About three hours inland from the southern California coast, just 20 minutes south of the city home to the famous Coachella festival, is an eerie abandoned resort town on the Salton Sea: called Bombay Beach. But that doesn’t mean its empty; on the contrary, there are still plenty of things to do in Salton Sea today and the surrounding area.

Most of the area’s part-time residents got up and left in the 1970s, abandoning their homes and belongings there. It was a result of the one of the biggest ecological catastrophes in California.

I have always been fascinated by abandoned places, perhaps obvious from the fact that I published two photo books on Abandoned Southern California and Abandoned Northern California. And Salton Sea, just over two hours from my then home, Los Angeles, was too fascinating to pass up.

Find out why you should take a day trip out to Salton Sea and Bombay Beach, and exactly what to do once you get there, by reading the post below.

The History of Salton Sea

After a three-hour drive and a lot of Jake Bugg on the soundtrack (‘Trouble Town’ describes pretty much half the towns you encounter in the deserts of California), I passed Coachella and headed down alongside the sea, taking the east route south.  The first view of the Salton Sea is a little unreal.  After miles and miles of dusty roads, the view outside my right-hand window went from barren scrubland to rows of crops, and then suddenly to shimmering, still water against a backdrop of purple mountains.  

I could see why it was a draw as a resort town; it definitely looked beautiful, though perhaps it smelled less so. Yeah, that’s one thing you’re going to want to keep in mind. Especially on hot days, the smell when you’re right on the water can be a little overpowering.

One of the initial reasons for the area’s abandonment was the increasing salinity in the sea due to evaporation. The sea is man-made; accidentally so, but still. In 1905, Salton Sea history was made when the Colorado River flooded an irrigation canal and poured into this desert basin for almost two years. Creating what we now know as the sea.

So what happened to the Salton Sea?

Initially, it lent a lot of beauty to the otherwise scrubby desert area. But since no sea was supposed to exist here, there was no way for water – especially the tons of wastewater later dumped here by the surrounding resorts – to get out. Except through evaporation. The more water evaporated, especially in the hot desert sun, the more the sea’s salinity increased. Until it was so insanely high that tens of thousands of fish started turning up dead. It got to the point where almost nothing could survive here.

As you can imagine, between the smell of dead fish and the inability of anyone to swim in the now intensely polluted Salton Sea, the coastal resorts lost their appeal. Salton Sea tourism almost entirely died off, along with the local wildlife.

Major floods in the late 1970s didn’t help matters either.  I was lucky enough to go in December, when supposedly the lower temperatures eliminate much of the dead fish smell.  I pulled off towards the right on one of the campgrounds, and actually saw a couple of trailers parked there with campers.  As I made my way down towards the water, I realized I was stepping on ground-up fish bones.  An interesting and unwelcome alternative to sand.  

But the desertion made even more sense now. Families wouldn’t want to visit a resort town where little Timmy could make a sand castle out of tilapia skeletons.

After admiring the view, which was – despite the odd circumstances – quite arresting, with cloudy mountains mirrored in the water (I briefly wondered if high salinity and dead fish somehow led to more reflective surfaces), I decided to get back in my car and head further on down to Bombay Beach.

Things To Do in Salton Sea

Explore Bombay Beach

Twenty minutes later, I pass a sign reading “Bombay Beach”, with icons underneath indicating food, gas, and lodging was available.  Of course, since Bombay Beach is a Salton Sea ghost town (almost), most of these services weren’t available anymore.

This, coupled with large signs on the highway previously pointing the way to the “Salton Sea State Recreation Area“, gave me the impression that the state of California had somehow overlooked what this place had become.  

I thought “mini-sample of the post-apocalypse” described it a hell of a lot better than “State Recreation Area”.  A mesmerizing place, to be sure, but not one I would associate with seaside recreation.  I don’t think I’ll spoil anything by revealing I found nothing approaching food and lodging in the town.  Unless you count this:

But heading into Bombay Beach, I got my first shock as I realized people actually still lived here.  Not many, to be sure, but when I passed an old man out for a walk with his nurse among the rust and decay around me, I had to double-check in my rearview mirror to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.  I parked and got out to look around the town.

Sure enough, for every ten or fifteen abandoned trailer homes and modest ranchhouses, there was one home with tall chainlink fences and huge ‘No Trespassing’ signs.  I had an image of travelers accidentally wandering in to explore occupied homes, only to be shortly chased out afterwards at gunpoint.  

I decided keeping a good distance here was probably for the best.  Any people who decide to fervently cling on to their homes in the face of sea flooding, abandonment, and dead fish smell, were not people I wanted to get on the wrong side of.  Also, I had spotted one too many love letters to meth graffitied on some abandoned buildings.

Check out the Bombay Beach’ Art Installations

Still, there is something absolutely surreal about Bombay Beach as a destination that I have never experienced before.  The weird discrepancy between the all-American mid-century wholesome cheeriness of some of the buildings (old-school mailboxes under signs proclaiming ‘We are the Millers!’),  and their eerie state of decay, made for a jarring experience.  Antique cars sat rusted and unused, in front of buildings that once contained smiling families on holiday.

But the area has also changed a lot in the last decade. As of 2026, there is a thriving artists’ community that likes to stay here or in the nearby Palm Springs area and create their own works of art in the desert environment. You can check out some of what they do at Bombay Beach Arts & Culture.

Even though it’s one of the most famous abandoned places in the Southern California area, artists are drawn to it precisely because of its derelict nature. Those who believe events like Burning Man have become too trendy, corporate, and influencer-filled to be authentic anymore, came together to create the Bombay Beach Biennale.

