The Great Salt Lake – Antelope Island Wildlife Tour

Antelope Island is one of Utah’s most underexplored natural treasures, accessible by a causeway across the Great Salt Lake and teeming with wildlife that most visitors never know exists this close to a major city. The tour begins with a scenic drive to the island, setting the stage for wildlife spotting across the open terrain that has made this destination extraordinary.

A guide leads the group in search of the resident bison herd — approximately 600 animals that roam freely across the landscape — as well as coyote, bobcat, pronghorn antelope, porcupine, bighorn sheep, and mule deer. When the season is right, up to 200,000 migratory birds descend on the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, creating one of the most spectacular birdwatching spectacles in North America. The guide narrates the wildlife behavior, ecology, and the story of this remarkable island throughout.

As the afternoon light softens toward evening, the group hikes to Buffalo Point — a 1-mile round-trip trail with a couple of steeper sections on loose dirt, rated Moderate and well-traveled. From the summit, the views across the Great Salt Lake and into the vast desert wilderness are breathtaking at sunset. This combination of wildlife, history, and natural beauty makes for an unforgettable afternoon in Utah.