Sunday, January 12, 2014

Antelope Island State Park, Utah - Hiking

Snowshoeing is a great winter activity around Salt Lake City as popular hiking trails become suitable for snowshoeing to destinations that look completely different in winter light and snow.  The popularity of snowshoeing means that the trails get packed down quickly after a winter storm, sometimes making snowshoes unnecessary for little more than the traction that they provide.  Because of this, I recently purchased a pair of microspike traction devices to hook to the bottom of my hiking boots for times when traction is needed but not flotation.

 Microspikes - perfect for ice and packed-snow hiking

Roger and I spent an afternoon on Antelope Island hiking to Split Rock from the White Rock Bay trail head using our microspike traction devices.  There is something dramatic and beautiful about Antelope Island during the winter months.  It feels like walking through a sleeping landscape, with an occasional bison or coyote breaking the icy stillness.

Driving across the causeway to Antelope Island

The Great Salt Lake

Wasatch Mountains from Antelope Island

 Bison

Roger walking through the frozen landscape