Black Rock Desert the basin, is a rugged land serrated by hundreds of mountain ranges, dried by wind and sun, with spectacular skies and scenic landscapes. The average annual precipitation "(years 1971-2000)" at Gerlach, Nevada (extreme south-west of the desert) is . The region is notable for its paleogeologic features, as an area of 19th-century Emigrant Trails to California, as a venue for rocketry, and as an alternative to the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah, for setting land speed records (Mach 1.02 in 1997). It is also the location for the annual Burning Man event. The Black Rock Desert is part of
Salt Lake and Utah Railroad shared with the Bamberger Railroad, and was located at the current site of Abravanel Hall. The railroad stopped service in 1946. Salt Lake and Utah Railroad The Salt Lake and Utah Railroad, also known as the Orem Line or Orem Interurban, was an electric railroad which operated between downtown Salt Lake City and Payson, Utah,United States. Construction of the main line begun in 1913. The railroad was financed by A. J. Orem & Company, with Walter C. Orem as president. The railroad opened in 1914 with stops in both Utah and Salt Lake counties. The railroad also operated a branch