Run-A-Muk, the beloved Summit County dog park, is nicer than ever after a grand opening celebration Thursday officially opened the latest expansion to the public.
“There’s 88 acres, so it’s a very large parcel,” said Phares Gines, Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District’s trails and open space manager. “There’s some other areas that are closed off right now, watersheds and things like that, but there’s plenty of room for the dogs to tire themselves out.”
The expansion, which took two and a half years to complete, added amenities for human guests, including a larger parking lot and restrooms. The pups weren’t left out, though. Run-A-Muk now has a third, lower trailhead that connects to the rest of the park.
“We’ve always talked about expanding the trail system here,” Gines said. “It’s actually road-based, so it’s a little easier to negotiate, a little flatter, a little more accessible. It’s not necessarily ADA accessible, but it is more accessible. I think you could take a wheelchair on it or a mobility device without much issue. We just added some trails in there, some shorter loops, for people who come on their lunch break and want to give their dog a little exercise and get a little bit themselves.”
The Summit County Engineering Department helped Basin Recreation with the project, saving taxpayers an estimated $17,000, according to Gines. Funding came from the Recreation Arts and Parks (RAP) tax, a 0.1% sales tax within Summit County for cultural and recreation opportunities, as well as impact fees, which are paid by new businesses to mitigate their impact on residents.
“A portion of that fee comes to us, and we use those fees for anything new that brings tourism and/or residents somewhere to be, so this was a perfect fit for that,” Gines explained, adding that visitors come to the park from Summit, Wasatch and Salt Lake counties.
One of those visitors includes Nina Bennett, who lives in the Basin area and tries to bring her Schnauzer, Crystal, to Run-A-Muk at least twice a week.
“I like it because she gets to run around free and I don’t have to worry about her going out in the street,” Bennett said. “It’s safe. It’s reassuring. As you can see, she really likes to run and jump.”
Bennett was grateful for the additional parking lot, saying that she’s struggled to find parking during her weekly visits in the past. Mostly, though, she’s grateful for the time she gets to spend with Crystal.
“My grandkids named her because somebody was selling dogs, and they kept trying to get me to get a dog because my husband passed away not too long ago and they didn’t want me to be lonely,” Bennett said. “Somebody was selling some Schnauzer puppies, and Crystal came up to me, and it was like she found me. I just felt like she was the perfect dog for me because she was so sweet.”
Crystal is now almost a year old and loves to play in the snow — running amok at Run-A-Muk with Bennett and all of her puppy friends.
