I’m sure we could start every post by saying – I never even knew this place existed! Antelope Island State Park is another one of those gems hidden in plain sight. I’m sure the locals know all about it, but we certainly had no clue. All we knew is that it was on our way and the name was intriguing, especially considering it’s practically located right in Salt Lake City.
Antelope Island is a dry camp – all primitive, no hookups – which, contrary to the escapades in Flaming Gorge might lead you to believe, we were actually prepared for. This isn’t a park to head to if you’re looking for fancy amenities or wifi (though, they did have an easy-access dump station, which was super handy on the way out). That being said, the proximity to Salt Lake meant that our cell reception was relatively decent, so both Brian and I were able to knock a bit of work out of the way. We spent our time in Antelope Island at the White Rock Bay Campground. Interestingly enough, the majority of the reviews we found recommended Bridger Bay Campground as the better spot, but driving by, the views looked no better than what we had. Apparently, it’s the more popular of the campgrounds in general and the sites there were pretty full. We were pretty thrilled with our location in White Rock. The sites were spread apart and there were hardly any other campers there. Our site in White Rock Bay was pretty level and had a nice, wide pad on crushed rock so it was super easy to get in and out of. Each site also came with a relatively large canopy-covered picnic table. Our site was on the edge of a field that gradually led straight to a beach on the lake.
The original plan had been to spend 2 days exploring here, but alas, the aforementioned shorter travel days and Oregon timeline turned this into a one-night stopover. Thankfully, we were able to get to the park early enough in the day that we had time to enjoy some of the beauty. The kids ran around like crazy fools in the fields, jumping over the massive bison patties that were everywhere. Even with all the –ahem – evidence around, it was still a shock to see the first bison come rolling through the campground. A small group of them were first brought to this area in 1893 to help try to preserve the herd that once roamed out here. Now, the park boasts a herd of between 500-700 and these guys definitely walk around like they own the place. (Let’s be honest, they do own the place. They can weigh up to 2000 lbs and reach a speed of 40 mph. I’m not going to tell them any differently.)
All in all, for the sunsets and the view and the cray experience of having bison roaming through your campsite, Antelope Island gets a thumbs up from us.
