{"id":4079,"date":"2012-01-23T04:30:43","date_gmt":"2012-01-23T11:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=4079"},"modified":"2026-04-01T07:25:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:25:40","slug":"wild-and-wonderful-antelope-island-state-park-the-scenery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/01\/23\/wild-and-wonderful-antelope-island-state-park-the-scenery\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild and Wonderful – Antelope Island State Park – The Scenery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a> is another of my favorite locations for bird and wildlife\u00a0photography plus the scenery is incredibly beautiful at any\u00a0time of the year. Although the park is\u00a0about 41 miles\u00a0from Salt Lake City it has retained its wild and wonderful character.<\/p>\n

This will be a series of three posts on the scenery, wildlife and birds of Antelope Island with loads of images and my thoughts about this jewel that is surrounded by the Great Salt Lake<\/span><\/a>. I’m adding links to some sections of\u00a0this\u00a0series\u00a0for\u00a0additional information because I will be writing this from my impressions and perspective\u00a0of the island, its inhabitants and the year round beauty that\u00a0beckons to me.<\/p>\n

The Scenery of Antelope Island:<\/h2>\n

\"WinterWinter view of Frary Peak ~ Elevation 6589 feet –\u00a0Nikon D200, f8, 1\/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 18 mm<\/span><\/p>\n

The first time I visited Antelope Island was in 2008\u00a0and almost immediately knew\u00a0that I wanted to visit over and over again so that I could explore it in depth. I wanted to know its geology, history and what it looked like in every season of the year. I wanted to become familiar with the birds, wildlife and plants that call the island home. I wanted to see sunrises, sunsets, feel the lake fog on my skin and watch as the wind swept through the grassy prairie and see snow covering the craggy rocks of Frary Peak.<\/p>\n

Antelope Island has some of the oldest rocks in the United States dating from the Precambrian period\u00a02.7 billion years ago\u00a0to youngest which are Tufa\u00a0formed 10,000 to 15,000 ago.<\/p>\n

\"ViewView of snow covered Wasatch Mountains from Frary Peak –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/6400, ISO 400, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 170mm<\/span><\/p>\n

From different areas on the island the views are incredible, you can see for miles and that includes being able to see several different mountain ranges. I was about half way up Frary Peak at the parking area when I took the image above, below the rocks in the foreground it drops off quickly then goes down the slope to the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake, from where I stood it is\u00a0a long distance\u00a0to the Wasatch Mountain Range<\/span><\/a> shown in the background.<\/p>\n

\"ViewView of White Rock Bay on Antelope Island –\u00a0 Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/4000, ISO 400, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 44mm<\/span><\/p>\n

Around the shoreline of the island there are marshy areas where Cattails and Phragmites grow, even though the lake is saline areas like this marshy area shown here can thrive due to fresh water run off from snow melt, rain and springs. The area is called White Rock Bay due to the small rocky island near the right side of this frame. It may look a bit dark in this image but in the right light is does appear to be white.<\/p>\n

This image also shows several “benches” on the hillside to the left of White Rock, the benches\u00a0were created when the lake level fell and that created a sandy shelf area called a “bench”. Taken at the end of March\u00a0this photo shows that\u00a0the vegetation present had not yet\u00a0started to grow and green up. The island can be very lush and green during the spring.<\/p>\n

\"ViewView of Frary Peak across the grassy plain –\u00a0Nikon COOLPIX S550, f4.8, 1\/432, ISO 64, 14mm<\/span><\/p>\n

When the summer heat arrives\u00a0the grasses turn\u00a0to soft golden shades that contrast deeply from the darker Sagebrush and Rabbitbrush that are found all over the island. The grasses create a whispering sound when the wind blows over them which I quite enjoy hearing.<\/p>\n

\"OoliticOolitic sand dunes on Antelope Island State Park –\u00a0 Nikon D200, f11, 1\/500, ISO 400, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 18mm<\/span><\/p>\n

