Larry Memmott's Blog

I’ve never been attracted by the “peaking” thing.  Always figured that once you had peaked, it was all down hill from there.  So, climbing to get to the top of something never mattered to me.  Actually, I’ve often found that if you bushwhacked a bit off of the beaten trail to the top (or to the lake, or whatever it is that is pulling people in) you can find some pretty fantastic little places.  Anyway, as it turns out Wednesday was the first time I ever “peaked.”  I climbed to the top of Frary Peak on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake.  Can’t say I changed my mind about peaking, but it was a good hike.

Buffalo Roaming the Island

Close-up with the big guy

Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake.  At only about 6,600 feet of elevation, Frary Peak is not high by Utah standards (let alone those of Kyrgyzstan or Bolivia).  Still the hike is a climb of some 2,000 feet over about 3.5 miles, which makes it pretty steep.  The views from the hike are very nice, with the island in the foreground, the lake around it and the mountains on all sides.  But the real draw is the wildlife.  Antelope Island was named for the Pronghorn Antelope which was found on the island, but the introduced species, American Buffalo and California Bighorn Sheep get more attention.  There are reportedly some 550-700 Buffalo on the island and 100-150 Bighorn Sheep.  The island is used as a breeding ground from which both can be exported to reintroduce herds to other regions.

Getting There

Getting to Antelope Island is easy.  The turnoff to Antelope Island is only some 25 miles north of Salt Lake City on I-15.  The road is named Antelope Drive, and the exit is labeled for the small town of Syracuse.  Head west on Antelope Drive and you will come to a State Park entrance at the beginning of the causeway that leads to the island.  Entry costs $9 per vehicle (up to nine persons).  Turn left when you get onto the island and follow the signs to the trailhead.

The Hike

(click to enlarge)

Attached is a .gdb file you can use in Google Earth or your GPSto find your way.  It’s not much of a challenge, though, since the trailhead and trail are well marked.  One note:  the final few dozen yards are a bit of a scramble and I found them snowy and icy (in March).  If you are hiking here in the winter months crampons and hiking sticks would help. The waypoint labeled “Junction” is where you can turn off to the (much closer) Dooley Knob.

Here are a few more photos from the hike.