“Salvation Mountain is a literal man-made mountain 28 years in the making, covered in half a million gallons of latex paint. What started as a small monument made of dirt and painted cement became, over time, a sprawling adobe and hay-bale mountain complex, with peripheral structures made of telephone poles, tires, and car windows, as well as art cars and sculptures, all painted in a patchwork of stripes and color blocks of whatever paint was donated that week.
— Aaron Huey, National Geographic
Salvation Mountain is a great work of folk art by the late Leonard Knight. The artwork is made from adobe, straw, and thousands of gallons of lead-free paint. It’s quite a beautiful spectacle, vibrant and colorful against the desert landscape. Leonard had a message to give the world, “God is Love.” While I’m not a religious person myself, I find that Leonard’s spirit of love and harmony in the world is a truly inspiring.
To Get There
Salvation Mountain is located in Niland, CA by the Salton Sea. You can drive about 3.5 hours from Los Angeles, or you can fly into Palm Springs and rent a car if you’re coming from further away.
- Location: Beal Rd, Niland, CA 92257
- It’s free to visit from sunrise to sunset and you can drive right up to the location. There aren’t any formal parking lots
When To Go
The best time to visit Salvation Mountain is between November and March, when temperatures are cooler, ranging from the 60s to low 80s°F. Avoid summer, as it can get extremely hot, with temperatures often exceeding 100°F. Early mornings or late afternoons offer more pleasant conditions year-round.
The History
After a few failed attempts to send his message of love with a hot air balloon, Leonard decided to forego that idea and instead focused on building a mountain. After 4 years of piling cement and sand, the mountain collapsed and he was back to square one.
In 1989 Leonard started his second build. Learning from his first mistakes, he decided to create the mountain from clay and straw instead of the heavier materials. Over the years thousands of people donated paint to Leonard’s site so he could continue to create.
Leonard lived on the site until his death in 2014.
Location: Beal Rd, Niland, CA 92257