Great experience here at Antelope Island State Park. My friend and I visited in the late afternoon…read moreafter arriving at the airport around noon, and checking out Golden Spike National Historic Site. The day had been quite rainy, and the timing worked out perfectly as the skies cleared up later in the day. Just a quick heads up! At the time of writing, there is no potable water available on the island. Bring your own and bring plenty of it. Also there is an entry fee to cross the causeway to get onto the "island" which really isn't an island anymore because of low water levels. There is an AM station that provides information updates as you enter - make sure to check in out and stay in the know. Because we hadn't brought much water with, we decided to keep our hiking to a minimum. We were also just off the plane from the east coast, so decided to take it easy with hiking our first day at the elevation. Our first stop was at Ladyfinder Point - we took the short trail out to the point for some views! Then after that, we really wanted to get down to the water so we made our way over to Bridger Bay Beach access. From the parking area to the water is a bit of a hike given that the water levels are so low. We parked near the first bathouse and made our way down through the sand. I had opted for sandals, but the flipflops made navigating the san difficult, so I went barefoot which was a bit uncomfortable because the sand it quite coarse. But, as we got further out the sand is more compacted and the sandals were ok. About halfway out to the water, we noticed a bison in the distance. It was walking south quite a bit away from us, so we continued north to the water and kept a really good distance. Down near the water, be prepared for MANY bird carcasses and the brine flies got pretty thick as you near the water. Just keep going because it is worth it. We stood in the clear waters of the Great Salt Lake and enjoyed the breeze and setting sun. It was well worth it to go all the way down. After a short stay by the water we headed back. It was at this point that we noticed the Bison from earlier had headed in the direction of the trailhead near the showers. We again kept our distance and had no issues, but our concern was growing. We made a bit of a detour to give the bison a wider berth, but at this point he was clearly moving toward the same point we were headed to. Keeping eyes on him and picking up speed we made it back to the shower building and rinsed our feet. Meanwhile, the bison continued to make his way up the beach stopping occasionally and then continuing on. We had retreated a bit behind the concrete walls of the shower building as the bison continued walking toward us. At one point I finally decided that we should probably get to the car. Which we did... After getting in the car and preparing to depart, we turned our head and lo and behold - but who should appear. That bison! He popped up out of the trail and began scratching himself on the shower building walls were we had been standing moments ago. Then he stopped, stared at us and we had a moment of panic that the rental car might get some damage. Luckily, the bison was not in the mood for a confrontation and he lumbered through the parking lot acros the road and up the other side of the hill, scratching his head on some low trees. Honestly, it was a bit of a anxiety-inducing experience yet thrilling at the same time. After our little encounter, we made our way toward Buffalo Point where we hiked up to Altar Rock and back. On the drive up we saw the island's namesake - two young antelope cavorting around the open spaces like two kids without a care in the world. It was entertaining and memorable for sure! The hike to Buffalo Point was a short but rewarding little hike and it was perfect as the sun was starting to set. Not wanting to hike back in the dark, we didn't stay out until true sunset, but we did get some great photos and made our way back. Apparently the park has a Dark Sky designation, and we had toyed with the idea of staying until dark, BUT the skies had grown overcast again, and after a long day of travel we made the decision that we needed to get an In-N-Out burger for dinner and head to the hotel to rest and prepare for our long hike the next day. Antelope Island was a great choice, and I am so glad we experienced even just a small percentage of the island. It was well worth it and I would definitely go back!

- Why didn't anyone forewarn me about the pungency or abundance of carcasses at Bridger Bay Beach…read moreDx - Just as you're starting to drive in to the State Park, you're already hit with a powerful poopy odor. Yuck. - It's a 10-20min walk from parking to the water. Coarse sand. May wanna wear shoes. Little rocks will sneak into your sandals. - The sight of dead birds and millions of flies, dead and alive, throughout the beach and the stench of what I thought was ubiquitous decomposed bison dung but likely was actually the sulfurous odor of detritus (still revolting though) discouraged me from fulfilling the bucket list goal I came here for: to prove the rumor that the human body really is unsinkable in the hypersaline water of the Great Salt Lake. I couldn't bring myself to lie down. Only let the water up to my calves. Ain't no way I'm risking full skin infection within the 1st day of my vacation. Still had 7 days to go. Begrudgingly, I simply took a picture from where I stood, then slowly backed away from the omnipresent death around me. . On my way driving out I asked the lady at the entrance booth about the water quality. She said the sight of those many flies and the dead animals is normal around the super salty water and that it's still safe to float in it. She may be right (as the Internet also agrees), but I couldn't bring myself to go through with it, especially since there weren't many other people there doing the same thing to help me feel reassured. + Glad the showers by the parking lot are fully functional though. + And a hose next to the restrooms next to the showers. . Just gotta bring your own soap. + Sources say pronghorns live on this island. * Fun fact: Pronghorns are the 2nd fastest land animal on Earth, just after the cheetah! - Didn't see any pronghorns or bison during my visit though. Granted, I didn't visit as far deep in as Fielding Garr Ranch. You might have better luck. . $15/car. A bit expensive for me since as you can see, my experience came up short. And as it's a state park, it's not covered by the $80 America the Beautiful annual pass. . Only a few people were at this State Park when I visited early Saturday evening. - VC still under maintenance.