Why Did Everyone Leave the Salton Sea?

The mysteries of the Salton Sea. Over the years I’ve driven by the Salton Sea more times than I can count and I’ve explore dozens of trails in this region, but I’ve never taken the time to learn about the Salton Sea and understand what really happened here. So today, that’s my mission, uncover how this are went from once housing a large active naval base and having a booming resorts on its shorelines, to now a post apocalyptic landscape….. I just need to first find the right trail that will get me down to the water. #saltonsea #jeepwrangler #abandonedplaces
🌐 TRAILRECON.COM 🌐 bit.ly/trailreconstore
Check out our website if you’re looking for off-road or overland gear and equipment for your rig and off-the-grid adventures. We have everything you need, including recovery gear, tents, cooking and kitchen gear, sleeping bags, TrailRecon clothes and stickers, and a lot more.
If you’re interested in reading in-depth articles about the places we go, products we use, and our personal insights about overlanding, you’ll want to check out our blog.
***********************************************
TrailRecon Patreon: / trailrecon
Join for extended footage, behind the scenes, exclusive patch, some live content and invitations to exclusive events, and you’ll be helping support some of our upcoming adventures.
***********************************************
📲 SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS 📲
Facebook: trailrecon
Facebook Group: groups/trailrecon
Instagram: trailrecon

[@juniorparra165]

As a kid 40+ years ago my grandpa used to take us there to swim, it didn't stink. There were lots of boating activity, many small stores and restaurants but that was on the side of the 86, not the 111. Whenever I pass there it reminds me of the good times I had there, thanks for the video, it brought back memories.

[@TrailRecon]

Sounds like some great memories... if it just didn't smell, it would be much more pleasant to be out there.

[@richardlongo3799]

I used to fish the Salton Sea w my grandfather over 50 yrs ago. Water was cleaner, and the Cortina were biting like a hungry dog. Had some excellent times there.

[@richardlongo3799]

Corvina

[@jb-rj4bi]

I'm 76 years old. We lived in Indio, and my parents would take us to Salton Sea. I can still see my uncle carrying my little brother on his shoulder into the water. Their was a little shack. An old man sold sodas from there. My parents would always stop there before going to the picnic table area.😊

[@davidtrevino5211]

Well, you sound like the perfect person to maybe tell us what happened to the Salton Sea that caused it's degradation to its current state.. ?? I drove through there in the 1990s a few times, if I'm not mistaken there was still some water in there.. Not sure how much..

[@Tunaslayer1]

My family had a "cabin" at Bombay Beach 30 plus years ago. It started as a plot of land that they built a sleeping structure with plywood and 2X4's. Later they added an old airstream trailer for cooking, then came a shower, hot water, and finally a jacuzzi! I remember dune buggy /motorcycle trips all around the area. But, my favorite memory was water skiing during christmas break!!! The salinity levels were very high so you could just float. The area didn't smell, and it looked like this would be a place everyone would enjoy retirement... I have driven past the SS for working in Mexico, but based on this video, I will go visit and hope we can make it a oasis like I remember her.

[@jefeg84]

GTA V was the reason I decided to visit the Salton Sea. But you haven't truly seen post apocalyptic until you visit Slab City! That place is a trip.

[@hershlawfirmpc]

Love this episode. Your narration and production value is off the charts

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you!

[@chuckwalla2967]

Back in the 80's I remember going fishing there with my dad a few times. It wasn't dead like this back then.

[@nealjohnson1461]

Growing up in the CV my family spent a lot of time at the Sea as we called it. I’ve fished, boated and swam in the Salton Sea. Most if not all of that happened in the 1960’s. Thanks Brad for a peek into the Salton Sea for the viewers who may have only seen it on the map. There is soooooo much to explore there on the east and west sides of the Sea. Great trip and video!!

[@fatamorganascalaska6870]

Interesting about the Seaplane Training back in WWII. I got my Float Rating at the Salton Sea 40 years ago. Flight Instructor would tell me to take off south and climb to sea-level.

