Salvation Mountain : A Beacon of Love in the California Desert

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Salvation Mountain, with its collage of colors, has become an instagram hotspot. However, the story behind the mountain is even more fascinating. During my first ever Coachella trip, I decided to hang out in the desert for a few days before the festival. I was BLOWN AWAY. I’ve put together a guide on how to get there as well as a little history on the place! BECAUSE WHERE’S THE FUN IF THERE’S NO CONTEXT?!?!?

Or if you don’t care about its background (no judgement), then scroll through for the pretty pictures.

Either way, thanks for stopping by!

So, where to start? Well. I guess the beginning would be a good place.

I learned a lot of the background from the official website. It’s a great resource for more information! The Mountain was created by Leonard Knight. He was born just outside of Burlington, Vermont on 32 acres of farmland. For comparison, the gardens at Buckingham Palace is around 39 acres and has a helicopter pad. SO. That’s a lot of farm. After years working in a factory and getting drafted in the Korean War, he found himself in San Diego in 1967. Adrift. 

For some reason that he never understood, he went out to sit in his van. He started repeating the Sinner Prayer, over and over.

“Jesus, I’m a sinner, please come upon my body and into my heart.”

He was forever changed.

He went back to Vermont, but no one could wrap their head around his simple “accept Jesus, repent, be saved” philosophy. A hot air balloon passed over Burlington, and Knight decided it would be the perfect method to deliver the Sinner’s Prayer. He journeyed out West alone and started sewing fabric together for the balloon. And whadda know – he stopped in good ol’ sunny Southern California!

 

 

He spent blood, sweat, and tears on his hot air balloon. Knight let his passion lead the way…which…well, led to the balloon getting too big. The fabric kept ripping, and the stitching began to rot and fail. It was a disaster, to put it frankly. Knight knew he should pack up, and he accepted defeat. BUT FIRST, he needed to leave a parting gift. A little ‘I was here’ memento. 

Nothing dramatic, yanno.

Maybe just a cement block. Or two. Or three. Or….eleven….

A quick small day project turned into months of creative investment. He covered the cement blocks in paint and hay. Knight started adding junk and debris from a nearby dump to add to the mountain of stuff. He covered the pile with sand, cement, and paint, then continued to stack. He spent days at the dump for the chance of finding supplies. “I used to spend half a day at the dump to find half a gallon of paint of which only half was usable,” Leonard Knight explained.

Four years into the project, the mountain collapsed. But he dusted his shoulders off, thankful that no one was hurt, and vowed to do better. Knight learned from his mistakes and created another mountain. Salvation Mountain. A masterpiece. I think the moral is to not give up on your dreams. If you are passionate, you will find a way through the challenges and disappointments.

 

 

That’s the super short version of the background. In more recent years, and by recent I mean 1994, the Imperial County deemed Salvation Mountain a toxic wasteland. You see, after about 10 years, Salvation Mountain started making a name for itself and attracting visitors. The Mountain is also located right at the entrance of Slab City, which is technically owned by the State of California. There was a makeshift flea market in Slab City, and the County wanted to collect a use fee. That’s California for ya, always trying to make money somewhere. BUT, with a big giant beacon of RELIGION glaring out over the land, it was hard make that feasible. 

The County hired a toxic waste specialist to take samples of the dirt around Salvation Mountain. But even before the results were in, the County sanctioned off the Mountain and labeled it “a toxic nightmare.” The tests came back showing high amounts of lead in the soil, and thus the County called for the Mountain to be demolished.

In protest, hundreds of signatures poured in from local residents, seasonal visitors (or snowbirds), and the art community against the demolition. Knight collected new soil samples for testing in an independent lab in San Diego. Guess what y’all. There weren’t any high levels of ANY contaminant, especially not led, at or near the Mountain.

 

 

If you want to visit – which you should! – Salvation Mountain is in the middle of the Southern California desert. It’s about 1.5 hours from Palm Springs, 2 hours from Joshua Tree, 2.5 hours from San Diego, and 4.5 hours from Los Angeles. It’s on the southern side of the Salton Sea and is located within Slab City. I think there are a few tours from larger cities that can take you to the site, buuuuut I didn’t take one so idk if they’re good. I just rented a car and drove.

