Antelope Island State Park

Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, connected to the mainland near Syracuse by a causeway and protected as a state park since 1969. The island hosts one of the oldest free-roaming bison herds in the United States — introduced with just twelve animals in 1893, the herd now numbers around 700 and is rounded up annually in a celebrated autumn event. Frary Peak rises to 2,011 meters and rewards hikers with sweeping views over the lake's shifting palette of grey, pink, and deep violet hues, which vary with salinity and season. The park holds International Dark Sky Park designation, making its clear high-desert nights prime for naked-eye Milky Way viewing far from Salt Lake City's glow. Over 40 kilometers of trails accommodate hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians crossing sagebrush flats and salt-grass wetlands rich with migratory waterbirds.