Utah Travel Tips | Utah.com

Great Adventures on the Salty Lake

The Utah State Fair will take place Sept 7-17, in Salt Lake City. It is a traditional fair offering great entertainment, activities and exhibits - plenty of fun for the entire family. Gate admission includes free shows featuring Raven-Symone, Josh Gracin, Kutless, Kansas and the Country Gold Tour 2006. Other major entertainers include Smashmouth, Miranda Lambert and Kenny Rogers with the Oak Ridge Boys.

The fair includes a carnival, rodeo and many other forms of entertainment. Local agricultural businesses will be featured.

The state fair is just one of many good reasons to visit Salt Lake City during the coming weeks. Mention traveling to Utah and most people think about scenic national parks or great downhill skiing. Some are surprised to learn that Salt Lake City itself is Utah's biggest tourist draw.

Salt Lake City has long been called the Crossroads of the West. Salt Lake International Airport serves people traveling to or from much of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming; it provides access to national parks from Yellowstone to Grand Canyon, ski resorts from Sun Valley to Brian Head, and numerous other destinations.

Salt Lake City is more than a gateway to scenic and recreational areas. Over the years, the city has become an attractive destination in its own right. Salt Lake has grown up to become a major regional business and cultural center offering outstanding artistic and cultural events, professional sports, business conventions and trade shows, shopping and nightlife.

Great Salt Lake & Antelope Island

Virtually everyone who comes to Salt Lake City is curious about the Great Salt Lake - the huge natural saltwater lake located just northwest of town. It is the largest body of water between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean, and is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. Many spots along the populated Wasatch Front offer scenic views of the lake, and lake sunsets can be gorgeous. The Great Salt Lake is an important natural resource (various salts and minerals are recovered from its waters) and an enjoyable recreation area just minutes from downtown.

Watch our Antelope Island video clip (Flash Video, 4.7M)

Sailing on the Great Salt Lake Swimming in the Great Salt Lake is a unique and enjoyable experience. There are nice beaches on Antelope Island - the largest island in the lake. A causeway allows motorists to drive onto the island, which is managed as a Utah State Park. Residents and tourists alike enjoy playing on the sandy beaches and frolicking in the water. The salinity of the water makes it very buoyant; push yourself down into the water and you pop right back up, floating like a cork. Sailing is also popular on the lake and Antelope Island offers a nice marina.

There are great hiking and biking trails on Antelope Island, and a surprising assortment of wildlife. About 700 buffalo roam the island, descended from 12 bison brought to the island in 1893 by a local newspaper publisher. As bison numbers dwindled throughout the rest of the US, the island herd played an important role in preserving and restoring the species.

Visitors to the island may also see mule deer, antelope, coyotes, foxes, hawks, falcons and many other animals and birds.

Marshland rings much of the lake and attract incredible numbers of migratory birds, which provides great opportunity for birdwatchers and nature lovers. The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area and other spots offer outstanding opportunities to view wildlife.

Buffalo on Antelope Island Late summer and early fall are great times to visit this area. Days are still warm and it is fun to play in the water. Nights will soon become invigoratingly cool. Within a few weeks tree leaves will begin to color up and the waterfowl migrations will begin in earnest. V-shaped flocks of ducks and geese will be seen in the sky, sometimes flying low as they swoop down to find feeding and resting areas.

Some of the most popular events at Antelope Island State Park take place in the fall. The list below gives highlights:

Buffalo Days: Sept 16. Park workers will guide participants on a hike to view buffalo on the open range., beginning at 4 pm. There will also be a buffalo chip throwing contest at 11 a.m. and a buffalo- coloring contest all day at the visitor center. Call 801-773-2941 for more information on these events.

Bison Roundup: Oct 25-28. This is an annual event to gather the bison off the range and move them to corrals on the north end of the island. Horse riders will have two and a half days to push the bison northward. The public can view the progress of the riders from the eastside road leading to the Fielding Garr Ranch house. Helicopters will be used on the 28 to gather any stragglers and to complete the roundup. The public can view the helicopter push from the eastside road and from Buffalo Point as the final push is made. The bison will be allowed to rest for five days prior to working them through the chutes. The public may view the bison in the corrals during this rest period. For more information regarding this event, please call Steve Bates at (801) 209-4678.

Working of the Bison: Nov 3-5. An annual event that the public can come and witness as bison are worked through the chutes and receive vaccinations and health checks. This event allows managers to pull excess bison from the herd. Excess bison are sold in order to keep the bison population within the carrying capacity of the island's available forage. Bison are processed through the chutes each day from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. For additional information, please call Steve Bates at (801) 209-4678.

Let us help you plan a trip to this area.

- Dave Webb

See our comprehensive events listing for upcoming activities.

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