The southern tip of the “Sea” used to be a great birding spot. I was overflown by thousands of snow geese once and it was amazing (and I didn’t get pooped on, which was even more amazing.)
Since the Salton Sea resembles Great Salt lake (in some respects), I have a question for SLC Dopers-was the Great Salt Lake ever developed as a resort area? With seaside condos, marinas, amusements, etc? Why not?
There are parts that were, most notably the Saltair pavilion, which has been rebuilt multiple times. When I first got there in 1983 I found it surrounded by water on all sides. It had been built well back from the Lake, but that year they had torrential rains, and the lake swelled up until it threatened the building.
“When do the waters go down?” I asked.
“You tell us,” they replied. Within a year the lake swallowed up the adjacent water slide, and overflowed the expensive wood dance floor.
I don’t know if they had showers there, but that’s something that would be essential. Once you get out of the Salt Lake, the saturated solution immediately starts evporating, and it leaves a deposit of salt on every body hair, and you can’t wait to get it off. The times I bathed in the Lake, I was nowhere near any kind of washing facility, and fervently wanted to wash off.
As I understand it, when the Salton sea got developed as a resort area, it was a lot less salty than it is now, and home to a far greater variety of fish and avian life. Playing along the shore and in the water was reportedly rather pleasant.
As Salton sea’s salinity approaches that of the Great Salt Lake, the feasibility of using it as a resort declines even further.