Antelope Island State Park

Our 2012 summer vacation started with a direct flight from Indianapolis to Salt Lake City. Although our final destination was Moab, we didn’t want to follow a three-hour flight with a four-hour drive, so we decided to spend one day in Salt Lake City.

Famous for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, that sort of thing wasn’t high on our list, especially with three young children, so we opted to spend some time outdoors.

Antelope Island State Park is about 30 minutes north of the airport and is accessible via a seven-mile long causeway built up with the Great Salt Lake on both sides. Because of its salinity, the Great Salt Lake is home only to small organisms, including tiny shrimp. This attracts a variety of water fowl, including gulls, pelicans and pipers. The birds dot the shoreline as you make the drive along the causeway to the island.

The entrance fee is $9 per vehicle. Make a stop at the visitor center for a complete listing of trails and a history of the area. Bison were introduced to the island and now number close to 600. We hiked up to Bison Overlook, which offers great views of the lake and of the island, but the closest we came to any bison was seeing large clumps of dung.

We did spot a few mule deer, and overall our 2-3 hours at the park was well worth it.