Snow?

Fort Smith is one of the coolest places I've ever been (no pun intended). I still find it so weird to see Buffalo roaming on and around the roads. From the beautiful turquoise water at Pine Lake to cascading waterfalls and then something super weird...Snow in June?

Nope, the white you see on the ground behind this sign is salt.  This area is called the Salt Plains.  I haven't hiked down yet but I definitely will at some point in time. 

Apparently back in the day, the Native people would gather the salt and trade it with the local Hudson's Bay Company.  From the lookout platform where I took this picture it looks more like a moonscape than good old planet Earth.  The river that flows through this area is called...you guessed it, Salt River.  I wonder where they got that name from.  I'm curious if the water tastes salty; something tells me I'll try it at some point in time.