Bombay Beach

Once upon a time, Bombay Beach on the eastern shores of the Salton Sea was a mecca for the rich and famous, for everyday folk, and for those seeking recreational thrills like fishing and watersports.

At 233 feet below sea level, Bombay Beach sits off Highway 111 in Imperial County, about 20 miles north of Niland and Salvation Mountain and 75 miles southeast of Rancho Mirage.

The little community was founded in 1929. It surged in popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, with visitors taking advantage of the 400-square-mile body of water created when the Colorado River overflowed near the U.S./Mexico border in 1905 and broke through initial attempts to harness the river’s resources.

The Salton Sea has seen significant shrinkage due to evaporation and decreasing water inflow. Now covering a little more than 300 square miles, it remains the largest inland body of water in California.

Its allure has shifted. In recent years, Bombay Beach has become a haven for retirees and artists alike and a destination for those drawn by its apocalyptic mystique. It is the backdrop for a variety of notable movies, documentaries, music videos and novels.

The artistic nature of the community is easily discovered in a drive around town, where myriad sculptures and nostalgic tributes populate yards. Even more creations sit on the shoreline across the berm separating the town from the Sea.

Visitors shouldn’t neglect a stop at the Ski Inn near the town’s entrance for grub - namely burgers - raved about by many patrons. Dubbed “the lowest bar in the Western hemisphere” because of its below-sea-level elevation, the walls of the restaurant and bar are papered with dollar bills.

The town also is the site of the Bombay Beach Biennale, founded in 2015 “as a public arts event untethered from the commercial art world of galleries, museums and art fairs, and as a tool to amplify the largely unknown and ignored ecological crisis that is the Salton Sea,” according to its website, www.bombaybeachbiennale.org.

To learn more about the area’s arts emphasis, visit www.bbartsculture.org.