I took the drive from Palm Springs (where I was staying) to Bombay Beach last week and it was something I've wanted to see for a very long time. This desolate and erie town is a skeleton of what it once once and has one of the strongest and strangest smells I've ever experienced pulling into a new place. The marina here is pretty massive and is absolutely full of all kinds of "art" or whatever you would like to call it from mannequins being tortured, recliners with blood, funny signs about cars getting stuck, religious areas, and a million other things that only pictures can really do justice. I was able to get out of my car and walk a little bit around but didn't go too close to the water for various reasons. This place is fascinating for so many different reasons and I truly do hope to come in the future. Overall, this place is completely going to be a different experience for literally everyone. For me? It was kind of eye opening in a strange way, as I still don't actually know what I saw here, but hey, I think I'll have to come back one day and just figure it out again. read more

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This place is totally unexpected. It seems like a city in a movie. There are sculptures scattered on the sand by the shore of the Salton Sea. Very unique! The town itself seemed unreal. There are houses and also there are many abandoned houses that were used as art installations. They even have a drive-in (art installation). It was really nice to see something like this in the middle of the desert. read more

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During my visit to the Salton Sea, I had the opportunity to speak directly with the locals and witness the conditions firsthand. It was intriguing to hear their perspectives, which differed from what I had read in the press. The residents confidently shared that they still swim in the waters, despite its reputation as toxic. They assured me that the air quality has been improving, and the sea itself has become cleaner and more vibrant, teeming with diverse and healthy microorganisms. Their accounts challenged the negative narrative portrayed in the media. They spoke of the sea's transformation, describing positive changes that they personally observed. It was evident that they took pride in their surroundings and were enthusiastic about the improvements they had noticed. While these individual experiences were compelling, it's important to note that they represent a local perspective and might not provide a comprehensive understanding of the overall situation. To gain a more complete picture, it would be valuable to consult scientific studies, environmental assessments, and data analysis conducted by experts. I personally found that my visit to the Salton Sea was so completely intriguing in so many and varied ways that I cannot WAIT to go back again and converse and "break bread" with the locals as they explain to me how their life works in an area that has been written off by many for decades. read more

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Now this place is straight out of the twilight zone. The funny part was listing to Mele Kalikimaka Christmas song as we drove through this apocalyptic town (Talk about juxtaposition) lol. Weird: (5) Stars***** Strange: (5) Stars***** Artistic: (5) Stars***** Something strange is in the air and the mineral water because the people of this town, slab city, salvation mountain, and the fountain of youth are strangely creative (Tim Burton style). I don't know what was more strange, the fact that there was not a single person or dog walking the streets, or the airplane art growing like a tree in their front yards. I'm gonna give this place (5) stars for the fact I wanted to leave as quickly as I arrived lol. Can you say the walking dead! Oh, they have a pub straight out of chainsaw massacre that invites you in if you like (80% off first drink) It's a trippy place and some great movies could beade there if you like ha ha. read more

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Be careful!! Do not get stuck!! Doesn't matter what car you are driving there is always a way to get stuck. Luckily there is a sign put up by locals, in case you get stuck. Do not bother calling aaa, they do not drive in sand, they gave us a number who costs $250 an hour... just call Kim!!! We had 4 different people try to help and Thomas was able to get us out no problem. Other than that, what a beautiful place! It's stinky and there are a lot of flies but boy is the drive worth it. It has amazing architecture for you to see and take pictures of. read more

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If you want to go to a town that feels post apocalyptic "get out" "trespassers will get shot" while witnessing a dying lake, This is for you! While this place is not a vacation spot there are a lot of cool abandon house arts. I wouldn't get out my car though, just drive around Also, Don't go swimming here per report this lake has many bacteria! What I really like about this place is that it gives me an eerie kind of feeling.. like Michael Myers is hiding in one of these funky houses ready to kill me. It's interesting that this place use to be the vacation town back in the good ol days. Also, there was a sign on the beach that says do not enter. Something along the lines of military radioactive testing site.. so I'm sure I went home with cancer. But, 10/10 maybe would do it again... if I want to grow some arm tentacles this time. read more

Bombay Beach Marina - Beaches Near Me - Niland, California

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Don't come here if you think you're going to get a South of France experience. The seaside town is beat up and has seen better days that being decades ago. Some of the properties have art installations and if you love rough tough and beat up stuff then a visit here will surely delight you. read more

Bombay Beach Marina - Aviation artwork 2020 - Beaches Near Me - Niland, California

Bombay beach is not for the faint of heart. It's hot and desolate and the town's population is maybe like 10... or could be less and they have one liquor store and everyone that lives there seems to own golf carts. Personally I hope they never clean up the place, it's like a reminder of how a town can die and what humanity leaves behind as the desert tries to take it back. It's like a scene you'd see in mad max or if you're a gamer like me, what Fallout would look like IRL. Now if you're wondering why I gave it 5 stars it's because I love art and photography and it's an awesome place for pictures. In fact if you go there you're probably not going to be the only one. On the few excursions I've taken there there were maybe 4 or 5 out of towners like me also doing the same. It seriously is like walking in a museum and that's why I hope they never clean it up. read more

