Trip Report: Day Hike Buffalo Round Up On Antelope Island


Day Hike Buffalo Round Up On Antelope Island
By Jack Cook
HIKE 10/24/2026 NTD-
WMC Trip Report: Buffalo Roundup
Location: Antelope Island, UT
Point of origin: Ogden, UT
Date: October 24, 2026
Cost: $55 total ($15 park entry, plus about $40 in driving at $0.80/mile for 50 miles round trip)
Bring: A bike and binoculars
Tips
Carpool in. You can park outside the park and bring up to six people in one car for a single $15 fee. With a group, one or two people can ride bikes to scout for the buffalo and riders while the car drops everyone else off wherever they want to go.
Send a photo of your car. Cell reception is spotty on parts of the island, so if you're meeting someone, take a picture of your car and text it to them. It helps a lot.
Don't follow the crowd. The buffalo are spread across the island, so you don't need to trail the line of cars or park where everyone else does.
The Day:
On the WMC trip we had me(Jack), Da, and Adam. It was a nice day, but crisp (60 degree's) light breeze. Da's report is at the bottom.

Jack's Day
I cannot see a buffalo to save my life. I'm from Alaska. When we go moose hunting, I can spot a moose in the brush from the back seat going 40 mph down a dirt road. But a buffalo moving across an open field, when I know roughly where to look and people are pointing right at it? I cannot see them to save my life.
The day got off to a rough start. I went to bed at 7 p.m. instead of making my flag. When I got up I could not find my binoculars, and I got out the door slightly late. Then I hit a traffic jam of cars heading for the herd, which cost me even more time.
At 8:40, Adam texted me a picture of his car and said he was posted. I thought it was a funny thing to send, until I parked and realized how useful it was. I had taken my folding bike, yellow high-vis sweater, and helmet in the back. I pulled them out and started riding. Since I knew what Adam's car looked like, I found him quickly, said hello, and told him I'd text when I found the buffalo.
Riding on, I noticed a group of cars parked away from the rest and heard people saying, "They're over there." I pulled over and started talking with them. They had a spotting scope and told me there were two buffalo in the field, one grazing and the other lying down. I couldn't see either of them.
I messaged Da, who was way up the road. My folding bike was faster than walking, but she was still too far to go get. So I stayed put. I had two buffalo in front of me, and I figured the riders would round them up right there.
I put on my fish bone beanie, and I am standing there looking for these buffalo. This cop pull up, and ask do you know where Rayburn campground is? I thought about saying oh yeah it's up there, but I thought twice, and said I am not sure. I felt the anger off her, but she goes ok thanks. I did not think I looked that authoritative , but I guess I had that look.
I waited about an hour and still couldn't see those buffalo. Then someone said, "There's the riders!" and pointed. They looked like a little blob of ants coming over the hill. Someone said the buffalo were with them, and I still couldn't see them. I lost the riders, found them again, and finally spotted a small group of buffalo out in front. From that distance they looked like long worms.
They fair distance away, but I could hear the horses whinny and the riders calling out. I figured the buffalo I'd spotted were ahead of the horses, so I rode down the road until the horses were about /2 mile behind me and started looking. I had no idea buffalo could climb. I found them on a small ridgeline about half a mile ahead of the riders, with one or two horses trailing behind.
I stopped at a chokepoint to photograph the main group of cowboys as they came through. One rode right up near the cars. He wore a purple high viz vest that said "Group Leader," and he stopped there to give orders to the riders. That's when I finally saw that the cowboys had buffalo inside their group. Those must have been the calves and juveniles, and the group I'd been chasing was probably the bulls.
Once the herd reached the road, police escorted the riders and no cars could get past, but since I was on bicycle I could get in front of the cop car. It felt like I was part of the roundup. Since the group leader zigzagged back and forth on his horse, and I rode straight I matched the round up pace.
It was so cool. If you go next year, bring a bike. You'll see more than anyone in a car, and you can hear what people are saying. That's how I knew those buffalo were in that field in the first place. And if you'd rather not hunt for buffalo alone, you come with the WMC next year.


Da's Report
I met up with the WMC group hiking to Fremont Island before 8:00 a.m. and walked with them to the sandbar. I wanted to see exactly where you can cross the lake, and it turns out you have to get your feet wet. So I walked back to catch the bison roundup instead.
I drove around and stayed on high ground, thinking I'd have a good view with my very long zoom, a Nikon with 3000 mm of reach. I waited for hours until the cowboys and bison finally came, only to realize they were too far away to photograph! I rushed down into the crowd and found a spot to set up my camera, but boy, the kids climbing on the fence were shaking it like crazy.