There are sand dunes located at the north end of the island by the beach area. The sand found on there is quite different from sand that many people are used to on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, oolitic sand<\/span><\/a> is much lighter in weight and the process by which it is formed is vastly different from other sand.\u00a0 Oolitic sand is formed with the Great Salt Lake where the process begins with a core or nucleus of brine shrimp fecal pellets or tiny mineral fragments that are moved under the water by wave action, As these pellets or fragments are pushed along calcium carbonate begins to collect on their exteriors in concentric layers like nacre forms on pearls. Because of the continuous wave motion the\u00a0oolitic sand form tiny grains that look like eggs.<\/p>\n

Oolitic sand fascinates me.<\/p>\n

\"WildWild sunflowers near the Bridger Bay Campground – Nikon D200, f16, 1\/160, ISO 320, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 18mm<\/span><\/p>\n

Summer on the island also\u00a0has gorgeous views of fields of wild Sunflowers and in other areas the spikes of Moth Mulleins with their tiny golden flowers. The spring of 2011 was very wet and cold and that seemed to have benefited the wild Sunflowers because I had never seen them as thick or as tall as they were last summer.<\/p>\n

This fall and winter I have cursed them because the over abundance of the dried stalks make it difficult for me to get clear shots of the animals and birds on the island in some areas.<\/p>\n

\"WildWild Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) blossom<\/span><\/p>\n

However; when I look at my images of those wild Sunflowers with their sunny yellow petals and soft brown centers I can not curse them for long. They are just so pretty.<\/p>\n

\"SnowSnow on Antelope Island, northern Utah – Nikon D200, F7.1, ISO 100, 18-200mm at 20mm<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0After days of gray clouds, wind and rain this is a view I saw out on the island yesterday. Beautiful sky, snow covered mountains, the golden tones of dried grasses, crisp cool air. I’m so lucky to live nearby.<\/p>\n

Antelope Island State Park IS<\/em> wild\u00a0and wonderful.<\/p>\n

My next post is Wild and Wonderful – Antelope Island State Park – The Wildlife<\/span><\/em>. Stay tuned!<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Antelope Island State Park is another of my favorite locations for bird and wildlife photography plus the scenery is incredibly beautiful at any time of the year. Although the park is about 41 miles from Salt Lake City it has retained its wild and wonderful character.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,26],"tags":[58,3981,1163,191,343,4235,105,30,1164,1165],"class_list":["post-4079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-utah","tag-antelope-island-sp","tag-davis-county","tag-frary-peak","tag-landscapes","tag-photography","tag-sand-dunes","tag-sunflowers","tag-utah-2","tag-wasatch-mountain-range","tag-white-rock-bay"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-mia-mcpherson-6408.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-13N","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":162561,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/11\/01\/in-celebration-of-national-bison-day-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":4079,"position":0},"title":"In 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2012","format":false,"excerpt":"With the rising temperatures the American Bison on Antelope Island need to find a reliable freshwater source.","rel":"","context":"In "American Bison"","block_context":{"text":"American Bison","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/bison\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Antelope Island American Bison herd making their way to the freshwater springs, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/antelope-island-bison-mia-mcpherson-0601.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/antelope-island-bison-mia-mcpherson-0601.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/antelope-island-bison-mia-mcpherson-0601.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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The date is the earliest that I have seen and photographed a Sage Thrasher in northern Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fluffy Sage Thrasher adult warming up on a rock, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sage-thrasher-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-0248.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sage-thrasher-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-0248.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sage-thrasher-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-0248.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sage-thrasher-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-0248.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8842,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/07\/10\/four-wonderful-years-in-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":4079,"position":5},"title":"Four Wonderful Years In Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Four years ago today I woke up in Grand Island, Nebraska and drove west to arrive in Salt Lake City, Utah with my possessions in a U-Haul trailer.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Burrowing Owl juvenile on the Antelope Island causeway, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/burrowing-owl-juvenile-antelope-mia-mcpherson-0621.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/burrowing-owl-juvenile-antelope-mia-mcpherson-0621.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/burrowing-owl-juvenile-antelope-mia-mcpherson-0621.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}