Outdoor Adventurers Can’t Get Enough Of This Utah State Park For Its Unique Animals – Outdoor Guide

Antelope Island State Park in Syracuse, Utah, is a place you absolutely want to visit if you love wildlife, hiking, camping, and more. One of the things that makes this state park unique is that it’s the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, spanning roughly 28,000 acres of trails, shoreline, and protected habitat with a rich history of ranching.

Outdoor Guide has already shared some of the national parks that should be on your bucket list, along with the US road trips you should also add to that list – but while you’re driving and adventuring through all these natural beauties, there are some state parks worth checking out, too. Wildlife is a major draw at Antelope Island, though there is also more that makes it dazzling.

As you may have guessed, the island gets its name from the pronghorn antelope that live there. That said, antelope aren’t the only animals you’ll encounter on the trails. In fact, there are more of one particular species of animals on Antelope Island State Park than there are antelope, and it’s an animal that draws a lot of visitors to this area each year.

Between 550 and 700 bison live on Antelope Island State Park. If you visit the island in October, you may even get the opportunity to witness the bison roundup that happens every year. The state park department actually invites people to the event on the day of the roundup, which offers a great chance to learn the importance of this action. Antelope Island is home to one of the largest and oldest bison herds, and by rounding them up, the health of the animals can be checked to help keep the herd together for even longer. They get vaccinated and tagged, then — because the bison lack any natural predators and maintaining a specific herd size helps keep them healthy — the state park department hosts a bison auction in early November, which helps balance the herd’s available food supply.

Aside from bison and antelope, the island is also home to at least 250 different bird species, mule deer, and bighorn sheep. You can definitely add this to your list of the best parks to visit if you love birding. There are also some of the usual critters you’d expect to come across in a desert climate, like coyotes, bobcats, and foxes.