About This Area
Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake and a Utah state park. It’s home to free-range bison, antelope, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and many more desert animals. There are several primitive campsites, hiking trails, and sandy beaches where you can wade in the salty water. It’s also a certified International Dark Sky Park, so it’s a great place for stargazing and nighttime photography on clear nights.
The park is open from 6am-10pm daily and only closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The best times to visit the park are fall, winter, and spring. The visitor’s center is open daily from 9am to 5pm and includes educational information about the island along with restrooms and a gift shop.
In the summer, there are biting gnats and black flies that no bug repellant can fight off. The park rangers are great about keeping info updated on the park’s Facebook page.
Area Features
Rangers | Yes |
---|---|
Emergency support within 5 miles |
No |
Nearby convenience store | No |
Trash Disposal | No |
Fee | $10.00 |
Fee Notes | Entrance fee, per car, for the State Park |
Trail Area Highlights
Panoramic views of the Great Salt Lake
Many of the trails offer rocks and boulders that kids enjoy climbing on.
The visitor’s center is open from 9am to 5pm daily.
There are a few picnic areas on the island.
Bison roam freely on the island and are easy to see from the roads. There are also antelope, mule deer, and bighorn sheep along with a huge variety of migrating birds.
Suggested Trails
Trail Contributor

Alex is an artist and graphic designer who runs her own little business from home while she’s momming it with her two school-aged boys. She’s a California native and transplant to the Salt Lake Valley where she’s completely fallen in love with living so close to the mountains. She loves hiking, camping, travel, soccer, photography and cooking. She geeks out over history, especially art history, loves getting lost in a great novel, and she started practicing taekwondo the year she turned 40. She’s also a Lifetime Girl Scout and she loves sharing her love for travel and the outdoors with her kids.