At this time of year, many of us long for an Island escape. Fortunately, a placid island paradise is close at hand. Travel toward Layton, get off at Antelope Drive (Exit 332) and head west. From there it is a smooth seven-mile drive to the causeway that leads to Antelope Island. Antelope Island State Park, found in Salt Lake City’s own backyard, has something for everyone … [Read more...]
Vast and Isolated Antelope Island: Camping with Citronella Under the Stars
Utah has 44 state parks as diverse as Utah’s natural landscapes. Visits to the state parks can include an Anasazi Village, coral pink sand dunes, lakes, rivers, canyons, and the Territorial Statehouse in Fillmore. There is even a state park protecting a Utah island—Antelope Island State Park. The largest island in the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island is … [Read more...]
Where Lies the Grave Robber
On a howling, frigid morning in January, 1862, a group of officers rowed across the Great Salt Lake with a prisoner. The prisoner’s head wept blood where his ears had been severed. The words ‘I robbed graves’ were branded across his forehead. His name was Jean Baptiste. On Antelope Island, the officers built him a small shack with few comforts, then left him to live out his … [Read more...]
700 Wild Bison Roam Utah’s Antelope Island
Turning a corner at the end of the long causeway drive to Antelope Island you encounter one of the painted bison sculptures that decorated Salt Lake during the 2002 Olympics. Then you confront the real thing. There is no comparison. A free-roaming herd of 500 bison live and prosper on Antelope Island. Nearly hunted to extinction, the American Bison has made a dramatic comeback … [Read more...]