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SYRACUSE — Visitation at Antelope Island State Park surpassed 1 million people for the first time last year, as scores of visitors rushed in to enjoy its splendor, history, dark skies and, of course, bison, among many other sights and activities.
Its big year moved it up one spot to third place in visitation among Utah's 44 state parks last year, trailing just Sand Hollow and Dead Horse Point. Soon the thousands of people who attend the park every day will have a new place to learn as they enter the park.
Park officials and representatives of the Utah Division of State Parks on Friday unveiled plans for a new $12 million renovation and expansion of the Antelope Island State Park Visitor Center that would make the center close to four times larger than its current size. Jeremy Shaw, the park's manager, said he believes the building won't just address the spike in popularity now but will help continue bringing people out to the island.
"This building is going to help us host those folks that want to come out to the island, and we're going to look forward to 2 million visitors and, hopefully, we'll give them a fantastic place to come out and experience Antelope Island," he said.
While the history of people and animals goes far back in time, Antelope Island State Park first opened in 1969. It's always been one of Utah's more popular state parks; however, the growth in popularity over the past few years is astounding.
A tick over 380,000 visited the park during the 2015 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2015. Visitation during the 2020 calendar ballooned to a then-record 815,445 people — more than double that 2015 fiscal year number. Then, last year, visitation shot up over 30% from the previous year to more than 1.07 million.
The problem with that is the current 5,100-square-foot visitors center, which was built in 1996, wasn't equipped to handle the number of visitors who come on a regular basis. The state intended to have a second phase of the original building, but that never came to fruition. With funding from the Utah Legislature last year, the work began to design an expansion.
Utah State Parks got another $12 million in this year's session so crews can get to work remodeling the current building while also adding about 15,000 square feet to it. The additional space won't just feature some of the components of the current center but will include a new learning center, as well as research facilities as higher education platforms seek to understand more about the declining Great Salt Lake, which surrounds the island.
The lake's decline has made Antelope Island less of an island and more of a peninsula in recent years, and that has caused problems for wildlife.
Weber State University and Westminster College are already on board with partnerships with Utah State Parks, while state officials say Utah State University and the University of Utah have also expressed interest in the idea. The facility will include research labs, workspaces and displays.
The building will also include a new auditorium that can seat hundreds of school children who come to the island on field trips each week. This auditorium will allow new space for discussions, demonstrations and lectures, park officials said.
The new center may be completed by next year, barring any issues in the construction process.
Aside from the visitors center, park officials add they recently finished constructing a new campground in the Bridger Bay area that features paved RV parking and hookups, flush toilets, showers, BBQ grills and shelters, as well.
"This new and improved area will allow us to continue to host the thousands of visitors who flock to Antelope Island State Park each year," Shaw said. "Antelope Island State Park will continue to be a gem of Utah for many years to come."