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This is totally a fail on my part. Instagram could make anything look good. Let's not even bring tik tok into this! I knew and read about bombay beach a long time ago, and said heck, I'll be in Joshua tree and Palm springs, this is my chance to go! Me and my friends made the trek out to bombay after doing 1/2 a day in Joshua tree. The drive was long and boring, and the drive through box canyon road was a bit sketch. There were a lot of people pulled off to the side of the road randomly and doing random things. The city of bombay was really odd and there were still people living in trailer homes/mobile homes and lots and lots of sketchy people. We drove around to the art installations taking pictures and stopped at the beach, but couldn't find many installations that we saw online. There were people hacking away at their cars and just looking displaced and like they were on drugs. Such an interesting place to say the least. As we were leaving the beach area, we saw lots of instagram looking girls arrive with loud outfits. This place had and has a lot of potential, but with the unhealthy water levels, it may be best this ghost town is destroyed. There isn't a gas station for miles and miles away. Only one liquor store and nothing else around. It was nice to visit, but this is like a once in a life time stop. read more

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Bombay Beach, is one of the most depressing saddest places I've ever visited. To think that in the 1950's this town was a thriving vacation destination for the Hollywood set and now it reminds me of Chernobyl... Desolation in the Desert. People still live here, I wonder how and why.. It's eerily quiet and somewhat like a really poorly run trailer park. How do the locals survive, get groceries, internet, household necessities. It boggles the mind. Of course it is also scorching hot with a massive toxic sea no one or no thing can enter. The stench.. putrid.. the trash, the art.. the rusted burnt out cars... no grass, torn down signs... as I said so sad. I am so glad I got to come and explore here but felt guilty for gawping at peoples homes, livelihoods. I never got out of my car, to be honest I didn't feel too safe doing it. No sound anywhere, eerie.. no one around...but people are here, people live here. read more

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"Like no where else..." thats what I thinking as I drove into Bombay Beach,Niland,California off of highway CA-111South. Located near The Salton Sea,Californias largest lake-Bombay Beach is an interesting place of history,geography,climate and looks! In 1950s Bombay Beach was a celebrity destination.Frank Sinatra,the Beach Boys, Bing Crosby,Elvis Presley, Jane Mansfield,Troy Donahue and more frequented its luxury resorts perched at the edge of the Salton Sea. Well known for its fishing,boating,water skiing and bird watching. Time marched on and after geographic and environmental changes Bombay Beach seemed to be locked in the past. Most of the 295 residents use golf carts to get around since the next gas station is 20 miles away! They have 1 convenience store,Chows Market.When you want a "cold-one" there are 2 bars "The Ski Inn Bar and Grill" and "The American Legion". The ruins are a great place to photograph and there are many abandoned homes, trailers and trippy art installations such as The "Bombay Beach Drive-In"featuring broken down cars. Theres art festivals and gatherings throughout the year. Theres campsites nearby in Mecca for lakeside camping if your inclined. There is peacefulness abounding in this desolated surrounding with the huge Salton Sea nearby-theres lots to see and photograph and explore. Be advised it gets very hot in spring,summer and early fall here, and there is limited services but Bombay Beach is a trip! read more

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My girlfriend has been here multiple times over the years, but it's not the same. In her words, "It's not as natural as it used to be." Apparently lots of the stuff there has been added in the recent years. It looks like they're trying to make it a bigger tourist attraction? I don't know, kind of weird. read more

*DO NOT DRIVE OUT ONTO THE SAND, especially if you have a car with front wheel drive. You could be fine with 4WD or AWD but if you don't know how to drive on sand, you likely will end up getting stuck. There's a small parking lot at the entrance not too far past the wooden shipwreck that you can park at. Do not drive to the left of it or past the Danger Military Reservation sign, just park and walk past that sign because the sand is manageable to walk on and firmer than normal sand on a beach. There were cars parked far out on the beach but most are likely locals on the left & tourists who may end up getting stuck driving back to the parking lot. We had a Prius and our front tire got stuck 10 feet past the solid ground. They don't have tow signs posted on the telephone pole until AFTER you look back toward the parking lot because locals don't want you to know that you can get stuck because they're making a living off tourists coming & getting stuck in sand. We called Kimberly Branman cause we saw her sign posted and she came over right after she pulled another car far out. She claimed that AAA won't come because it's off roading/not on solid ground & that other towing would cost a lot more & another guy charges $700. She said she'd do it for $300. However I now just noticed on a Facebook group called "I got stuck in Bombay beach" that 2 cars were recently able to get pulled out by AAA because it's as long as it's within 15 ft of solid ground & you have to provide pics. So I realized now that we should've still tried calling AAA instead of listening to her because we weren't far at all from solid ground. Kim is in that fb group & commented on one of the posts so she was aware of that but failed to mention that to us. Other than that, the art there is very unique, random, vintage, funky, and interesting. It feels like a different world. It's a cool place but it's better to walk out onto the beach so that you don't have to pay for costly towing in case your car gets stuck. read more

Like nothing in this world! Beautiful desolation. It's a must stop if you're in the area. Back in that 60's this was a prime resort read more

Bombay Beach Marina - Beaches Near Me - Niland, California

This place is a ghost town, unwelcoming and a bit scary. I learned how to water ski here in the 60's while in high school when it was a beautiful body of water and a thriving resort. I was curious to see it again. There were remnants of three dimensional art works and a few notable buildings still standing but overall it looked like a big wind could easily blow away the decay. Let's hope. read more