Summit County planners have spent the last two years developing a project to improve aspects of the nearly 30-mile-long pathway spanning from Park City to Echo in hopes of promoting it as a meaningful community connection — and the revised framework could be implemented later this spring.
Staffers began planning the Rail Trail Corridor, an effort to create a cultural, recreational and tourism hub from S.R. 248 to Echo, in August of 2021. After two rounds of community engagement, the second of which wrapped up in February, county planners reworked the plan and were scheduled to present it to the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission on Tuesday.
County planner Maddy McDonough said staffers will update the Planning Commission on the project’s vision of embracing “the Rail Trail Corridor as a meaningful connection through Summit County in order to enhance user experience, safeguard the natural environment, promote economic vitality, and enrich community character.”
They’ve also set three goals related to the vision that rely on accessibility, environmental quality, sustainable tourism and recreation, and agricultural preservation as well as relevant history, arts and culture. Officials plan to achieve these objectives by utilizing community input obtained through surveys, open houses and focus groups.
For example, respondents indicated more routine maintenance, stronger connections to parks and trains, informational signage and access to shops and cafes from the Rail Trail would improve their experience. Staffers in turn have suggested they strive to improve personal safety and support for different user types as well as promote local and regional connectivity through enhancements to existing bike trails and trailheads with limited access. McDonough said the desire for more trail connections also led staffers to discuss options for better wayfinding.
Other possibilities include advocating for strategic development to maintain the open space surrounding the Rail Trail – but still provide links to local businesses and residential areas that foster a sense of community, engaging the public in agricultural preservation through farming or ranch education, hosting cleanup events, collaborating with different community groups and more.
But the county must also determine how the Rail Trail Corridor should be managed to decide how to implement the plan.
The Union Pacific line was built in 1868, abandoned in 1989 and converted to a trail in the early 1990s, according to McDonough. It was dedicated as a state park in 1992 and is currently owned by the state, which contracts for maintenance. There are roughly 3 miles of trail within Park City that are managed and maintained by City Hall.
However, more than half the survey respondents indicated they would prefer if Summit County took over management of the Rail Trail. Around 25% said they wanted Utah State Parks to continue managing operations while 21% supported a regional recreation district taking over.
“I think local management and community input could lead to improvements that fit in with the local community,” a respondent of the second survey said.
If Summit County were to take over ownership of the Rail Trail, officials could either contract the services out or utilize a special recreation district, such as the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District, to manage and maintain the pathway.
McDonough indicated it’s important for a group to be able to plan for both maintenance and the surrounding land uses to maximize the community benefit, but she said many of the Rail Trail Corridor elements and objectives can still be implemented regardless of who manages the land.
The Planning Commission on Tuesday was expected to provide guidance on the management choice and the public was invited to provide more input at the meeting. Staffers will then consider the feedback. McDonough said there will be a celebration of the plan during the Trails, Trash and Tunes event from 12 to 4 p.m. on May 20 at the Wanship Trailhead. The final plan will then be presented to the County Council, likely on May 24.
Staffers are not seeking a formal adoption, but they want the Rail Trail Corridor to act as a tool to inform future decision-making and help incentivize improvements to the area by providing the framework for what the community wants.
Around 73% of respondents said recreation is the most important community value with 68% choosing small-town feeling and 63% answering with health and well-being. The majority of people, around 71%, said biking is their primary activity on the Rail Trail with walking or hiking and jogging as the second and third most common answers.
The Rail Trail Corridor plan was developed through 741 survey responses, 112 open house attendees and 44 focus group participants. The University of Utah, Summit County Council, Utah State Parks, North Summit High School, Summit County Arts Council, Basin Recreation, Park City Centers for Advanced Professional Studies and other volunteers also contributed.
For more information on the project or to find ways to get involved, visit https://www.summitcounty.org/1322/Rail-Trail-Corridor-Project.