I have been invited to go to the balloon/kite fest on Antelope Island out of Salt Lake City Utah over the holiday weekend. I was told they have salt flats on the island were the event will be held and it will be a great place to buggy. Has anyone gone there and buggyed and if so what should I expect?

Thanks in advance.
Susan (npw goddess)

I don't think there is anywhere on Antelope Island that you could buggy at unless it is right on the shoreline. If you head out west on Interstate 80 you will get to the main salt flats where you will have 100's of miles of flat that you could buggy on. If you don't make it all the way out to the actual flats (appx. 80-90 miles west of downtown SLC. there are still plenty of areas along the way towards Tooele that you can buggy at.

Usually balloon fests and kite buggies don't get along to well as the balloon's need very little or no wind to launch and the kites usually need a bit stronger winds.


Pictures of the Bonneville Salt Flats


Hope that helps.

I have always wondered how the salt flats play out on our gear ?

Any issues with the salt ?

Well my buggy is made out of stainless. I would think that the salt would be hard on kites and if so I can just make up more nasa wings.


Susan (npw goddess)

You will need to wash everything off after your ride. EVERYTHING! lol The salt sticks to pretty much anything that touches it and can be quite nasty. It will blow into your open cell foils and fill them up (if the wind is strong enough) Newer foils with dirt-outs wouldn't be too bad but the salt still gets into everything. NPW's would probably be the easiest to keep clean.

With the right winds you can get going pretty awesome, the surface isn't like the dry lake beds and can be quite slick - like riding on a 4" layer of sand but not sinking as much. Side slides are awesome and you can throw salt for quite a while.

There are a bunch of areas on the way to the flats that are more like the dry lake beds, hardpack and not nearly as much salt. Plenty of area to ride - just gotta find an area that you can get to easily far enough from the freeway to not cause any problems and your set. A couple areas are only 20-40 miles west of the city so you don't have to go all the way to Bonneville if you don't want to.

Bonneville is pretty awesome to see though if you've never been there. Wendover City (just inside the Nevada Border) is just a little ways away too so you have a place to stay in a nice hotel and can do some gambling if you wish or grab a buffet.

The salt just cakes onto everything and if you wash it off and clean it all out then it won't cause any problems.

Sounds like a good trip. Take pictures for us Susan.

What do all the snow kiters in SLC do in the off season. Kitesurf ? Seems crazy with so many great places to ride land around there . Winter and Summer.