Actually, it’s both. One of our day trips from Desert Hot Springs was to Salton Sea, which the California Department of Parks and Recreation describes as “one of the world’s largest inland seas and lowest spots on earth at -227 below sea level.” The body of water was created when the Colorado River flooded and crashed the canal gates leading into the developing Imperial Valley. In the 18 months it took engineers to close the breach, the sea was created, stretching 45 miles long and 20 miles wide. Salton is an endorheic lake—its waters never discharge to the ocean; they either seep into the ground or evaporate. As a result, it’s got extremely (and increasingly) high levels of salinity, making it inhospitable for fish and birds. Add in wastewater discharge and irrigation discharge from nearby farms, and you’ve got a recipe for an environmental disaster. 

It was not always that way. The region was a bustling desert oasis in the 1950’s and 1960’s (back when the salinity levels were relatively low) — celebrities like Sonny Bono and the Beach Boys joined wealthy California families at local beach resorts and yacht clubs. But the above-mentioned toxic stew was brewing, and by the 1970s, fish were dying in massive quantities, there were large algal blooms, and the water smelled just awful (it still does). 

Enter a few intrepid artists who saw opportunity in an abandoned landscape. Over the past decade, a group of local residents (yes, some folks still live there), visiting artists, and benefactors have created a funky, bizarre arts colony, complete with its own Bombay Beach Biennale. For a deeper look, read this Roadtripper article!