left onto "Golden Spike Road" and continue 7.7 miles up the east side of Promontory Pass to GSNHS. LAST BATHROOMS before Spiral Jetty are at the GSNHS’s Visitor Center. 5. From the Visitor Center, drive 5.6 miles west on the main gravel road to a fork in the road. Continue left, heading west. (From this vantage, the low foothills that make up Rozel Point are visible to the Southwest.) 6. Immediately you cross a cattle guard. Call this cattle guard #1. Including this one, you cross four cattle guards before you reach Rozel Point and Spiral Jetty. 7. Drive 1.3 miles south to a second fork in the road. Turn right onto the southwest fork, and proceed 1.7 miles to cattle guard #2. 8. Continue southeast 1.2 miles to cattle guard #3. 9. Continue straight 2.8 miles south-southwest to cattle guard #4 and an iron-pipe gate. 10. At this gate the Class D (gravel) road designation ends. From here, four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicles are strongly recommended. 11. If you choose to continue, drive south for another 2.7 miles, and around the east side of Rozel Point, you will see the Lake and a jetty (not Spiral Jetty) left by oil drilling explorations that ended in the 1980s. 12. Southwest beyond the site of the oil jetty, turn right onto a two-track trail that contours above the oil-drilling debris below. Travel slowly--the road is narrow, brush might scratch your vehicle, and the rocks, if not properly negotiated, could high center your vehicle or blow out your tires. Don't hesitate to park and walk. Spiral Jetty is just around the corner. 13. Drive or walk 6/10th of a mile west around Rozel Point and look toward the Lake. Spiral Jetty may be in sight. The lake’s levels vary several feet from year-to-year and from season to season, so Spiral Jetty is not always visible above the water line. *addendum circa 2012: the road has been much improved since the above was written, is signed and navigable by passenger car though high clearance is much preferable. google maps will direct you to Spiral Jetty, though cell service is intermittent past the golden spike museum.

Community Contributors

T tvstay profile photo

Added By

tvstay

amandahnk profile photo derekawalker profile photo M mbison profile photo Z zackofalltrades profile photo

Edited By

amandahnk, derekawalker, mbison, zackofalltrades...

  • amandahnk profile photo amandahnk
  • derekawalker profile photo derekawalker
  • M mbison profile photo mbison
  • Z zackofalltrades profile photo zackofalltrades
  • breaingram profile photo breaingram
  • Michelle Cassidy profile photo Michelle Cassidy
  • yyyzzz profile photo yyyzzz

Published

July 21, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.diaart.org/sites/main/spiraljetty
  • http://clui.org/ludb/site/spiral-jetty
  • http://clui.org/category/ludb-keywords/land-art
  • http://climb-utah.com/WM/spiraljetty.htm
  • http://www.robertsmithson.com/earthworks/spiral_jetty.htm
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_jetty
  • http://www.globalartmagazine.com
The Spiral Jetty
Rozel Point
Great Salt Lake
Corinne, Utah, 84307
United States
41.437704, -112.668832
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway

Corinne, Utah

miles away

ATK Rocket Garden

Corinne, Utah

miles away

Box Elder County Office Clocktower Clock

Brigham City, Utah

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Corinne

Corinne

Utah

Places 3

Nearby Places

Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway

Corinne, Utah

miles away

ATK Rocket Garden

Corinne, Utah

miles away

Box Elder County Office Clocktower Clock

Brigham City, Utah

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Corinne

Corinne

Utah

Places 3

Related Stories and Lists

Ley Lines and the Allure of Imposing Order on History's Chaos

maps

By Colin Dickey

Salt-Loving Microbes Make Vivid, Massive Abstract Art

salt

By Gemma Tarlach

30 of the World's Most Spectacular Spirals

List

By Kerry Wolfe

A Tour of Spectacular 1970s Art Made From the Landscape Itself

List

By Robin Babb

15 Places in Utah that Prove the State is Weirder Than You Think

hidden

By Atlas Obscura

Can I Lick It? Yes You Can! -- Atlas Obscura's Guide to the World's Salty Wonders

essential guide

By Sarah Brumble

Related Places

  • The Drop

    Vancouver, British Columbia

    'The Drop'

    This exaggerated sculpture resembles a well known feature of Vancouver:

  • Cutting Edge.

    Sheffield, England

    Water Sculptures of Sheaf Square

    An enormous steel waterfall is a nod to the substance that shaped Britain's Steel City.

  • Stratton Spring

    Manitou Springs, Colorado

    Manitou Mineral Springs

    There are eight natural springs around town, each with a slightly different taste.

  • Underwater Museum at Cape Tarhankut. (Panoramio)

    Olenivka, Ukraine

    Underwater Museum at Cape Tarkhankut

    Submerged busts of communist and socialist figures from the USSR.

  • Scrap metal sculpture

    Listvyanka, Russia

    Museum Retro Park

    A tiny park off the beaten path covered in ingenious scrap metal sculptures.

  • One of the "islands" in Lake Ballard as a backdrop to one of the figures

    Ularring, Australia

    Inside Australia

    A series of eerie metal stick figures are spread out over four square miles on the bed of a huge salt lake in the Australian Outback.

  • Serpent D'Océan

    Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, France

    Serpent D'Océan

    An aluminum skeleton brings Chinese mythology to the French shore.

  • The People’s Treasure

    Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

    The People’s Treasure

    Cool Soviet-era public sculpture outside the Kyrgyz National Academy of Sciences on Chuy Ave.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.