Swimming in the Great Salt Lake is generally safe, but the experience comes with some real quirks and a few genuine hazards depending on where you go. The lake’s extreme salinity, which ranges from about 8% to 28% depending on the section, kills most common waterborne bacteria but creates its own set of challenges for your skin, eyes, and comfort. Picking the right spot matters more than you might expect.
Where You Swim Makes a Big Difference
The Great Salt Lake isn’t one uniform body of water. A railroad causeway divides it into a North Arm and a South Arm, and several bays feed into it with very different water quality. The South Arm, where most visitors swim, has a salinity of roughly 8% to 15%. The North Arm sits around 26% to 28%, making it one of the saltiest large bodies of water on Earth. For comparison, the ocean averages about 3.5%.
Most people swim at Bridger Bay Beach on Antelope Island, which is part of Antelope Island State Park. The park offers a public beach with restrooms and freshwater showers, making it the most practical access point. The showers are important, and you’ll want to use them.
Farmington Bay, on the other hand, is a spot to avoid for swimming. This shallow bay receives direct inputs of treated sewage and agricultural runoff, making it heavily polluted with nutrients. Research has documented massive blooms of a toxic cyanobacterium called Nodularia spumigena in Farmington Bay, which produces a toxin called nodularin. Concentrations of this toxin have been measured at levels far above safe thresholds for recreational contact, and high enough to cause bird die-offs. Farmington Bay’s salinity is also much lower (around 5%), meaning it lacks the bacterial-killing power of the saltier parts of the lake.
The Salt Kills Most Harmful Bacteria
One genuine advantage of swimming in the lake’s saltier sections is that most common waterborne pathogens can’t survive the salinity. E. coli, for instance, struggles even in regular seawater. Studies show that E. coli survival after 48 hours drops from about 74.5% in brackish water to just 8.2% in full-strength seawater, and the Great Salt Lake’s South Arm is several times saltier than the ocean. The hyperosmotic stress essentially dehydrates bacterial cells and shuts down their critical functions. So while no natural body of water is sterile, you’re at far lower risk of picking up a typical waterborne illness here than in a freshwater lake.
What the Salt Does to Your Body
The most immediate thing you’ll notice is the buoyancy. The dissolved salt makes the water significantly denser than your body, so you float effortlessly, almost like lying on a mattress. It’s the lake’s signature experience and the main reason people visit. You can lean back and read a book if you want.
The trade-off is that all that salt is harsh on your body. It stings any open cuts, scrapes, or freshly shaved skin noticeably. Getting even a small splash in your eyes is painful in a way that ocean water doesn’t prepare you for. Many swimmers wear goggles for this reason. After you get out, your skin will feel tight and itchy as the salt dries, and leaving it on for hours can cause real irritation. Rinse off with fresh water as soon as you can. If you’re swimming at Antelope Island, use the beach showers before you get back in your car.
A practical tip: don’t submerge your head unless you’re comfortable with the sting, and keep your hands away from your face while you’re in the water. Bring a bottle of fresh water to rinse your eyes if needed.
Brine Flies Look Alarming but Don’t Bite
Walking onto any Great Salt Lake beach, you’ll encounter enormous swarms of brine flies along the shoreline. They can number in the millions and create a buzzing carpet that parts around your feet as you walk. It looks unsettling, but adult brine flies don’t bite, don’t feed, and have zero interest in you. They’re at the shore purely to reproduce. They’re a critical part of the lake’s ecosystem, feeding migratory birds by the millions. Walk through them confidently and they’ll move out of your way.
Dust and Air Quality Near the Shore
The Great Salt Lake has been shrinking for years, and as of late April 2025, the South Arm sits at about 4,192 feet in elevation, well below historical averages. The receding water exposes vast stretches of dry lakebed, and this exposed sediment is a real health concern that has nothing to do with swimming itself.
The U.S. Geological Survey has identified dust from the dry lakebed as a potential health risk for nearby communities. The exposed sediment contains heavy metals including arsenic, lead, and cadmium, legacy pollutants from decades of mining, wastewater discharge, and agricultural runoff. Wind kicks this dust into the air, particularly from Farmington Bay and Bear River Bay, which are closest to populated areas. Dust is primarily an inhalation hazard, and breathing in large amounts can cause respiratory problems. On windy days near the shore, this is worth thinking about, especially if you have asthma or other respiratory conditions.
Cold Water and Getting to the Water
Water temperature varies dramatically by season. In summer, the shallow areas can feel bathtub-warm. In spring and fall, cold water becomes a real risk. Exposure to cold water can incapacitate a swimmer in as little as 5 to 15 minutes, with severe hypothermia setting in within 30 minutes. If you’re visiting outside of June through September, check the water temperature before wading in.
The low lake levels also mean you may have to walk a long distance across muddy, salty flats before reaching water deep enough to actually float in. This walk can be a quarter mile or more depending on conditions, and the lakebed underfoot is soft, uneven, and sometimes sharp with crystallized salt. Water shoes or old sneakers you don’t mind ruining are worth bringing.
What to Bring
- Goggles: The salt concentration will sting your eyes badly on contact.
- Water shoes: The lakebed is rough, and the walk to swimmable depth can be long.
- Fresh water: A gallon jug for rinsing eyes, face, and skin before you reach the showers.
- Swimsuit you don’t love: The salt and brine can discolor fabric and degrade elastic over time.
- A buddy: Utah State Parks recommends never recreating on the water alone, and cell service near the lake can be spotty.
Swimming in the Great Salt Lake is a safe and genuinely unique experience if you stick to the South Arm beaches, avoid Farmington Bay entirely, and come prepared for the salt. The floating sensation alone is worth the trip. Just don’t touch your eyes.