[@scottymac5174]

Two of my uncles served in WWII. My oldest uncle, Brice, was a radioman gunner on a B17. He flew a whole tour of duty over Germany and made it home. My second uncle, Donovan, was US Navy. He was stationed in Hollister, CA. at a USN coastal seaplane base. My grandma who lived in Carmel always used to complain because he would bring his laundry home when he was on leave..Hahaha!!!! Edit: I'm guessing my uncle Donovan got his basic training there.

[@schimming1122]

The Salton sea has always fascinated me being that I’m an engineer and the creation of the Salton was one of the biggest engineering disasters in US history. Excited to watch this when I get home.

[@Moving_Chicane]

How do you view the Mulholland Dam ?

[@schimming1122]

@@Moving_Chicane which one? He did the saint Francis dam and the Hoover dam which both failed. The Saint Francis damn in my opinion was pure negligence. There were reports of cracks and breaks some time before it broke, but he was just too busy with the Hoover dam. There’s also reports that the cracks were filled with oakum which was an outrageous oversight because oakum swells when is wet which expanded the cracks in the concrete. There was also the locals trying to blow up the reservoir with dynamite, and all that. In my opinion the Hoover dam was the greatest civil engineering marvel of its time but it was too advanced for its time, and that’s why it had its failures down the road. The bottom line is Mulholland was one of the best minds in engineering at the time, but the technology and knowledge was just not what it is today. Today there’s software that you can download a map off of google earth, and where you want to put the damn, and it will calculate volume of water based off rainfall, and will do all the calculations itself and tell you exactly how to build the dam. Whereas there’s pictures of Mulholland with a telescope and a level and that’s what he did the calculations off of. As terrible as these failures were the upside he is the reason plans cannot be verified today without a stamp of approval from a PE that is specialized in that field to avoid disasters like this in the future.

[@notsocrates9529]

The Salton Sea fascinates me as layman, I haven't pinpointed why I find it so interesting. Maybe it is the characters and how rapidly everything transformed from the landscape to the culture.

[@danhoffman9392]

Brad, not all of your trips have to be otherworld rock crawlers. Packages such as this one are entertaining, too. Keep up the good mix.

[@mtbales0805]

Brad, this is my favorite video that you’ve done to date! Maybe because I’m also a Navy Veteran who enjoys our history. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you so much!

[@joesteele7514]

My wife and I checked out the Salton sea and Bombay Beach a few years ago.. thanks for the reminder. You did an excellent narrative of this cool and historical place. I appreciate the people who live at Bombay Beach. Semper Fi

[@user-ml7cv7mj1e]

I love exploring and seeing what is left over from the past. Thanks for taking us with you. Great video.

[@barbarabrooks4747]

Sonny Bono worked tirelessly to save the Salton Sea. It's too bad he died prematurely. The Salton Sea was great in 1950's. My dad fished there back then, as did famous people. It was a popular place once.

[@launchpad310]

Some say he was murdered on that ski run because the Salton Sea was taking away customers.

[@MyChaoticFamilyy]

Thanks for sharing. I droved by the Salton Sea several times and never stopped and explored.

[@socaloutdoors7355]

Really Great Vid as Always!!! Thanks for taking the time to make it!

[@brenttanog139]

Awesome video. Your narration, the stories and the history you bring back to life I am certain will be very well received. Look forward to more stories in your adventures.

[@TrailRecon]

Really appreciate that, thank you!

[@TOMMYBOY601]

As someone who lives in Florida I had only ever seen this place through the lens of GTAV. Really cool seeing the real life place

[@lbedwin25]

Thanks for the video and information. I’ve past this on the highway many times and kind of wondered if there was much to see or do. I’m not too keen on bad smells so this video was enough for me.

[@teamvegas05]

@trailrecon it was Fix it Felix arcade!!! Awesome video. Love the change of pace and the “weirdness” this one had. Keep up the good work sir!

[@williamdecatur4340]

It may have been years since the Ranger station was open, but some kind of State official has clearly been there. You can tell because somebody has put up one of those ridiculous social distancing signs.

[@kplante7881]

Really enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing…!

[@socalpaul487]

we visited a number of times in the mid 1960's. The resorts were still open and it didn't stink. Sometime in the late '60's or very early '70's there were a number of algae blooms that caused massive fish die offs. The algae blooms were caused by runoff from the agriculture.

