desertislands.org (Exploring the Great Basin!)

Antelope Island
Great Salt Lake, Utah
Submitted by Larry Morales

The islands on the Great Salt Lake are surely some of the most photogenic places anywhere. Sunset at Antelope Island is like sunrise at the Tetons from Jackson Hole: it's hard to take a bad picture.

The Great Salt Lake is a small remnant of ancient Lake Bonneville and it supports several islands of which Antelope is the largest. It is accessible via an eight-mile causeway and is a State Park, which means, of course, that there is a fee. There are herds of free-roaming Bison, antelope, and bighorn sheep along with an assortment of smaller critters on the 15-mile island.

Antelope is an extension of the Oquirrh Mountains to the south. Frary peak, the highest point at an elevation of 6,596 feet, is accessible via a three-mile trail and is well worth the hike. Some of the oldest rocks in Utah, Precambrian gneiss and schist, are on the southern part of the island.

Of the other islands, Stansbury Island is the only one which is easily accessible, although it is much less frequented. I once paddled a canoe with a couple of friends the six miles or so from Antelope to Fremont Island to do a little exploring. It is a barren place with no fresh water. It's covered with grasses that burn from lightning strikes every couple of years and there is no wildlife to speak of. It is a starkly beautiful place though and I wouldn't mind revisiting it with photo gear in tow. I would have to be more careful than I was on this trip since on the return our canoe overturned about halfway back and we had to bail water for a half hour before we were able to continue. There was a catamaran nearby whose operators offered us assistance, but that only served to increase our sense of embarrassment.

If mountain biking is your game, Antelope is a great place to ride. An annual pass is a good idea for people like me who live relatively close and like to bike, hike, and take pictures there frequently. Sometimes on an evening ride after work, I'm amazed that I'm alone on the trail on a perfect day. I hope it stays that way. The trails are also used by horses, which, although horse people seem like a friendly bunch, can really tear up the trails sometimes.

Whenever I have visitors from out of town, a sunset trip to the island is a highlight and never fails to inspire awe. Which makes it all the more perplexing to me when I get a comment on the Antelope Island pictures on my website (http://mo4.org) from someone who says "Your photos even make Antelope Island look good"- These people need to live in Oklahoma for a couple of years to appreciate how amazingly beautiful it is here. Of course, there are people who 'get it' and revel in the splendor of the Great Basin like the fellas at the Exploring the Great Basin website. But, enough shameless sucking up.

The photographs here were shot on three different visits. I never tire of experiencing or photographing Antelope Island. For more photos of the island and many other locations in Utah, visit my website at http://mo4.org

Larry Morales

Note from Dave:
Larry Morales resides in northern Utah and authors a website containing some remarkable photographs of his territory and other parts of Utah. It is well worth a visit to his site! We are thrilled that Larry has shared this content with us! Thanks Larry!!!!

Return to Main Page

Read My Guestbook! | Sign My Guestbook!