I didn't have much of a plan going into this thing, which was mostly on purpose. Since Antelope Island is a state park, you have to pay $10 at a booth before you cross the causeway to the island, which worked out well for me because they offered me a map. After driving across I pulled off to look at the map, and decided to start with the visitor's center since it was close by, would probably give me an idea of what to do next, and also, I had to pee.
The visitor's center had very intense bathrooms (very heavy steel stall doors?), but it was otherwise completely precious. There were some exhibits that talked about the wildlife, history, and geology of the island. I grabbed a handful of brochures and other informational papers, including one with a map and description of each trail, another one that talked about stargazing from the park, one for Golden Spike National Historical Site which I plan on visiting at some point, and finally, and possibly my favorite, what appears to be some sort of literary magazine called Friends of Great Salt Lake. (Turns out it's a newsletter.) After looking at the exhibits I came to a tiny theater with unfinished walls and a handful of plastic chairs. It was playing a short film on loop that featured a notably younger Terry Tempest Williams talking about various features of the island in a very romantic tone. It was one of the strangest visitor's center movies I've ever seen, with blur and fisheye lens effects on the shots of various wildlife, and I am very sorry but after a quick google it doesn't seem like it is available on the internet. But, lucky you, there is commentary by other people who have also seen this film.
After the movie ended it seemed like there wouldn't be anything else in that building that could beat it, so I figured it was time to get going. Next on the docket was getting a glimpse of some bison, since that seems to be one of the defining features of the island. From the visitor's center I could see in the distance a bunch of cars pulled off the side of the road, and some large dark blobs in the grass, so I drove in that direction.
I knew as I drove, obviously, that I was driving to go see some bison. And yet! Even knowing what I was heading toward, when I arrived at the spot with all the cars pulled to the side, I was startled at how large the bison were. I'm not sure I've ever seen bison in real life, but they were probably within fifty feet of the road, grazing, and they were massive. It didn't seem like they much noticed or cared that we were all there, staring at them, which I'm sure is an indicator that they are somewhat used to this. Still, seeing as I had just seen an exhibit at the visitor's center that noted how to tell "how close is too close?" to the bison, and also some ways to tell if a bison is about to charge, I was... cautious.
I snapped a few photos. There were a couple guys nearby who seemed to not have seen the same exhibit I had, or simply did not care, and who kept inching closer and calling out to the bison. I was not about to stick around to find out how the bison felt about that, or if the bison were in a charging mood, so I didn't stay long.
I got back in the car and started driving again, and ended up following a truck up a side road that lead to a viewpoint and the trailhead for the Buffalo Point Trail. According to the trail map I had picked up at the visitor's center, this trail was less than a mile round trip, which sounded just right.
One of the things I love about living in the desert is the combination of colors of the orange/red rocks and the dusty green of the sagebrush. That color combination was on full display on this trail, and I took plenty of photos. The hike up only took about fifteen minutes, and at the top were gorgeous views of the lake and mountains in all directions. It was an overcast day, and the light was very diffuse which made everything look almost transparent. The lake and the mountains and the clouds all kind of bled together, with the mountains reflected in the lake, and the colors of everything being so similar. It's not an effect you get much around here, so it was really interesting and unexpected to see these familiar surroundings in that light. As I was standing there, I also realized how much that particular view reminded me of being in Seattle. Looking west over the Puget Sound, to the snow-covered mountain range on the other side. Overcast skies. The color scheme was a bit different (Seattle is just so green!), but it was still really beautiful.
I hung out at Buffalo Point for a bit. Walked the little paths, climbed the rocks, took more pictures. Once I arrived back at my car, I realized there was only one other thing I wanted to do, and that was to drive down the long road on the eastern shore of the island. Mostly just to see what I could find, and make sure I didn't miss anything.
I checked my map, drove back down the road, past the bison and their many spectators, and almost all the way back to the causeway. And then I turned right.
This was maybe my favorite part of the trip. Dusk settling in on the already overcast skies made everything feel even more moody and dramatic. I only saw a few other cars on that road while I was there, and when I stopped and got out to take a picture at one point, I realized it was completely silent. I stood in the middle of the road, and held my breath for a second, and it was nice to just listen to the silence. When I got back in the car, I put on Kesha's album Rainbow, ate some of the chocolate I'd brought as a snack, and just drove until the road ran out. It was great.
Overall I was really happy with how things went. Going into it I wasn't sure if I would have enough time or if I should have made a plan, but everything went really smoothly. I felt like I had the time to get a feel for the place and see the most important parts. It was far enough away that it felt like getting out of town but it wasn't too far a drive. I got to do a little hiking, and I came away with some pictures I'm pretty happy with, too.
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