Description
The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve spans 4,400 acres of wetlands and uplands habitat along the eastern edge of the Great Salt Lake—one of Utah’s most unique natural treasures. As the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere, the Great Salt Lake is crucial to both people and nature. The lake is a rich feeding ground for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl, supporting between four and six million migratory birds as they journey from as far north as the Arctic to southern points in Central and South America.
Some of the largest gatherings of wildlife ever recorded on the Great Salt Lake have been observed from the preserve’s visitor center, making it a bird-watcher’s paradise as well as the perfect place for visitors to appreciate the importance of the Great Salt Lake.
Download the audio tour before you visit, and make your phone your personal tour guide. You can also take the tour remotely!
Location
The preserve is along the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake between Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area and the Antelope Island State Park Causeway.
You may have noticed some construction activity on your way to the preserve. This work is part of the new West Davis Corridor.
Over the past 10 years, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has worked closely with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to develop a plan to mitigate impacts to wildlife and the preserve posed by the new highway. For example, as part of the mitigation plan UDOT agreed to lower the profile of the highway, utilize quiet pavement and limit lighting. Finding pragmatic solutions and offsetting threats is an important part of TNC’s mission to protect Utah’s natural world for future generations.
You can find more information about the highway and the mitigation plan here.