This unique art exhibit features immersive installations in a lot of the abandoned buildings, many of which directly comment on the ecological issues that led to the abandonment of Salton Sea in the first place.

It’s a tight-knit community, and in many ways, they’re revitalizing and bringing attention back to this forgotten corner of California.

Have a Drink at the Ski Inn

One of the establishments that’s still open in Bombay Beach, and a local legend by this point, is the Ski Inn. It has a dive bar atmosphere, and (usually) serves food. Nothing fancy, but pretty standard American diner fare.

Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field Mud Volcanoes

If you want to check out yet another of the weird Salton Sea attractions in the area, head to the Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field. here, you can see almost two miles of bubbling mud volcanoes, or mud pots.

The seep field is on the southeastern rim of Salton Sea, near the town of Niland. However, be warned that it is on private property. Though visitors do go for short walks among the mud volcanoes, it’s still trespassing. You also might want to use caution because the ground here isn’t too study – thanks to all the boiling, shifting mud.

Can You Swim in Salton Sea?

Please don’t attempt this. At all.

The Salton Sea area was literally abandoned due to toxic runoff. The very last thing you want to do is go swimming around in it. You can expect to come into contact with bacteria, pesticides, toxic blooms, agricultural runoff, and a whole host of fun things that will giv eyou skin rashes and who even knows what symptoms.

Do yourself a favor and stay away from the water.

Can You Fish in Salton Sea?

Technically, yes you can. Even though pretty much the only species that remains is tilapia, as everything else has died off due to the water’s salinity and toxicity.

Of the area, technically known as the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge – remember, he was the mayor of Palm Springs – about 35,500 acres are open for fishing. However, you need a fishing license. And even though it’s technically allowed, Salton Sea fishing is still something I wouldn’t personally recommend. There’s very few game fish left anyway.

For more information, you can always drop by the Visitor Center, which is still operational, managed by California State Parks.

Exploring the Area Respectfully

As I got back into my car, I decided to cross the dirt dike running along the the edge of Bombay Beach to get a look at the sea again.  When I got to the other side, I realized I was in the part of Bombay Beach affected by the floods.  Only wooden poles were left of the former homes.  

Which brings me to my next point. If you’re visiting Salton Sea, be respectful to the locals who still live there. You’ll notice I haven’t taken any photos of residents in their still lived-in buildings. Because I imagine they don’t want to be viewed as a roadside attraction, having photos taken of them by people who have come to gape at the state of decay of the surrounding area.

So make sure you avoid taking photos of, or getting on or near properties that are still inhabited, out of respect for he Salton Sea community.

Slab City

The California desert is filled with strange, quirky places. Slab City is most certainly one of them. No Salton Sea road trip is complete without a visit here. Residents call it “The Last Free Place in America”. It’s not just a local nickname; it’s written on the sign for the town as you enter.

When I say “town”, Slab City is not an officially incorporated places. Mostly made up of motor homes and seasonal residents, it’s a place where people who wish to remain off the grid gather, especially in the winter. They sell handmade trinkets and crafts, exchange services and goods amongst each other, and live with their own water supply, create their own (mostly solar) power, and rely on a mostly barter economy.

For somewhat justifiable reasons, Slab City is known as a “lawless” place. Though federal and state laws still apply, no matter what residents may say, the truth is there’s not really a local or nearby police force, and the state doesn’t bother to come out here for much.

So you might want to stay on the right side of local residents. A lot of people ask if Slab City is safe, as many influencers and YouTubers have presented it as some kind of Mad Max wasteland for views; and the truth is, if you’re here at night getting into fights with people or flashing luxury items, it’s probably not safe. But if you just stop by to buy some trinkets from a local during the day and look around? You’ll most likely be fine.

Salvation Mountain

One of my favorite attractions in the area is Salvation Mountain. Though I am not what anyone would call “religious”, the idea that a man named Leonard Knight spent decades building this colorful, whimsical monument in the middle of absolutely nowhere because he felt he was called to do it, inspires a degree of awe in me.

I have to admire the single-minded dedication it took to create this. Especially because Knight was focused on spreading a message of love and acceptance, as the words he chose to share on the mountain make clear.

Knight himself was a man who felt very lost in life and unmoored until he woke up one day with the idea that this was his life’s mission, because a higher power had spoken to him. I go into more details about Leonard Knight and visiting Salvation Mountain elsewhere in the blog.

Where to Stay Near Salton Sea

Salton Sea and the surrounding attractions can be done as a day trip from Los Angeles or Las Vegas. But as I mentioned before, if you do want to spend the night, it’s best to book a hotel in decidedly more cosmopolitan Palm Springs, where you will have a range of restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars to occupy you in the morning and night.

Palm Springs is only a 25-minute drive away from the top of the sea, but closer to a 1.5-hour drive from Slab City, which is all the way on the other side of the Recreation Area.

Another option is to stay in Borrego Springs, around 30 minutes west of Salton Sea.

Final Thoughts

As for my visit? I found it illuminating. People tend to stereotype California as a land of surfers and glitz, mountains and resorts. But there is a whole other side to the state. The harsh lands of the desert, the quirky outposts in the middle of nowhere, an unfortunate amount of abandoned places, projects, and poverty throughout the rural parts of the state.

After spending the whole day there, I saw that the sun was setting, and the clouds had merged with the haze hanging over the lake.  After some time, I took one last look, got into my car, and started the three-hour journey home.

If you would like to check out some really incredible photos from the Salton Sea, Lost America has a great collection over at their site.