Everyone
Great Salt Lake marina, visitor center, and shoreline access
Great Salt Lake State Park sits west of downtown Salt Lake City off I-80 exit 104, on the lake’s south shore in Magna. Opened to the public in 1978, the park offers boat slips, sail and motorboat access, a visitor center and gift shop, picnic tables, a year round campground, and a shoreline walk to Black Rock. Day use costs $10 per vehicle for up to eight people.
About the Great Salt Lake State Park
The park sits on the south shore of Great Salt Lake at 13312 West 1075 South in Magna, a straight run west from downtown Salt Lake City on I-80. Utah State Parks directs drivers to take exit 104, turn left at Saltair onto the frontage road, and follow the signs to the entrance station. The park website warns that the physical address may not work with every GPS unit, so navigate to the exit rather than the street number. Park elevation is 4,200 feet.
The grounds are open sunrise to sunset. As of August 2026, the visitor center and gift shop post summer hours of 11:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday through Thursday and 9:00 am to 8:00 pm Friday through Sunday. Day use costs $10 per vehicle for up to eight people, $5 per vehicle for seniors 65 and older, and $2 per person for cyclists and pedestrians. A park annual pass is $50. You can pay ahead at parkspass.utah.gov and scan the receipt at the gate, and the vehicle fee covers parking inside it.
Most visits start at the visitor center, which explains the lake’s ecology and sells souvenirs, then move down to the beach and the marina docks. The lake is two to seven times saltier than the ocean and is a major stop for millions of migratory birds, so binoculars earn their space in the car. A trailhead reaches Black Rock in a little over a quarter mile, and the walk there from Sunset Beach covers about a mile. The marina holds boat slips plus sail and motorboat access and is home to the Great Salt Lake Yacht Club. Next door, Saltair stands on pilings over the shore and runs as a concert venue with a souvenir concession.
Conditions shift with the lake, so check before you drive out. On August 21, 2026, the park listed the water level at 4190.3 feet above sea level, stable and flagged as low, with clear algae conditions. Stage 2 fire restrictions applied that day, barring open fires of any kind, including established fire pits and charcoal grills. As of August 2026, the campground stays open year round, with water and electric sites at $40 per night, full hookups at $60, and primitive tent only beach sites at $20, all reserved through Reserve America. Dogs are welcome on a leash no longer than six feet. Brine flies along the shoreline are normal in warm months.