 

Salvation Mountain is open from dawn until dusk. LITERALLY EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. You can drop by whenever. If you would like a guided tour by one of the on site volunteers, however, it can be arranged with advanced notice. Once you get there, park in the parking lot. There aren’t any designated lines or anything, but don’t be a jerk and block people in. Stay at least 10 feet from any painted or display areas. I arrived around 2pm (THE HOTTEST PART OF THE DAY). There still a couple spots open too! There is also a porta potty at the parking lot, but I didn’t check it out. I learned that the hard way hiking into Havasupai Trail. Don’t use porta potties unless you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.

 

 

The most famous feature of Salvation Mountain was in “Into the Wild,” but I’d never seen it. Some even see their favorite Instagrammers going vogue on the mountain, but that didn’t really inspire my visit either. No offense to my fabulous blogger friends haha. What REALLY pulled me to Salvation Mountain was Kesha’s music video for “Praying.” First of all. If I could eat dinner with any 5 people, living or dead, Kesha would be one of them. And Praying makes me uncontrollably sob every time I listen to it. The video was absolutely moving and beautiful. AND IT FEATURED SLAB CITY, and of course, Salvation Mountain. After that video, I HAD to see it for myself.

 

 

Climbing the mountain myself, I wanted to cry – but the air was too dry. It sucked all the tears straight out of me. I went in April and it was BLAZING. I know it looks like my skin is glistening in the pictures, but actually it’s just a lot of sweat. My body violently protested the visit – BUT I AM STRONGER THAN THAT. Well, for short bursts of time anyway. I can’t imagine anyone visiting in the dead of summer. My recommendation would be winter or EARLY spring and LATE fall. But yanno, you’re choice. 

 

 

In addition, Leonard added a “museum” and a Hogan. The museum is a replica of his original hot air balloon design, and is held up by “trees”. Also in the museum, are little domes (great for shade btw). Oh, and the Hogan! The native Navajo used adobe and sticks to build a dome shaped home. A Hogan! Knight never slept in it, however, even after it was built. Rather, he preferred sleeping in his truck.

While you are exploring the mountain, be careful of the art and STICK TO THE PATH. For one, you could slip and hurt yourself or something. Furthermore, you could break or damage the mountain! There were a handful of girls trying to climb on random parts of the mountain with their high heels trying to get that perfect Instagram shot. They were promptly told to get off or leave. Show respek and follow the yellow brick road. A lot of work goes into keeping this great place open to the public, so don’t act a fool. 

 

 

Some tips for your visit:

• Gas up! There aren’t any gas stations in Slab City, so don’t show up with your gas light on and expect to fill up and leave.
• Hit a bathroom before you arrive too. There isn’t any running water either.
• Also, the speed limit is 5mph. There’s doggies roaming around!
• Speaking of dogs, keep all pets on a leash and clean up their messes!
• No alcohol or drugs on the site.
• No camping on the mountain. You can camp across the street though. Or anywhere in Slab City. Just be respectful of others 🙂
• Feel free to take as many pictures as you want. Just be mindful of…appropriateness. Don’t use your pictures to promote drugs, vulgar sexual activity, or negativity. And on the same note, no nudity.
• NO DRONES THO.

 

 

Knight died in 2014, but faithful volunteers still maintain the mountain. In some of the pictures, you can see the grounds person painting and retouching the mountain. All Salvation Mountain donations go to the preservation and maintenance of the Mountain. The donations also contribute to educational and artistic programs, charities, and internships. Only give donations through the website or the donation box on site. Don’t give money to randos at the mountain. You can even volunteer if you want! Here is the link to the Salvation Mountain website! And there ya have it folks! A miracle in the middle of the desert! LOVE, in the middle of the desert. 

 

Have you ever seen such an amazing outdoor art instillation? The first thing that comes to my mind is the Seven Magic Mountains in Las Vegas. I love pop art in the desert! Would you pay a visit to Salvation Mountain?

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