Utah, Salt Lake City - Tuesday, September 4, 2018 - The Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island

Our destination today was the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island.  Great Salt Lake is the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River.  The lake is a remnant of pre-historic Lake Bonneville.

On average the lake is 75 miles long by 28 miles wide, covering 1,700 square miles.  At this level, maximum depth is about 33 feet.  Size and depth vary greatly with seasonal evaporation and precipitation.

Water flows into the Great Salt Lake from four rivers, however, the lake has no outlet.  Water leaves only through evaporation, because of this, high concentrations of minerals are left behind.  It is at least 5 times saltier than the ocean.

Salinity is too high to support fish.  Brine shrimp, brine flies and several types of algae thrive in the lake and are primary food sources for millions of migrating birds.

Brine shrimp live 3 months and the adults are only ¼ inch long.  The brine shrimp eggs or cysts are harvested every year and sold worldwide for fish and prawn food.

There is a $10 fee to get onto the seven mile long Davis County Causeway which is the only way onto Antelope Island, the biggest island in the Great Salt Lake.  On the causeway there is a very strong odor, but we didn’t notice it throughout the rest of the park.  It seemed rather caustic and I found it hard to breathe.

The island is 28,000 acres, 15 miles long and 4.5 miles wide.  There are freshwater springs on the island that support hundreds of animals – bison, pronghorn antelopes and others we weren’t lucky enough to see.

The visitor’s center tells more about the island and offers some great views.

Statues along the walk up to the visitor’s center.

A view of the causeway from the visitor’s center.

Views of the surrounding area from the center.

Buffalo and Pronghorn antelopes were grazing or running through the pasture near the visitor’s center.

Views of the lake and surrounding area.  Since there are no waves sometimes it is hard to tell where the lake ends and the sky begins.

There is a grill on the island.  However, I don’t think I would want to try to eat there, the flies would be overwhelming.

Mountains run through the middle of the island.

The Fielding Garr Ranch on the island was settled in 1848 by Fielding Garr and his six children.  Garr was a stonemason and built several buildings including the farm house from adobe brick.  In 1850 the Church of the Latter Day Saints designated the island as a range for church cattle and sheep herds.  Brigham Young pastured his animals here as did many other prominent people from Utah.  Fielding Garr died in 1855.  After a series of other farm managers the church relinquished the island in 1875.

It wasn’t until the 1950’s that some modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing and electricity provided by a gas generator came to the island.

The island fell to numerous corporate ownerships until 1981 when it was purchased by Utah State Parks and Recreation.

Buffalo grazing around the Fielding Garr Ranch.

Lots of artifacts in the old barn.

David Snider, this shouldn’t take too much work.

The adobe brick ranch house is in the back ground.  The bunkhouse is to the right.

Laundry area.

The record player was manufactured in Richmond, IN.

Views heading back.

Brine flies swarm near the water.  The larvae hatch in the water along the shore creating a black band.  We enjoyed the drive around the area but had no desire to walk the distance it would have taken to actually get to the water.  Besides that we would have had to fight the brine flies to get there (supposedly they don’t bite).