Salvation Mountain: A monument to faith

Salvation Mountain in northeastern Imperial County is a colorful tribute to one man and his faith. For decades, the manmade mountain has drawn travelers and accolades from all over the world.

The mountain is the creation of Leonard Knight, a Vermont native who dreamt of stitching together a hot air balloon to soar above the ground, carrying messages of God’s love. Despite many attempts, that dream never became airborne. Relentlessly determined, Knight found a way to build his vision.

Today, on approach from the nearby community of Niland, vibrant waves of colors coating the hillside reflect a balloon coming to rest, blanketing desert sand and clay banks in messages Knight was driven to share.

Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, in her address to Congress on May 15, 2002, described Salvation Mountain as, “a national treasure ... profoundly strange and beautifully accessible.”

Knight, a Korean War veteran who became a follower of Jesus Christ while visiting his devoutly faithful sister in San Diego, eventually found a home in the desert near the entrance to Slab City in Imperial County. The abandoned Camp Dunlap, a U.S. Marine Corps base in the early 1940s, known locally as “the Slabs,” is home to a mixture of winter visitors, artists and squatters, many of them opting to live off the grid.

It was there Knight began building his monument to faith. Today, the mountain measures 50 feet high and 150 feet wide, according to the Salvation Mountain website (www.salvationmountain.us). It is crafted from adobe mixed with straw and coated with hundreds of thousands of gallons of latex paint.

Today, the mountain is preserved and maintained by the nonprofit Salvation Mountain, Inc., paying tribute to Knight, who died at age 83 in 2014.

Visitors are greeted by a docent who shares the story of the mountain and cautions them to stay on the yellow-painted path leading up the mountain. Straying from the path could be catastrophic to mountain and visitors alike. After intense desert storms, for example, visitors may find the path roped off and the mountain accessible only by viewing from its base. Open year-round from sunrise to sunset, admission is free.

To learn more about how to travel to Salvation Mountain or about its history, visit www.salvationmountain.org or www.salvationmountain.us.

LEARN MORE

Call: 760.624.8754
Write: Salvation Mountain Inc., P.O. Box 1577, Calipatria, CA 92233
Email: info@salvationmountain.org 

Facebook: /SalvationMountain
Instagram: @salvationmountainofficial
YouTube: @salvationmountaininc.3534