Antelope Island State Park – a quick visitor guide

Antelope Island State Park is located about a 45-minute drive (40 miles) outside of Salt Lake City and is a great stop on your way to your next destination in Utah or further up north. It’s the largest island in The Great Salt Lake and measures just over 100 square kilometers. Although its name suggests differently, Antelope Island is best known for its many bison. I visited Antelope Island in September 2024 during my road trip from Salt Lake City to Seattle and in this article I will tell you more about this special place, including why it is definitely worth it in my opinion. Enjoy reading!

The elongated Antelope Island State Park is connected to the mainland by a bridge. At times when the tide is low in The Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island becomes a peninsula. Between 1848 and 1870, the old ranch on the island was run by the Mormons. In 1870, the island was purchased by John Dooly Sr. and he founded the Island Improvement Company. In 1981, the island was purchased by the State of Utah and became a State Park.

Although you could easily spend a whole day on Antelope Island, a few hours are enough to get a good impression of it. The main reason to go to Antelope Island is the abundance of wildlife that lives here. Bison are particularly common, but you can (of course) also see antelopes and, for example, coyotes and lynxes, although you really have to be lucky to spot them

What also makes the island special is the combination of nature and culture. The Fielding Garr Ranch is located on the east coast of the island and here you can take a look into the past. There’s also a small museum that teaches you more about the history of the island

You can also hike, horseback ride, camp, cycle, swim and enjoy the beautiful landscape.

“Look, a bison!” We landed at Salt Lake City Airport less than 48 hours ago and the first bison are already there! After a day in Salt Lake City and a visit to the Bonneville Salt Flats, we are now on our way to Yellowstone National Park and this seems like a nice stop. There are not 10 bison, but hundreds and it’s very impressive. Not much later we even see some antelopes. The Fielding Garr Ranch looks deserted and gives a good impression of the past hard working life on the island. I notice that there are many hiking trails (still exciting, with all those bison around you), but unfortunately we don’t have time for it.

Is Antelope Island worth it? Yes, absolutely, even if you drive on to Yellowstone National Park. For the simple reason that there are hardly any tourists here compared to Yellowstone, where you often have to queue to take a picture of an animal. Here we can take pictures from the car without being honked to drive on. Seeing antelopes is a nice bonus because we don’t encounter them again for the rest of the time.

As mentioned, Antelope Island State Park is located about a 45-minute drive from downtown Salt Lake City. Admission is $15 per vehicle (up to 8 people). The bridge to the island is open daily (except for some holidays) from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. More information about admission prices and hours of operation can be found here.

• We flew from Europa to Salt Lake City with Delta Air Lines. Delta is an airline that has sustainability high on its agenda and is the most awarded airline in America. My review of Delta Air Lines can be found here.
• We booked our rental car with Alamo, in my opinion one of the better companies in America. I have rented a car through them every time I have traveled in America and I am very happy with it. Check the rates and availability here.
• During high season (July and August) most campsites and hotels are fully booked well in advance. Nowadays I arrange my overnight stays well in advance via Booking.com so that I don’t have to search for a place to stay on the spot. I stayed at The Meridien in Salt Lake City.

I really enjoyed my brief visit to Antelope Island State Park as it warm you up a little if you’re heading to Yellowstone. If you’re not heading to Yellowstone, definitely make a visit. If you want to continue reading, you may enjoy the following posts:

• Roadtrip Salt Lake City to Seattle: the best route and tips
• A one week road trip in Idaho itinerary

Alternatively, visit my America page with more than 30 articles about my active travels in the United States. 

I made this trip partly in collaboration with Delta Air Lines, Auto’s Huren and Visit Salt Lake City. All given opinions are of course entirely my own.

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