[@ndafarachaitezvi1139]

Awesome content as always.Thanks for sharing and taking us along

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!

[@noverlanders4709]

good times my friend, like you, I have passed both on the North and on the South side of the lake many times in transit to other events. In fact, I will be doing it again next week, But, thanks to you I have had my curiosity satisfied and will not ever have to stop! Talk soon, somewhere!

[@steveflaim2656]

I really enjoyed this video - love to see about some of our local places!

[@bretthawton]

Well done Brad! Really enjoyed the history.

[@obfuscurity]

The story, atmosphere, and surrounding areas of the Salton Sea remind me of the story of Centralia, PA. If you ever make it out east you should definitely check out that deserted mining town.

[@timstanton2241]

In the 60s my dad was stationed at NAF El Centro. We would go to fish on the Salton Sea base pier for Corvina. Fond memories! Thanks for the video. Best!

[@HIGHPLAINSDRIFTER01]

Excellent video! Love the history you lay out with all the sights to see!👏👏👏

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed because this was a lot of fun to make.

[@philipklinkenborg7223]

Great segment! I fear too many folks just drive on by and miss out on the fun of exploring. thanks for the reminder.

[@lindasd7591]

Great video! Excellent views and info! I just discovered your channel and will watch more! I've driven by Salton Sea many times (to and from school) but didn't really investigate. Should have! And thank you for your service! 🇺🇸

[@looweeez2952]

I live about 2 hours from this area and had no idea it existed. I gotta get out there more. Thanks for sharing!

[@mikev3627]

Excellent work, great video boss!

[@chuckrf1502]

That was some cool history. Never heard of it until now.

[@creekerjeeper3879]

Thanks for highlighting the history.

[@P4SDetails]

Always such sick adventures! We spent a weekend out by Lake Mead in the desert and I didn’t want to leave. Jealous with how far out there you are able to go.

[@brunnie]

Thanks for a look at Salton Sea and the surrounding area. In the late 70s-early 80s I had neighbors that would snowbird to Salton Sea for the winter. I have no idea where they camped but they said that there were hundreds of RVs in the area.

[@sonsoflibertyoverland]

I think this was a really cool video! Your drone work and editing has gotten really good as of late. This seems like a cool area to explore. So wide open, random buildings to check out, love all the odd art. Hope to see more from this area.

[@TrailRecon]

So glad you enjoyed it! There still is more out there to explore that I didn't get to onto is trip.

[@andymckane7271]

Great video . . . . and a wonderful history lesson, too! I never knew the Navy had a seaplane base in the area of the Salton Sea during World War II! This caught me entirely by surprise. When one considers the reasonable proximity of the Salton Sea to San Diego---home of the Navy's PBY manufacturing---it's self-evident why the Navy would have conducted sea plane crew training in this area. San Diego itself was way too busy as a naval base for ships of the sea during the war. I've driven by the Salton Sea many times while living in or stationed at NHSD. But for whatever reason(s), I never drove the few extra miles to check out the Salton Sea itself. Wonderful video as all of your are! Semper Fidelis & Go Navy! Andy McKane, Maunaloa, Molokai.

[@TrailRecon]

Thanks! There's a lot of Navy history in this area!

[@TheNotSoOrdinaryCarGuy]

Great video! It embodies what adventuring is all about.

[@anthonyarmijo]

Pretty cool little road trip. The 392 looks great Brad.

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you, it was a fun day trip!

[@ricomacpherson6845]

As always I've enjoyed your narrative on the history of the location that you are exploring,. You are great steward of overlanding 4x4 communities

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you so much!

[@toddshook1765]

It’s amazing to think of American history and places like this that was busy, people lived and worked, and was a destination. Much like Route 66 and its history of rise and fall. Thanks for sharing this adventure.

[@Michael_Tran]

I was always fascinated with the Salton Sea when I was younger until I saw it for myself haha...cool history though.

