Utah Bucket List | Salt Lake Shorelands & Antelope Island

Our Utah bucket list is full of things mostly from Provo to Ogden.

We don't expect to complete everything on the list, but we certainly want to do our best.

The Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve and Antelope Island were two things on the list that I reeeeally wanted to see. But due to the two hour drive, I prepared myself for the possibility of it not happening.

When we discovered that Andrew and Carly were moving from Layton, Utah to Colorado in just ten days, Jay and I agreed it would be the perfect opportunity to hit up the bucket list and bid farewell to our friends.

The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is located on the eastern side of the Great Salt Lake in Layton, Utah. The shorelands consist of approximately 12 shoreline miles and about 4,000 acres of salt and fresh water marshes, ponds, pools, sloughs, and mudflats.

Jay, Andrew, Carly, and I walked through the open-air pavilion visitor's center, then walked the mile-long boardwalk trail that led to a 30-foot-high observation tower.
By reading the educational exhibits along the boardwalk, we learned that tens of thousands of migrating birds use this land as their resting stop along their journeys from Canada to points in Central and South America.

Supposedly the shorelands are most beautiful and lush between April and September, but we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the land that day.

The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is a unique system of salt and fresh water marshes, ponds, pools, sloughs and mudflats. It is a rich feeding ground for tens of thousands of migrating birds, which use the Great Salt Lake as a resting point on their journeys from Canada to points in Central and South America. In fact, some of the largest gatherings of wildlife ever recorded on the Great Salt Lake have been observed here. - See more at: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/utah/placesweprotect/the-great-salt-lake-shorelands-preserve.xml#sthash.JiIoy4gA.dpuf

The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is a unique system of salt and fresh water marshes, ponds, pools, sloughs and mudflats. It is a rich feeding ground for tens of thousands of migrating birds, which use the Great Salt Lake as a resting point on their journeys from Canada to points in Central and South America. In fact, some of the largest gatherings of wildlife ever recorded on the Great Salt Lake have been observed here. - See more at: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/utah/placesweprotect/the-great-salt-lake-shorelands-preserve.xml#sthash.JiIoy4gA.dpuf

The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is a unique system of salt and fresh water marshes, ponds, pools, sloughs and mudflats. It is a rich feeding ground for tens of thousands of migrating birds, which use the Great Salt Lake as a resting point on their journeys from Canada to points in Central and South America. In fact, some of the largest gatherings of wildlife ever recorded on the Great Salt Lake have been observed here. - See more at: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/utah/placesweprotect/the-great-salt-lake-shorelands-preserve.xml#sthash.JiIoy4gA.dpuf

Oh these two!

Antelope Island was a dream, one of the most beautiful places Utah has to offer.

Walking in the sand with the seagulls right above us- I had never felt so close to home. 

I only wished I knew about it sooner and lived a bit closer, then I would have come more often.
I'm so thrilled we did it. And I'm so thankful to have these photos [and a rock I stole from the beach] to help me savor the memory.

 When we got closer to the water, the beach was absolutely covered with dead birds! I mean you literally had to watch your every step. 
Very mysterious and a bit disturbing.

Spying on some buffalo.

After our adventures we ate a delicious meal at Parkstone Wood Kitchen, then said goodbye and wished our dear friends well on their next adventure.