Utah, Day 4... An Alleged Elephant Head

 Wednesday, September 4, 2024

      Today was all about Antelope Island State Park.  It's on a peninsula sticking out into the Great Salk Lake.   The reason I added it to the itineracy is simple.  They've got their own bison herd.

     Up until a few years ago, it was a proper island with the only access being this causeway.  With the lake levels dropping, that's changed.  Case in point, there used to be water on both sides of the road.

    Sunrise from just inside the park...

       It didn't take long to encounter my first bison.  This one was grazing just up the road.

    

      This is by a parking lot marked "Beach Access."  Note how far the water is.

    
      Eventually, I did find the parking lot for the trailhead.  There are multiple loops originating from this section of the park. Based on the size of the lot, it's a popular area.  Sure, it was still fairly early, but I had the place to myself.  

     Strangely enough, it was still empty when I got back.  I never met another soul the whole time. 

       It all started with a gap in a fence.

       

        Unlike the previous trails, this one follows a dirt road with only light elevation gains.  And best of all...

   Eventually, I came to the last juncture.

     From here, it's 1.4 miles to a place called Elephant's Head.  With a name like that, I had to check it out.

      From another overlook...

     Down below, another of the park's bison herds.

     The trail finally ends at another overlook.  

   For a trail called Elephant's Head, I never saw anything that looked remotely like the head of an elephant.  Decent trail though.

    Seen on the way back down...

       All told, it was nine and a half miles for the day.  

        One stop on the way home...

     Odyssey Elementary School opened in 2006.  The school's dedication ceremony was attended by Michael Clifford. He grew up in Ogden and eventually went on to NASA.  He flew on three space shuttle flights as a mission specialists, as well as being on a team that redesigned the crew escape systems and designed some of the payload delivery systems.