[@MagnumMike44]

I've only seen the Salton Sea from cruise altitude while flying between Phoenix and any other cities in southern California, mainly KLAX (Los Angeles) or KONT (Ontario), it's hard to believe the area once had beach resorts and people used to swim in the water. I hope some day it can be restored to the glory it once had.

[@chriskenmotsu9]

Brad@Trailrecon, appreciate your time and effort to bring us your videos, I too have driven pass the Salton Sea/Bombay Beach, keep doing what your doing brah love your channel, safe travels and stay safe my friend, see you on the next on the next adventure 🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you!

[@marcobreton4925]

Fix it Felix. Another great video, love overlanding and history.

[@jimbogt350]

Love you content and this one with 4x4 and history tie in is awesome! Thanks SGT retired USA

[@royfreitas7583]

A friend of mines parents lived out there. I remember staying at their house and the lake was right up to it, where you could take a boat out. I remember the smell and the many fish skeletons! Interesting history for sure.

[@grantblackwell3373]

Wonderful recap on history in the region. Wonders of our world.. from the land down under. 😊

[@kafisher44]

Great trip and interesting to get some history of the Salton Sea. Nice job!

[@TrailRecon]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ambienteterrazas]

My wife and I visited this area last new year's as we drove from Mexico to visit my sister in Palm Desert, i knew about the salton sea from the movie Into the wild that i saw as a kid. The area has a Mad Max vibe to it, specially Slab City. Cool area and a cool road trip idea to visit.

[@stratolestele7611]

One lil' addition. The breach of the Colorado River was due an unusually large snow melt that made for an incredible rush of flood waters of the Colorado. That was one of two breaches that culminated in the entire flow of the river to do what water does - take its path of least resistance, and end up in the lowest point.

[@danielstevens3869]

I knew about the Bombay beach area, of the Salton sea, however I never knew there was an old naval base there. That is pretty cool, I love exploring and checking out old military bases that may or may not still be standing.

[@markzabo8988]

In my 21 year career flying Navy fighter attack aircraft I have dropped a lot of bombs in that area. If you see a little blue bomb (MK-76, Blue Death LOL) , those are for practice. A lot of folks go out in that area and pick those up for souvenirs. There are several large bombing ranges with huge Bulls Eyes for bombing practice. BTW most of those folks are trespassing ;-) . There is also a low level route that crosses the Salton Sea very near where you are at in this video, you could actually fly below sea level when you cross the lake. Crazy seeing your altimeter reading below zero. They used that lake to practice torpedo bombing in WW2, supposedly there are several WW2 Navy aircraft siting at the bottom of that lake, I’m sure their in pretty bad shape though 😅. Great video Brad. GO Navy.

[@TrailRecon]

Thanks for your service!!! Go Navy!

[@AZdroptop]

Very cool Brad. Great video.

[@ZacWade]

Very interesting video, never heard of the salton sea until now. Interesting story

[@jimsteele9289]

Man, so educational. Thank you, HMCM.

[@annamadril4907]

Hi I'm 56 yrs old I remember salton sea my parents had an RV It was scout me and siblings used to live to go there my parents would pack it up and go camp there back then there were stores and whole lot of people splashing having fun those were good memories I think it was early 70s I'll never forget those times thank you for bringing back happy memories to bad it's like it is it's kinda sad. Hopefully it gets back to the way it was.

[@1bobbylarue]

Awesome videography! Good stuff sir. Love hearing about the history of the Sea.

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@cocherafg]

Siempre un buen viaje!! Saludos!! Buena vibra 🔥✌️!

[@billlindsey9337]

I was there a few years ago, riding thru the area on a Harley. It is definitely a Must See, but also Muy stinky. Great video! Cool Jeep!

[@gilbertferguson1685]

Fascinating video Brad. And to think that in the 50s this was a playground for the rich and famous. Nice work. Thanks.

[@TrailRecon]

I think I read somewhere Frank Sinatra use to hang out at the Salton Sea.

[@bridgeman11]

Nice video. Thanks.

[@huotlor255]

Good information!

[@bigpantsbobnuggets5051]

Well Done! Thank You.

