A Photographer’s Guide to Utah’s Pink Lake at the Spiral Jetty
Many of heard of the Great Salt Lake in Salt Lake City; fewer, though, have heard of the “Pink Lake” within it. I visited this lake twice in the span of one week, and I’m here to tell you all about it: how long it takes to get there, how long you’ll be hiking from the car to the lake itself, how the lake affected our skin/clothes/my dog Pablo, and much more!
First, a quick biology lesson so that we can all be on the same page about just how spectacular this lake is. The gorgeous cotton-candy colored water is completely natural! The pink color comes from bacteria and microorganisms that just so happen to THRIVE in super salty environments… like the Great Salt Lake! These microorganisms produce pigment that give the water its pinkish hue when they interact with the sunlight. Isn’t nature amazing?
When planning a trip to the Pink Lake, please remember this: it is about a two hour drive from Salt Lake City. The closest services are NOT CLOSE AT ALL. Also, the past 30 minutes of the drive are on a gravel road in quite literally the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service, so make sure it’s something your car can handle. Please plan accordingly in terms of food/bathroom/gas stops, and make sure you have enough water to stay hydrated throughout your entire day! Also, PLEASE have a spare tire. On our first visit, we saw a car with a flat tire and on our shoot day, one of our models ended up with a flat. If you’re heading to the Spiral Jetty from the Salt Lake City Area, I’d recommend stopping at a gas station before you get off of I-15 and filling your tank, JUST to be safe. From Salt Lake City, about half of the drive takes places once you’re off of I-15! You’ll then be on much smaller, two-lane highways and roads all the way to Golden Spike National Historic Park. You’ll continue into the park (even though signs say “entrance fee required,” there was nobody there to take our money any of the four times we passed the visitor center), and even though you will most likely lose cell phone service, your cell phone’s navigation app should still lead you to the correct place. There are some conveniently located signs saying “Spiral Jetty” with an arrow to help you further. You’ll know you’re there when you reach a dead-end parking lot and can see a the Spiral Jetty itself just past the lot.
An artist named Robert Smithson decided to construct the Spiral Jetty in 1970. Why is this relevant? Well, the Spiral Jetty is where you’ll want to put into you GPS to take you straight to the pink portion of the Great Salt Lake. The Spiral Jetty is what you’ll walk past as you make the mile-or-so journey from the parking lot to the actual water level of the lake. The Spiral Jetty is just that: a marvelously large, 1,500-foot-long counterclockwise spiral made out of black basalt rock, earth, and mud. The Spiral Jetty is only visible when the water level is beneath about 4200 feet; it was submerged soon after it was first created and stayed completely underwater for over thirty years! Apparently, the water level is so low now due to a drought that’s been occurring in Utah since 2002, ensuring that the Spiral Jetty will be visible to visitors for years to come.
I’ve seen photos where the water level is much higher and the pink lake itself runs up against the Spiral Jetty, making for little-to-no walk from the car to the lake level; unfortunately, at the time we visited, it was about a mile walk to the water level. Don’t get me wrong, though - it was absolutely worth every step through salty sand! Being the lazy person I am, and knowing I'd be coming back to the Pink Lake later with more photographers, I knew it would be a good idea to time the walk. It took us about 6-7 minutes to walk down to the lake, and about the same to trek back to the parking lot. We weren’t powers-walking by any means; we leisurely walked, and it is a sandy surface, which can make the walk feel more like a hike than it really is.
Right before you make your way to the water, you may feel deceived… you may wonder why the water you’re looking out at appears to be just as blue as any other lake you’ve ever seen. Then, there comes a moment, as you approach the lake, where you can finally see the bright bubble-gum color in all its glory. The Pink Lake is something that cannot be described or accurately depicted with photos - you simply have to go there yourself to witness the beauty and experience the awe.
