Antelope Island State Park

Dad holding the baby on Antelope Island--the Great Salt Lake is in the background.

This week we went to Antelope Island State Park. This is a full day adventure well worth the $9 entrance fee. We are big birdwatchers and just driving across the causeway to the island can take us a long time as we stop to identify the gulls, curlews, avocets, stilts, grebes, and ducks.

Pronghorn Antelope

Long-billed curlew

After you cross the causeway, turn right and head over to the beach. The water is really low right now, so you have to make a trek across the sand, but the water is warm, shallow, and very salty. Our boys liked wading and throwing rocks. There are many very flat skipping rocks made from the crusty sand and salt, and it is a pretty nice beach despite the brine flies. (If you're from California or Florida, you might want to skip it!)

Wading in the water.

The boys crossing the shallows to the Great Salt Lake.

Throwing rocks into the Great Salt Lake.

Near the beach there is a restaurant we always visit. They have hamburger joint items, plus a buffalo burger. The food is pricey, but good.

You can also stop at the visitor's center. It's small; there isn't much to see other than the gift shop.

There is a small table with horns and skins to touch. The kids loved it!

Make sure you make the drive out to Garr Ranch. Along the way you'll see hundreds of buffalo (usually), and the drive is really beautiful.

The buffalo crossed the road right in front of us.

There were tons of buffalo.

At the ranch, there are the original farm houses, corrals, and sheds. You can take a tour of each, still furnished with original artifacts. There is a self-guided tour and a free (donation suggested) booklet, or you can just stroll around like we did. The kids will enjoy ringing the dinner bell, roping the fake animals, and pumping water from the well.

Checking out the horses.

Dad kept trying to rope the kids.

The baby inside the old ranch house laundry room.

All the kids from the trip. Our niece and nephew came, too.

The boys enjoyed ringing the bell.

We like Antelope Island State Park. There are a variety of activities, but it probably isn't a place you'll go to over and over. One visit every few years seems about right.