Salvation Mountain, In California
Road Trip: From the Salton Sea to Salvation Mountain and Slab City
Leonard Knight
Just south of the Salton Sea Visitor’s Center is a little town called Niland, CA, home to the infamous Salvation Mountain and Slab City. Just a few miles out of town on Beal Rd. a colorful scene appears in the distance. It rises up from the desert, a beacon, signaling travelers to draw closer. This beacon is called Salvation Mountain. What makes Salvation Mountain special is that it is a man made mountain of adobe clay, hay bales and support beams. I suspect the mountain is about three stories high. The smooth adobe clay is painted over with colorful images and bible scriptures. More than 100,000 gallons of paint, 25 years of hard labor, 1000’s of hay bales and bucketfuls of adobe have gone into the creation of Salvation Mountain. Watch the video on Salvation Mountain.
Salvation Mountain
Why build a mountain in the desert? One man had a dream, a purpose: to spread the message “God is Love.” The red and pink letters that crown the mountaintop spell this message out to whoever comes close enough to read it. Thousands of tourists have traveled to Niland, CA to visit Salvation Mountain. Leonard Knight, the man behind the mountain, lives at Salvation Mountain. He continues to work on it each day, adding more structures, color and messages. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, National Geographic, The Discovery Channel and other news media have told the story of Salvation Mountain. The media has given it more fame and attention than Leonard could have ever dreamed possible. He has achieved his goal of spreading the word about God in a big way. He has dedicated his entire life to it.
Take a walk up the yellow brick road!
If you find yourself out in Niland or nearby, stop in and visit Leonard at Salvation Mountain. He will give you a tour. There is no charge. You can leave a donation or take some extra paint along with you to donate to his project. He loves visitors and he enjoys telling them about his life’s work.
You can take a walk up the mountain along the yellow brick road. The view
from the top is a good one. The new section that Leonard is working on is called
“The Museum.” It is a domed structure with car windows to let the light in. He
has flowers painted inside of it and several very large trees he has built out
of old car and tractor tires. They are covered with adobe and painted. The branches
are real wood found in the desert. The branches hold up the dome.
It was very interesting to learn about Salvation Mountain and what inspired Leonard Knight to spend the last 25 years of his life building it. He is a man with incredible faith and vision. To learn more about Leonard Knight, click here.
Jan 01, 2013: Time has taken its toll on Leonard Knight and his Salvation Mountain. In 2010 his hearing and eyesight began to fail, forcing him to leave his beloved Salvation Mountain. In December of 2011, additional health problems caused his move to a caregiver facility east of San Diego, CA. He tries to visit the Mountain every few months when possible.
Salivation Mountain is now being cared for by a non-profit group, Salvation Mountain Inc. It has hired a caretaker to maintain the site, and to protect it from vandals and thieves. The desert's natural elements, rain, wind, and heat, create the need for constant maintenance of Leonard Knight's Salvation Mountain.
Fun Facts about Salvation Mountain
- More than 100,000 gallons of paint, 25 years of hard labor, 1000’s of hay bales and bucketfuls of adobe have gone into the creation of Salvation Mountain.
- Salvation Mountain has been featured on The Discovery Channel, Ripley’s Believe It or Not and National Geographic.
- Slab City as a no-fee area would not exist today if Salvation Mountain had not been built. Since Slab City contains a religious monument, Salvation Mountain, it could not legally be converted to a fee-based site.
by Lynn Bremner
More on the area
Part 1: The Salton Sea | Part
2: Salvation Mountain | Part 3: Slab City
DesertUSA Newsletter -- We send articles on hiking, camping and places to explore, as well as animals, wildflower reports, plant information and much more. Sign up now. (It's free.)
| THE DESERT ENVIRONMENT | |||
| The North American Deserts | |||
| Chihuahuan Desert | Great Basin Desert | Mojave Desert | Sonoran Desert |
| Glossary of Desert & Geological Terms | |||
Animals - Wildlife | Wildflowers-Plants | Minerals - Geology | Desert People
DesertUSA is a comprehensive resource about the North American deserts and Southwest destinations. Learn about desert biomes while you discover how desert plants and animals learn to adapt to the harsh desert environment. Study desert landscapes and how the geologic features unique to the desert regions are formed. Find travel information about national parks, state parks, BLM land, and Southwest cities and towns located in or near the desert regions of the United States. Access maps and information about the Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert, Great Basin Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert, which lie in the geographic regions of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, and Utah in the United States and into Mexico.
SEARCH THIS SITE
Joshua Tree National Park - Black Eagle Mine Road Video - Beginning 6.5 miles north of the Cottonwood Visitor Center, this dead-end dirt road runs along the edge of Pinto Basin, crosses several dry washes, and then winds up through canyons in the Eagle Mountains. The first 9 + miles of the road are within the park boundary. Beyond that point is BLM land. Several old mines are located near this road.
Death Valley - Scotty's Castle Video
Find out how Scotty's Castle came to be, when Albert Johnson met Walter Scott, later known as Death Valley Scotty. Take a tour of the magnificent rooms and see the castle's fantastic furnishings. Hear the organ in the music room as you experience this place of legend first-hand.
Death Valley - Titus Canyon Video
As Titus Canyon Road in Death Valley reaches the foothills, it starts to climb and meander among the sagebrush and red rock outcroppings. The road becomes steeper and narrower as it approaches Red Pass, amply named for its red rocks and dirt. Enjoy the ride!
___________________________________
Take a look at our Animals index page to find information about all kinds of birds, snakes, mammals, spiders and more!
Are you interested in the temperatures in the
desert?Click here to see current desert temperatures!
