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Photo © Estate of Robert Smithson. |
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| Overview |
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Robert Smithson's monumental earthwork Spiral Jetty (1970) is located on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Using black basalt rocks and earth from the site, the artist created a coil 1500 feet long and 15 feet wide that stretches out counterclockwise into the translucent red water. Spiral Jetty was acquired by Dia Art Foundation as a gift from the Estate of the artist in 1999.
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Note: Access to Spiral Jetty is available through the Golden Spike National Historic Site
Detailed Directions to "Spiral Jetty"
Note: Odometer readings vary with each vehicle. The distances given below are only approximations.
The Division of Natural Resources has posted signs at each turn/fork to indicate directions to the Jetty.
1. Go to Golden Spike National Historic Site (GSNHS), 30 miles west of Brigham City, Utah. The Spiral Jetty is 15.5 dirt road miles southwest of Golden Spike's visitor center.
To get there (from Salt Lake City) take I-15 north approximately 65 miles to the Corinne exit (exit 365), just west of Brigham City, Utah. Exit and proceed on Highway 13 through Corrine, then after Corrine stay left at the fork in the road onto Highway 83 and drive another 17.7 miles west, turn left and follow signs, another 7.7 miles up the east side of Promontory Pass to Golden Spike National Historic Site.
2. From the visitor center, drive 5.6 miles west on the main gravel road.
3. Five point six miles should bring you to an intersection. From this vantage point you can see the lake. Looking southwest, you can see the low foothills that make up Rozel Point, 9.9 miles distant.
4. At this intersection the road forks. One road continues west, the other goes south. Take the south (left) fork. Both forks are Box Elder County Class D (maintained) roads.
5. Immediately you cross a cattle guard. Call this cattle guard #1. Including this one, you should cross four cattle guards before you reach Rozel Point and the Spiral Jetty.
6. Drive 1.3 miles south. Here you should see a corral on the west side of the road. Here too, the road again forks. One fork continues south along the west side of the Promontory Mountains. This road leads to a locked gate. The other fork goes southwest toward the bottom of the valley and Rozel Point. Turn right onto the southwest fork, just north of the corral. This is also a Box Elder County Class D road.
7. After you turn south west, go 1.7 miles to cattle guard #2. Here, besides the cattle guard, you should find a fence but no gate.
8. Continue southeast 1.2 miles to cattle guard #3, a fence, and gate.
9. Another .5 miles should bring you to the remnants of an old fence line, but no cattle guard and no gate. Continue straight.
(There is also a ranch road which Ts to the right at this location.)
10. Continue 2.3 miles south-southwest to a combination fence, cattle guard #4, iron-pipe gate - and a sign declaring the property behind the fence to be that of the "Rafter S. Ranch". Here too, is a "No Trespassing" sign.
11. At this gate, the Class D road designation ends and the quality of the road deteriorates markedly. If you choose to continue south for another 2.3 miles, and around the east side of Rozel Point, you will reach the Lake and see a jetty (not the Spiral Jetty), left by oil drilling exploration in the 1920s through the 1980s. As you approach the Lake, on your right youll come across a concrete foundation remaining from a previously demolished structure.
From this location, the concrete foundation is the key to finding the road to the Spiral Jetty. After you drive slowly past the concrete foundation, take the fork in the road to the right up and onto a two-track trail that contours above the oil-exploration area. Only high clearance vehicles should advance beyond the concrete foundation. Travel slowlythe road is narrow, brush might scratch your vehicle, and the rocks, if not properly negotiated, could high center your vehicle. Don't hesitate to park and walk.
12. Drive or walk the remaining 6/10th of a mile west-northwest past the concrete foundation and around Rozel Point, looking toward the Lake. The Spiral Jetty should be in sight. The lake level varies several feet from year-to-year and from season to season, so the Spiral Jetty is not always visible above the water line.
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Spiral Jetty
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Recent New York Times Magazine article on Spiral Jetty.
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