Can you really have a city without laws and regulations? Without government buildings and mailboxes? Without electricity, running water, trash service, WiFi, or even toilets? The answer is yes. Welcome to Slab City, known to be “the last free place on earth.” Located just 169 miles from Los Angeles and 100 miles from San Diego, in the middle of the Sonoran California desert, lies Slab City and Salvation Mountain. Slab City is a small town full of a bunch of hippies and outcasts who live off the land, unbothered by societal norms. There are no laws, no rules, no structure, and completely off the grid. Just people living a simple life. Just them and the desert.

As you drive down Main St in Niland California you will see some hand painted signs that say “Welcome to Slab City”. You will see some old vans, buses, RVs, and tents scattered around the sand. Keep driving until you see Salvation Mountain, the entrance into Slab City. This 50-foot-high and 150-foot-wide adobe clay mountain in the middle of the desert completely is covered in paint. “God is Love” is painted in big bold letters right in the center of it! Half a million gallons of paint were used to make this masterpiece. At the top of the mountain sits a white cross overlooking everything below. Surrounding the mountain are multiple trucks and cars covered in paint displaying messages about God’s love. You can even see some of the old paint cans that were used to paint this work of art.

On the side of Salvation Mountain is a hand-crafted forest made up of sand dunes, trees, hay bales, clay, and wood. Walking through this forest made me feel like I was in Alice in Wonderland with bright colors surrounding the paths and tunnels to follow. There are small caves you can wander into, and you can notice that every square inch of this is painted with flowers and and designs! You can “follow the yellow brick road” through the forest and all the way to the top of Salvation Mountain and gaze upon the desert from above. Make sure you stay on the path so you don’t damage the artwork!

The artist of this masterpiece, Leonard Knight, had a spiritual awakening in his thirties. During his awakening he recited the Sinner’s Prayer, “Jesus, I’m a sinner, please come upon my body and into my heart,” many times. You can see this message written around the mountain multiple times. After this, he dedicated his life to spreading the love of God. He tried spreading his message by hot air balloons for years. He failed but in doing so ended up here in the Southern California desert. Here he dedicated the last 30 years of his life building and painting this mountain. For almost 30 years he lived off the desert without any luxuries like electricity or running water to spread the Love of God to all who wandered this way.

This place was kept pretty secret until the movie Into the Wild came out in 2007. Chris McCandless, the protagonist, spent some time here on his journey to Alaska and actually met the artist himself.  Since then, thousands of visitors come every year to admire his masterpiece. Into the Wild is a book, based on a true story, written by best-selling author Jon Krakauer. It is a story about Chris McCandless who after graduating from college in 1990 gives up all of his earthly possessions, including $24,000 which he donates to charity. He changes his name and sets off on a journey across the United States, into Mexico, through the desert, and finally hitchhiking into the Alaskan wilderness alone. The book reveals some of the journals Chris left behind giving us an idea into what he was thinking before and during his journey. A few of the things his journals reveavel is that he thought society is poisoned, people are fake, and things make us evil. When Chris finally reaches Alaska he finds exactly what he thinks he is looking for: solitude, nature, and peacefulness (for a while). I highly recommend this book, and it will give you a better understanding of those who live here in Slab City. Many of them share the same thoughts as Chris did. You can buy it here on Amazon https://amzn.to/2TOOkjm.

As you continue your drive through Slab City, you’ll see the Range. The Range is an open-air stage complete with lights and speakers. Every Saturday night locals and visitors gather around on old couches to listen to the music and talents of all who wish to perform. This stage was featured in the movie when Emile Hirsch, who plays Chris, and Kristen Stewart, who plays Tracy Tatro, sing their duet. The people standing in the crowd during the film are actually the locals of Slab City. As you drive through more of Slab City you will see all different kinds of small communities around, each of them unique to own.

In the back of Slab City is an art junkyard called East Jesus. It is literally a scrapyard of junk that people have turned into art. This place takes creativity to a new level! Imagine if everyone took their trash and used it as a way to express themselves instead of throwing it away.

Due to the harsh conditions of the desert, Salvation Mountain takes donations to help preserve and maintain this beautiful place and keep it free for all who come to visit. Feel free to visit http://www.salvationmountaininc.org/projects and make a donation if you wish!

I’d love to hear your thoughts below and share this with someone who might be interested in visiting this mysterious place! Thanks for reading, now onto the next adventure!