The Ultimate Guide to Salvation Mountain In California

If you’re planning a road trip through California, Salvation Mountain is a unique place to add to your itinerary!

Isolated in the the dusty Southern Californian desert, lies the colourful piece of folk art known as Salvation Mountain. This iconic man-made structure shot into the limelight during the early days of Instagram and from its appearance in the movie Into The Wild. Since then it’s been a popular place to visit for anyone travelling through the area.

But Salvation Mountain has been standing long before the days of social media and was built by a man named Leonard Knight! Completely intrigued by the story behind this desert gem and its artistic nature, I was immediately drawn to it. So, when planning our California road trip, you can bet that I added a stop to see what it’s all about!

In this guide, I’ll tell you the best time to visit Salvation Mountain, what to see along the way and the story of how it got there.

Visiting Salvation Mountain At A Glance

If you’re in a rush and need to know all the important information about visiting Salvation Mountain, these are the main points at a glance!

How To Get There

So you might be wondering, how do you get to Salvation Mountain? Well, you certainly will need to drive but it may not be as far-flung as you think.

Although it looks like it is in the middle of nowhere, Salvation Mountain is in the off-grid town of Slab City in Niland, which is only a 1.5-hour drive from Palm Springs or a 2.5-hour drive from San Diego. This means that a day trip to Salvation Mountain is possible, especially if you’re travelling from Palm Springs!

I recommend making this a pit stop during a California or a Southwest road trip if you can. Alternatively, make it a day trip rather than planning to stay overnight in the area.

When we visited, we stayed the night in Slab City, which was a unique experience in itself but isn’t something that I think is necessary. Apart from visiting Salvation Mountain for sunset and then sunrise the next day, there wasn’t that much to do there.

Bombay Beach and The Salton Sea

If you’re travelling from Palm Springs to Salvation Mountain, the journey will take you past the Salton Sea and the deserted ‘ghost’ town of Bombay Beach.

I won’t sugarcoat it – driving through this deserted town, once a thriving hotspot, has an eerie vibe but it is a really interesting place to drive through. Despite its emptiness, a small community of fewer than 200 people still call the abandoned town home.

Here you’ll find art installations dotted around the area such as a tower made from a military jet decorated in hand-blown glass flowers.

Don’t be surprised if you catch a whiff of rotten eggs while here – the sulfuric smell comes from the Salton Sea’s toxic waters.

When To Visit Salvation Mountain

Salvation Mountain is open from dawn till dusk 365 days a year but certain times will be better for you to visit.

The Colorado Desert gets very hot during the months of May to October and if you visit during this time, you’re best to go very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon. We visited in July and it was far too hot to be outside for any length of time.

If you can visit during the cooler months, I recommend doing this as you won’t have to worry so much about the intense heat.

Entrance Fee & Things To Know

Visiting Salvation Mountain is free, but donations whether this be money or a tin of non-lead paint, are accepted to help with the upkeep. Parking is in the designated area right in front of the monument.

You’re free to walk around and explore the pastel-coloured artwork but please be aware of the signs that advise where you can walk. The yellow brick road is what you’ll need to use to climb to the top of Salvation Mountain and is clearly marked out.

The hogan is the small domed room that is set to the right of the mountain painted in the same colours as the rest of the artwork. Leonard started building this in 1998 as somewhere he could stay to escape the desert heat, but he didn’t end up moving in.

Make sure you leave enough time here to explore all of the abstract nooks and crannies. Bring plenty of water with you, the hot temperatures I mentioned earlier are no joke!

What’s The Story Behind Salvation Mountain?

Built mostly from adobe clay, waste material and latex paint, Salvation Mountain is the brainchild of Leonard Knight, a free-spirited folk artist who had a burning passion to spread the message ‘God is Love’.

He originally travelled to Slab City to try and launch his hot air balloon that had been 14 years in the making. The balloon was made out of multi-coloured fabric that Leonard had worked hard to purchase over the years, across it was his message stitched in bold red letters.

Unfortunately, Leonard’s enthusiasm was the balloon’s downfall and over time it became far too big to manage. Despite all his efforts, the fabric and stitching began to rot and the balloon never left the ground, after endless attempts to fix and inflate it Leonard had to admit defeat. 

In 1984 Leonard planned to leave Slab City but before doing so he wished to create a small monument as a homage to his faith, with half a bag of cement and some paint he began his task. The days turned into weeks and weeks turned into years and his monument soon grew over 50 feet tall.

This first structure had the same familiar patchwork of colours you see in today’s mountain but the materials used were not as structurally sound. About 4 years into the build, the unstable mountain collapsed into a pile of rubble and dirt.

This didn’t discourage Leonard though and he vowed to start over again but this time he’d ‘do it with more smarts’. This second mountain is the one that you see standing out against the desert today which Leonard continually worked on for 28 years until he sadly passed away in 2014. 

Now the community in Slab City look after Leonard’s labour of love and donations from visitors are essential for the monument’s upkeep.

Salvation Mountain California FAQs

If you’re planning a trip to Salvation Mountain in California, you’ll probably have a few questions about your trip. These are some of the most frequently asked questions!

Is Salvation Mountain Worth It?

Yes, I do think Salvation Mountain is worth a visit but I do think there are some ways that are better to visit than others.

In my personal opinion, I don’t think it is worth making this an overnight trip and staying in the area as there isn’t really anything nearby. When I say you’re in the middle of nowhere, you really are in the middle of nowhere!

I would try and incorporate it as part of a road trip where possible or do it as a day trip from Palm Springs or San Diego.

How Big Is Salvation Mountain?

Salvation Mountain stands at 50 feet tall and 150 feet wide! Not only that but over 100,000 gallons of paint have gone into this huge artwork!

How Far Is Salvation Mountain From Palm Springs?

To reach Salvation Mountain from Palm Springs takes around an hour and a half by car.

If you are driving this route, it will take you past the abandoned town of Bombay Beach and the Salton Sea. If you do want to explore this on your way I’d allow an extra half hour to an hour on whichever leg of the journey you choose to stop.

Can You Stay Near Salvation Mountain California?

You certainly can stay near Salvation Mountain by staying in Niland which is just a few minute’s drive from the monument. There aren’t that many choices to pick from in the area but it is possible.

If you’re after more amenities and a wider choice of places to stay, you’ll find them in Indio, the nearest large city. It’s about an hour and ten minutes drive from Salvation Mountain.

Final Thoughts: The Ultimate Guide to Salvation Mountain In California

Whether it’s art, spirituality or wonder that pulls you to visit, there is something extremely special about this place.

For me personally, I’m not religious, but Leonard’s message of love is something that can resonate with most. Visiting a piece of art that someone dedicated a huge part of their life to creating, even after the many setbacks, is something worth seeing. I really admire what Leonard achieved and I’m so glad that the community in Slab City still look after his life’s work.

If you find yourself travelling through California, visiting Salvation Mountain and Slab City is a great choice for a unique day trip!