[@paulcook773]

Great video! The Salton Sea is fascinating. Can easily spend 2 days exploring! Some other fun places to visit in that area: Salvation Mountain in Slab City (featured in the movie Into The Wild), Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (great for birding), Truckhaven (off roading practice area), date palm farms and vineyards on the north east part of the lake. Also, seeing the sunset from the Bombay Beach area can really be beautiful!

[@wadenorton6752]

Been there many times. Always fun to explore. Keep going back because you will find much more to see. In fact on one of my trips I actually ran into you and one of your sons at the gas station. It was your first trip with the power wagon. If you want to learn more about the Salton Sea I recommend viewing the videos from Notarubicon Productions. His history of the base is amazing.

[@TrailRecon]

Very cool!

[@rayanderson3035]

Brad, thanks for this video. I really appreciate it. FYI, the plowing is an effort by the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) to reduce the particulates in the air from the playa. The Imperial Valley already has a very high asthma rate, and the IID is trying to come under compliance without having to keep the playa wet (similar to what LA has to do with Lake Owens near the Eastern Sierra).

[@TrailRecon]

Thanks for the info!

[@Travel_Photography_Dude]

I was there maybe 10 years ago. It’s such a unique story. Very smelly even 10 years ago. The section of the shore I was walking on was all fish bones and dried dead fish that had washed up on the shore, with birds coming to eat them. Saw some pretty unique birds out there.

[@CaptainGnarkill]

Cool video Brad! The Salton Sea is a very cool place

[@Videoetcenseo]

In late ‘76 or early ‘77 I was a young arty FO with 2/11. I was airlifted with a Marine rifle company on CH53’s from Pendleton to continue our amphibious raid training after spending time at Special Warfare Group-Coronado. A bit different experience at the Salton Sea then than when I visited the Wildlife Refuge a few years previously. Really different now. Thanks for the memories.

[@conniemcgehee2851]

We camped every spring break during the 1960s Waterski fishing Sunbathing Lots of fun memories

[@TrailRecon]

Wow, I would have loved to have seen the lake back then.

[@bbrut3332]

Yes, in the late 50s and early 60s I traveled with my truck driver dad and we would always stop at one of the date palm areas on the west side for some dates and a really cold coke cola. It was an area of much boating, motels and sunshine. Later on it seemed as most a great deal of the camping and boating moved to the east side of the Salton Sea. I have not been past the sea in at least 50 yrs and it is sad what was once a thriving area is now a major health hazard over such a large area.

[@TUCKANDROLLE]

Tell about the patches on the jeep roof.

[@millsda2]

Almost looks like a scene from the old arcade game Cruisin’ USA. Another great video.

[@thesarge4457]

I have seen signs that point to the Salton Sea from the highway and often wondered what it looked like, well now I know. You said you were a Medic tin the U.S. Navy, well I'm a retired U.S. Army Medic, thank you for your service and this Great video, I look forward to seeing more of them. Thank You Sir. THE SARGE

[@smokypipe3547]

50 years ago we use to camp off highway 86 and I think S2 near a natural hot spring and ride off road motorcycles. Great weather in the winter time and great riding. Good memories. We would explore all the sand washes. Interesting place, love the landscape. Everyone thought at some time they would purify the lake and add water, but never happened. Use to ride in the anza borrego bad lands.

[@DBartWest]

So much more to see. Thanks for the tour. A bunch of us get together each February on the west shore and fly powered paragliders and powered parachutes. It is a great place to fly. And the canyons to the west is a Mecca for camping and off roading.

[@TrailRecon]

Sounds like fun! The Bradshaw trail to the East will take you to some incredible places!

[@chrisvalentine9735]

Fun fact, I’m PlayStation’s video game GTA 5. the character Trevor was based in Bombay Beach. Sony had the change the name of city to Sandy Shore’s, but they used a lot of the landmarks.

