Never have we stayed anywhere that refreshed our souls and piqued our curiosity quite like Antelope Island State Park.

Located 40 miles northwest of Salt Lake City, Antelope Island is the largest of ten islands within the Great Salt Lake. The park encompasses the entire island and has lots to offer: beaches, an historical ranch, wildlife (pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, American bison, porcupine, badger, coyote, bobcat, and mule deer), and lots of waterfowl. Opportunities for bicycling and hiking abound.

The Bridger Bay Campground only has partial hookups but the sites are large and spacious. Perfect for relaxing and viewing the wildlife and dark skies.

With 40 freshwater springs, Antelope Island has been occupied by humans for roughly 6,000 years. The first permanent Anglo-American settler on the island was Fielding Garr, who was appointed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to keep watch over their large cattle herd. The ranch house, which was built by Garr in 1848, is still standing on its original foundation. In addition to cattle, the ranch also housed horses and sheep.

Indeed, the history and innovations evident in the sheep shearing barn were quite fascinating. Each spring, workers would shear between 6,000-10,000 sheep. Prior to the installation of an automated sheering machine, laborers would shear a sheep by hand in thirty minutes. Afterward, a skilled worker using mechanized sheers could finish a sheep in five minutes. Wool then was placed on a conveyor belt for collection into bags, which would be sent to the woolen mills in Salt Lake City. White wool got $.16 per pound while black got $.05.

This was a most peaceful and rejuvenating park with lots of opportunity to hike and bike. A real respite in the middle of our long trip! BTW, FWIW, we didn’t see any antelope. 😊

Thank you for following along…. We’re off to Salt Lake City to visit family.