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Spiral Jetty, Rozel Point, UT

Photo: Jacob Rak, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sightseeing

Spiral Jetty

A large earthwork coil of mud, salt crystals, and basalt rock extending from the shore of the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

Rozel Point, UT

About Spiral Jetty

Spiral Jetty is a land artwork by Robert Smithson, created in April 1970 on a peninsula at the northeastern edge of the Great Salt Lake. Workers shaped the piece from local rock and earth into a counterclockwise spiral that projects out from the shoreline. Smithson was interested in entropy, and the work changes over time as water levels, weather, and natural processes act on it. The reddish color of the surrounding lake water, produced by salt-tolerant algae and bacteria, was part of his reason for choosing the location. Nancy Holt and the Estate of Robert Smithson donated the work to Dia Art Foundation in 1999, and Dia continues to care for it.

  • #land art
  • #earthwork
  • #Robert Smithson
  • #Great Salt Lake
  • #Utah

What's around here?

The closest stops to Spiral Jetty, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Willard Bay State Park

    Under $25

    A state park on a freshwater reservoir northwest of Ogden, offering boating, swimming, fishing, camping, and winter eagle watching.

    30 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Museums

    Brigham City Museum-Gallery

    No admission fee

    A free museum of art and local history in Brigham City, Utah, showing rotating exhibits by regional artists and photographers.

    34 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Antelope Island State Park

    Under $25

    A causeway-linked island in the Great Salt Lake roamed by free-ranging bison and pronghorn.

    35 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Utah State Capitol

    No admission fee

    A Renaissance Revival capitol on a hilltop with free tours and sweeping views of the Salt Lake Valley.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    61 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Salt Lake Temple

    No admission fee

    See the six spires of the 1893 temple rising over Temple Square, home to the Tabernacle, Assembly Hall and visitors centers.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    61 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Bingham Canyon Mine

    Under $25

    Ride a shuttle to an overlook above the working Bingham Canyon copper pit, then tour two levels of exhibits and a giant haul truck display.

    69 mi awayMore like this

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