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We were so excited to get to Antelope Island State Park that we checked out early and left Ogden, driving south on I-15. It was a short drive and we were soon on the seven mile causeway crossing the Great Salt Lake.

For almost a decade the causeway was submerged because of record high water in the lake, but it reopened in 1992. The mirror smooth surface of the lake reflected the few clouds and bright blue sky.

The Great Salt Lake is a terminal lake, meaning that of the three major rivers (Jordan, Weber and Bear) that flow into the lake, none flow out. The only way water leaves the lake is through evaporation. The evaporating water leaves behind all the minerals and salts it once carried.

This process has been occurring for thousands of years which explains the lake’s incredibly high concentration of salt. The Great Salt Lake is almost ten times saltier than the ocean! The extreme salinity makes it easy for people to float since the water is so dense.

The high concentration of minerals and salts is lucrative. Several companies run mining operations on the northern shore of the lake. They extract the salt for use in water softeners and roads and the potash for fertilizer. Even the water provides a valuable commodity, brine shrimp. The brine shrimp eggs (cysts) are harvested and sold as feed to fish and shrimp growers, mostly in the Orient. You might also know of them as Sea Monkeys.

Unfortunately, our drive was marred by what at first looked like small rocks. Upon closer inspection we discovered that the “rocks” were actually dead birds, thousands of them. Mostly Northern Shovelers but also American Avocets and a few other bird species. The carcasses lined the shores as far as we could see, tragically some birds were still thrashing in the final throes of death.

I am such a softie, especially when it comes to animals. I knew I couldn’t do anything about it and I hate that helpless feeling, so the tears just flowed.

At the Visitor Center we learned that the culprit was botulism. Apparently, it has happened in years past, one of the worst outbreaks killed over 500,000 birds! So far State Park biologists estimate that 15,000 birds have died but that number could escalate dramatically when the fall migration season starts. It wasn’t all death, we saw thousands of Eared Grebes and other waterfowl swimming in the lake.

Antelope Island is the largest of the ten islands in the Great Salt Lake and there is evidence that it was once inhabited by prehistoric people. The island was named by Kit Carson and John C. Fremont (who was Governor of the Arizona Territory), the first white men to explore it. They named it after the plentiful Pronghorn Antelopes (which aren’t really antelopes, they just looked like antelopes to whoever discovered them) that resided there. Ironically, the Pronghorn disappeared from the island and had to be reintroduced in 1993.

The island sits in the middle of the largest salt lake in the Western Hemisphere which is located in the Great Basin Desert. It sounds harsh but the 40 freshwater springs on the island provide plenty of water for the wildlife and at one time even supported a large ranch. The Garr Ranch still stands and is open to the public as a living museum of western ranching.

During our visit to the Ranch a mule deer walked right up to us for an ear-scratching. Her fur was so soft behind her ears! We’d never seen anything like it. The State Park volunteers at the Ranch explained that Whisper had been rescued and raised at the Ranch so she really likes people. We also saw a gopher snake while we were there but we didn’t pet it.

While the island is beautiful, it was the animals that made our visit so memorable. On our drive around the island we saw plenty of antelope in the grass but always at a distance. We watched a coyote, a dark spot that was easy to follow as he trotted along the white, salty shoreline.

It was the American Bison (sometimes erroneously called buffalo) that really made our day. Well, everyone except Bailey’s. At one point there were bison all around our RV, so close we could hear them chewing, so many that we could smell them. Bailey panicked, he started to shake and cry piteously. I had to give him Rescue Remedy, an herbal formula, to help him relax. Clueless Rookie never even noticed the massive, brown animals.

The bison are not native to the island, they were introduced in 1893 and they now number over 600. The Park rounds up the bison every October, checks the health of the herd and sells any extra animals. Since the island can only support so many animals the herd has to be carefully managed by the Park.

There is one animal we did not see but wish we had, Pink Floyd, a Chilean Flamingo. Pink Floyd escaped from a Salt Lake City zoo in 1987 and has made his home in the Great Salt Lake ever since. They say he hangs out with gulls and swans. That would have been a sight!

Speaking of sights. The view of the surrounding mountains, capped with snow and even the skyscrapers of downtown Salt Lake City were stunning. Really a nice contrast to the dry grassland of the island. Amazing that all this wildness survives right next to Utah’s largest city. We reluctantly left around sunset. Look out Moab, here we come!

Photos: View our photos from Antelope Island Day Trip.

Dates: We visited Antelope Island State Park on 09/25/06.