Bonneville Salt Flats
| Bonneville Salt Flats | |
| salt flat | |
 Aerial view of the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2015; the race track is located in the upper left
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Utah |
| District | Tooele |
| Municipality | Tooele County |
| Part of | Great Salt Lake Desert |
| Borders on | Interstate 80 in Utah (south) West Wendover, Nevada (west) |
| Parts | Bonneville Racetrack |
| Location | (USGS coordinates) |
| - elevation | 4,219 ft (1,286 m) |
| - coordinates | 40°47′59″N 113°48′00″W / 40.79972°N 113.80000°WCoordinates: 40°47′59″N 113°48′00″W / 40.79972°N 113.80000°W |
| Area | 40 sq mi (104 km2) |
| Biome | Northern Basin and Range (ecoregion) |
| Public use | •Federal lands: restrictions •Private lands: some grant permission |
| Easiest access | State Route 447 |
| Timezone | Mountain (UTC-7) |
| - summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| GNIS ID | 1425872 |
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The Bonneville Salt Flats is a densely packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah. The area is a remnant of the Lake Bonneville and is the largest of many salt flats located west of the Great Salt Lake. The property is public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is known for land speed records at the "Bonneville Speedway". Access is free and visitors can drive on the flats.
Geologist Grove Karl Gilbert named the area after Benjamin Bonneville, a U.S. Army officer who explored the Intermountain West in the 1830s. In 1907 Bill Rishel and two local businessmen tested the suitability of the salt for driving on by taking a Pierce-Arrow onto the surface of the flats.
A railway line across the Bonneville Salt Flats was completed in 1910, marking the first permanent crossing. The first land speed record was set there in 1914 by Teddy Tetzlaff.
Entertainment filmed at the salt flats include portions of Knight Rider (1982 television series), Warlock, Independence Day, SLC Punk, Cremaster 2 from Cremaster Cycle, The Brown Bunny, The World's Fastest Indian, Gerry, The Tree of Life, Top Gear, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Furthermore, the Pontiac Bonneville (former flagship sedan of the Pontiac motor division), the Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, and the Bonneville International media company are all named for the salt flats.
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Wikipedia