Now, it isn’t called the Great Salt Lake for no reason… it is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the entire WORLD, with a salinity level MUCH higher than that of any ocean! With that being said, if you bring a pet to the Pink Lake, please please remember to bring them a water bowl! They will be SO thirsty from all of the salt in the air, from the walk down to the lake, and if they (almost inevitably) go to take a drink out of the lake, they’ll quickly realize how much of a mistake that is! Some fresh water for your doggo will definitely save the day. My dog, Pablo, ran RIGHT to the lake for a drink as soon as we arrived at the water level. Unfortunately, nothing I did could stop him - he just had to learn for himself. I say this because I truly regret not having a water bowl there for him. My friends and I fed him water from our hands, but I still felt like the worst dog mom ever for not being fully prepared!
Aside from the saltiness and displeasure of ingesting the Pink Lake… It is totally safe to enter! Fascinatingly enough, portions of my friends and I’s legs and arms that had entered the salty lake were shining in the sun with a brilliant sheen as soon as the water dried onto our skin. Honestly, much love to Rihanna, but no Fenty highlighter could outdo that natural glow we got for free at the Pink Lake! Clothes that entered the lake ended up stiff and salty, but nothing that a quick rinse or run through the laundry won’t fix.
For any photographers reading this, the rest is for you! I’m going to tell you about my experience hosting two photoshoots on the shores/in the water of the infamous Pink Lake at the Spiral Jetty. We wanted to have some gorgeous sunrise lighting, so we left Salt Lake City at 4:15am. Yes… 4:15am. We made the two hour drive to the Spiral Jetty, just in time to watch the landscape turn from purple to brown as the sun began to rise over the gorgeous Utah mountains. We had three models for our two photoshoots - there was a solo photoshoot and a couple photoshoot.
Before we get into the amazing photoshoots, I’d love to tell you a little bit about cleaning off the tulle dresses! If you happen to also rent gowns or use any sort of intricate wardrobe for your photoshoot at the Pink Lake, have no fear! The salt is extremely easy to rinse off of even the most sensitive fabrics, such as the tulle gowns pictured below.
Our solo model’s name is Aliyah, a Utah native also known as @liyahbobeah on Instagram. I rented a gorgeous black gown from a local Utah gown rental company, known as @lemon_gowns on Instagram, for Aliyah to absolutely STUN in! Cloaked in the resplendent black gown, Aliyah’s presence was absolutely captivating. The Pink Lake, famous for its ethereal shades of blush and rose, offered an absolutely surreal backdrop for the stark black gown. Aliyah’s poise and confidence was nothing short of mesmerizing. With every step she took along the water’s edge, the gown flowed gracefully, mirroring the gentle ripples on the lake’s surface. Her demeanor exuded an air of regality, as if she were queen of this otherworldly realm, commanding attention with every glance and gesture. Her arms flowed above her head and around her body as she made sure to glance at each photographer’s lens. She threw the gown multiple times as her features will illuminated by the sunrise’s ethereal glow. Her gorgeous hair cascaded down her shoulders and laugh the sunlight in a bewitching dance of light and shadow against the Pink Lake and blue sky. Aliyah breathed life into a piece of clothing that seemingly couldn’t have more life squeezed into its exuberance.
Now for our couple editorial, the lovely Bekah (@bekahyi24 on Instagram) and Charlie, who have a joint Instagram account titled @utahmodel.couple. Bekah and Charlie had such positive attitudes for having to be awake and functioning so early, and they did such an incredible job of modeling together! As soon as we met, they radiated an undeniable aura of warmth. Bekah is originally from Pennsylvania, while Charlie is originally from Oregon. The two met in college and the rest is history! As a couples’ photographer, I have the privilege of witnessing and capturing raw, unfiltered emotions that two individuals share together, as one. This particular love story stands out as a delightful testament to the beauty of love and connection. The gorgeous gown I had Bekah in is by Utah Gowns, who go by @utahgowns on Instagram. The gown seemed tailor-made for Bekah and the Pink Lake. Sunrise was the perfect choice for that perfect low sunlight to light up their faces, too; it was just as dreamy as you could imagine! They absolutely stunned against the backdrop of nature’s beauty, and the twinkle in his eyes when he looks at her was just as magical in person as it is in the photos. What an honor to be able to capture such a gorgeous love story in this spectacular location!