Sentry Loop

Note: parts of the Sentry Loop are closed from March 10 - May 20 for the calving season. Just check with the park rangers if you have any questions. The Sentry Loop is a great trail that is rated moderately difficult, features wide open spaces with not many visitors, and slowly meanders up the hillside to a great overlook of the Great Salt Lake. The east side views are OK but the views on the west side are incredible. The large dome-like mound is called The Sentry. The trail will go up near it and then circle around it bringing you to amazing views of the Great Salt Lake. The trail begins just south of Fielding Garr Ranch. You will see a large parking lot and the trailhead is on the other side. The trail is wide enough for a car and you follow this all the way up to the top of the hill in the distance. Along the way you will see the Mushroom Springs area. This is one of the fresh water springs the state park gets its water from. In fact, there are several large water tanks buried here along with a pipe that brings the water down to some hidden ponds for the buffalo herds and other animals. The trail is relatively flat at the beginning but will quickly gain elevation from the Mushroom Springs point. The trail will then make some zigzags up until you come to a fork. This is where the loop trail begins and ends so you can either go right or left, it's up to you. I chose to go right and kept hiking up the semi-steep path to the hilltop. The sentry is the large mound now in the middle of the loop trail to the left. Keep hiking and the trail will level out until you come to a picnic table. The wide road will continue on to the right but that is another trail. The one you want to take is to the left. This trail is much more narrow and cuts directly south on the west side of the sentry. I love seeing The Great Salt Lake! The lake is a massive and salty body of water that makes you feel like you are at the ocean! Continue hiking along the trail and if you are observant, you will notice the small mining prospect. The miners dug a few feet deep and moved on elsewhere. I always forget that Antelope Island had a few mines back in the day. Some of them were kind of big, but are north of here. The trail will soon wind around some large boulders until another picnic bench. This is also a great spot to rest for a bit. You will meet up with another dirt road and make your way back to that fork in the trail. Continue on down until you come to the parking lot. I stopped to check out mushroom springs which had a good amount of water coming out of it. Most of the water is captured and put into tanks but you can hear water coming out of the pipe. The spring source is surrounded by a fence but you can see where the water comes out. I would love to bring a water filter and taste the fresh water! Hiking to Mushroom Springs adds an additional 0.80 mile. I saw a buffalo drinking from a small pond just below this. Always pay attention to your surroundings and never get close to the buffalo because they have been known to attack visitors who try to get too close. Head back the same way to your car.