[@soaringbob]

The Salton Sea sure brings back a few memories for me! To start with, I believe the Navy base was part of the world's largest military base back during WWII. Called the Desert Training Center, it stretched from the outskirts of Los Angeles on over to around Bouse, Arizona, and from the Mexican border on up to Nevada (google DTC). Early in the war it was commanded by General Patton, who is rumored to have been a guest at my house since one of his command buildings was just a mile or so down the road at the time, and the house's builder, an Army Major from WWI, may have served with Patton while he was still a junior officer (at least that is my guess). During the Vietnam War SEAL's would train near Niland, and I think that is still an active base. I thought sure you'd visit Slab City, another military base long ago, but also on the sleazy side like Bombay Beach. A buddy and I once sailed my little 10 foot sailboat halfway across the wide part of the sea, which we estimated by noticing that the cars on the highways looked to be the same size looking east or west! All the while we had to keep packing gooey sea floor clay into a crack in the hull while bailing water, but we survived. I can remember the edge of the Salton Sea in the summertime had to be the most horrid and humid place I've ever experienced, including Vietnam (brown water Navy myself). There was a very salty fog of around 99.9% humid air just lingering next to the shoreline up by North Shore, but once we made it past the salty cloud our eyes stopped burning as we waded out into the water. And the fishing used to be good way back in the 70's when the Corvina were biting, and there were some bigguns! Looking forward to the rest of the seashore, so keep 'em coming!

[@atsubill2]

been a few years since I played GTA5, but the whole inland lake area looks modeled after the Salton Sea. thx Brad, semper fi

[@DixieOverland]

Awesome video production! I love these types of adventures that showcase our history and quirks. And that "shart" bumper sticker nearly made me spit my coffee!

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you so much! I had a lot of fun making this one and learning more about the area myself. Trying to get better at telling stories about the places we go.

[@garretlewis4103]

Pretty wild place. It is interesting exploring abandoned places like that.

[@TrailRecon]

I love exploring abandoned places!

[@evenflowoverland]

I was just there last week! Thankfully didn't get blown up or stuck in the sand. Wish I'd been able to explore the area further. It's a long way from Canada :D

[@TrailRecon]

Yes, thankful I didn't blow up! LOL!

[@karenbochinski]

You did a great job showing the Naval Base. We would have liked to go out there but our vehicle did not allow us. We did see the mudpots, it was fasinating

[@overlandingsmith]

Great video. Must be an awesome area to explore and enjoy views.

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you! It really is a great place to explore!

[@donnapablos8752]

It looks hot there Brad . But thanks for sharing Don and Donna north Idaho

[@richardlongo3799]

My father grew up by the Salton Sea close to the Naval Base. My uncle was a guard there when they dropped the dummy atomic bombsl . I remember my dad telling me he brought home a 50 cal machine gun that had a bent barrell from a wrecked Navy plane the Navy had thrown away.

[@chipsrafferty8362]

That was fun👍

[@terry5987]

You had me laughing about the smell....I can imagine how bad it must be.... really good solo adventure....been wheeling around the mid-south. 600 miles so far in last couple weeks but, lots of closed trails

[@skyelee9398]

I used to patrol all those areas while working for ICSO back in 2012. I left bc I missed the San Diego beaches and climate. Nice video 👍

[@TJBoclair]

As a fellow navy guy, love the video! I have been watching your channel for years and finally got my first jeep! Also, the video game has to be Fallout!

[@marklus406]

Great video

[@norm5785]

Great video if the area. The entire area has been declared a health risk. There are also unknown amounts of unknown locations of unexploded ordinance. Regarding the 1946 survey marker. Someone attempted to take and i bet they wish they only had to pay $4,000, after being convicted. Bombay Beach is a very nice spot. Thank you for sharing your awesome adventure with us. Everyone stay safe, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia

[@tomassanesson902]

So epik video awesome

[@larshamilton40]

cool place, great movie as well ...

[@ronkreed]

In the early '60s my dad and grandad would fish Salton See for Corvina. Dad is still alive in El Cajon, CA, at 87.

[@xplorefurther]

Haven’t been back to Salton Sea for over 18 years. We remembered we did fishing overnight. Lots of fishes going home with us the following morning, when we still lived in Pasadena.

[@Gepsk8p]

Thanks, Brad for continuing to bring real and useful content to a crowded area. I have watched your video a dozen times in an effort to identify what mount you used to connect your Hilites to your Rhino Pioneer rack Do you recall what you used?

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you! Sorry, the mount is custom, not something you can buy off the shelf.