Salt Lake Antelope Island Dark Sky Experience
Description
Embark on an unforgettable celestial adventure with Southwest Adventure Tours! Our Salt Lake Antelope Island Dark Sky Experience whisks you away from the city lights to a hidden gem: Antelope Island State Park, a certified International Dark Sky Park. Upon arrival, embark on a celestial journey as our guide unlocks the secrets of the night sky, pointing out constellations, planets, and other celestial wonders. This tour is not wheelchair accessible. Witness the cosmos in all its glory from a high vantage point, away from campground lights and dust. Enjoy comfortable seating in our transport vehicles for the entire group. We utilize red-filtered lighting to minimize light pollution, ensuring an optimal viewing experience. Gaze at breathtaking views of the Milky Way, distant galaxies, and celestial objects invisible to the naked eye. This stargazing adventure is offered spring, summer, and fall, weather permitting, with departures scheduled seven days a week.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Located in the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island State Park offers a unique blend of natural beauty and celestial wonder. As a designated Dark Sky Park, it boasts exceptionally low light pollution, providing an ideal environment for stargazing. With minimal interference from artificial light, visitors can marvel at the Milky Way galaxy, countless stars, and even distant planets. The park's remote location and expansive open spaces create a truly immersive experience for astronomy enthusiasts of all levels.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Our guide will pick you up in the lobby of select hotels in the downtown Salt Lake and Salt Lake airport areas. Arrangements will be made ahead of time.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note that guest must need to bring their own child seat.
Reviews(8)
Tom was very personable and informative. He is very knowledgeable on a wide range of topics. He made sure to let us know so many facts and had mosquito replant and face masks for us to combat all the huge mosquitos, which let us enjoy our tour even more. Scott was so enthusiastic and joyful about our night viewing conditions that even though we were interested, he made it spectacular! The night sky came to life with his stories and information interwoven into an exciting night sky viewing. They truly are a dynamic duo for the dark skies tour.
Absolutely stunning. Such a great experience. 10/10. Guides were fantastic - the views were breathtaking the conversation was enlightening. Would definitely recommend.
Blake and Scott were so knowledgeable and fun! Blake told wonderful stories about Salt Lake City, Antelope Island and the animals we encountered there (pronghorn, bison and jackrabbits). We won't soon forget the smell of the brine shrimp. Scott knew so much about the dark sky, sharing planets, stars, 2 nebulas, a spiral galaxy and the constellations. His Greek stories about the stars and constellations are not to be missed. Dress warmly-- socks, shoes and a heavy sweatshirt or coat. We highly recommend this tour!
Dima was a great guide; extremely kind and professional! He took great care to show us the best places to see beautiful sites and animals. He didn't rush us. He wanted to make sure we had a wonderful experience. Highly recommend this tour!
We enjoyed hearing about and being able to ask questions about all things Salt Lake City during our drive to/from Antelope Island. It was also nice to see the sunset before we had our stargazing event. The wildlife was tough to spot but supposedly there were jackrabbits, owls, bison and antelopes on the island. The moon was quite bright which made it hard to see some of the constellations, but our guide was helpful. We saw more satellites and the International Space Station than stars, I think, since there were so many going by. Consider putting on bug spray before you go, although they do provide nets you can put over your head, which was helpful.
Stars were gorgeous and the guides were really knowledgeable. Loved that they had a laser pointer to help point out things when not using the telescope. Can be a bit chilly with wind so wearing layers or packing an extra jacket is helpful.
We had a wonderful experience on the Antelope Island Dark Sky Experience with Southwest Adventure Tours. Our guides, McKenna and Scott, were fantastic. They were both very pleasant, accommodating, and incredibly knowledgeable. They made everyone feel comfortable asking questions and clearly enjoy sharing their knowledge about the area and the night sky. The evening itself was beautiful, and Antelope Island was the perfect setting for a dark sky experience. McKenna and Scott made the entire tour feel relaxed and engaging while still being very informative. It was a truly memorable night and a unique way to experience the beauty of Utah. We left with great memories and would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting the Salt Lake area.
Great experience on Antelope Island. Knowledgeable guides and lots of stars!! We learned how to navigate using the stars.
