Salvation Mountain (Niland)
In the California Desert region of Imperial County, near the squatter/art commune of Slab City, many miles from the Salton Sea, and north of Calipatria, to the northeast of Niland, lies Salvation Mountain, a hillside visionary habitat built by a local citizen named Leonard Knight (1931-2014). Thousands of gallons of paint, old tires, windows, and adobe bricks were used to create the artwork.
Despite the fact that its ideology was based on the Sinner's Prayer, there are many murals and places throughout it that are decorated with Christian quotes and Bible texts. It is based on the hot air balloon that Knight attempted to build before Salvation Mountain, which is currently on display at the American Visionary Art Museum.
A mountainside semi-dome serves as the museum, which is filled with various trinkets that people have given him throughout the years. Each item has a special meaning, and most commonly, guests come to Salvation Mountain to pray and leave something behind as a symbol of their self-giving to God. Adobe and straw are used to support the artwork, along with automobile pieces and a tangle of trees that wind through the top of the dome and twist inside it.
Location: Beal Rd, near Niland.
Time: Open daily sunrise to sunset.
