Salt Lake City Trail Expansion: Why the Foothills Trail Project is on Hold

Carl Fisher has fond memories of the Salt Lake City foothills.

A native of Davis County, he remembers cycling the foothills trails to classes at the University of Utah and his job at a downtown hotel.

He is certainly not the only one using the trails. Many hikers, cyclists, runners and those who come just for a walk are often seen daily in the Salt Lake City Foothills Natural Area, which spans 6,000 acres. As the state and city develop, more and more people are heading to the foothills, as this is a piece of wilderness literally on the doorstep of a large metropolitan area.

When Salt Lake City launched an ambitious project to add more trails to meet the popularity of the foothills, many residents were cautiously optimistic. This became of concern when there were track slips and other issues with the addition of tracks during the first phase of the project, which started last year and ended earlier this year. .

“We have an amazing place. We have amazing opportunities and we just have to be wonderful stewards of this place for generations to come,” said Fisher, as a hiker trotted towards the sight of City Creek Canyon just behind him. .

These concerns are the reason the city suspended the next phase of hiking trails in the spring, according to Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. She announced on Tuesday that the city would extend this moratorium until at least June 1, 2022, so that the city and independent consultants can further examine the city’s newer trails as well as future trails under the Map of the Foothills Trail System.

The mayor said the move will allow for better planning and take into account concerns about the impact of trails on the environment.

The Foothills Trail System Plan was developed in response to the growing number of people heading to the city’s foothills, Mendenhall explained. The foothills of Salt Lake City include City Creek, Emigration, the southern part of Parleys and Red Butte Canyons, among other smaller canyons and ravines.

The first phase of the Foothills Trail System Plan focused on new trails in the central foothills between City Creek and Dry Creek canyons. It ended earlier this year.

However, the city has started to hear from residents concerned about the degradation of the trails, which many say is the result of poor planning. For example, Salt Lake City resident Eric Edelman, a civil engineer who studies soils and is an avid trail user, told Salt Lake City Council on July 20 that he was disappointed that he saw by following the project.

“I am rather confused and saddened that the first phase went so badly,” he told the council in July. “These Phase One trails could not have been located on worse terrain than the one they were placed in.”

Members of advocacy groups like Save our canyons and Save our foothills expressed similar concerns in recent months.

This includes Fisher, who is the executive director of Save Our Canyons. He said it is important that any new trail construction take into account the various wildlife and plant species that inhabit the foothills. This is especially true as more and more people are moving to Utah, the fastest growing state in the country over the past decade.

That’s why Fisher argues it’s important to keep an eye out for the buttresses. If the land is not protected, it is quite possible that it will be lost forever.

“We need to keep a close eye on protecting these resources,” Fisher said. “It has been said over and over again, it seems, but we really love these places to death. And we want to maintain a high quality experience, a high quality environment and high quality and ethical management for these places .”

Mendenhall said on Tuesday that the city had decided to halt construction of a new trail in May following the comments, but decided to continue the hiatus at least until mid-2022 to ensure the project takes take into account construction concerns about cultural and landscape issues, and to “put the environment first.”

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Tyler Fonarow, project specialist with the Foothills Trail System, said Salt Lake City will work with three different consultants throughout the break. One such consultant is SWCA Environmental Consultants, who will analyze areas where future trails could go and “maximize” conservation, according to Fonarow.

“This will include an analysis of the impact of trails on vegetation and wildlife habitats, as well as an analysis of cultural resources and strategies for their conservation,” he said.

The city also plans to seek an independent trail network consultant to review project work from the first phase of the project, as well as any existing concerns among current or future trails for better guidelines to accommodate new models. leisure facilities in the foothills.

No budget adjustments are expected following the break, city leaders said.

Mendenhall said she and other city leaders began meeting with Native American tribal chiefs – due to the land’s cultural and historical significance – and various groups about the foothills project after stopping construction in May. The purpose of these meetings was to learn why the first phase went wrong and how they could prevent it with future trails.

City leaders have “broken bread” with Native American tribal chiefs and also visited important cultural sites across the city so the two sides get to know each other better, according to the mayor. She said executives weren’t concerned with the trails on the ground so far, but were also keen to provide feedback for future construction.

The city will now take more account of residents’ returns due to the impact of the terrain on today’s residents. She is confident that more inclusive feedback will improve the Foothills Trail System plan.

“We are in the best possible position to ensure that trails and new trail work and natural resource protection are more representative of our community’s voice,” Mendenhall said.

Meanwhile, Fisher said he welcomes Salt Lake City’s decision. He said city leaders contacted him a few weeks ago and shared their plans for the next few months.

While he said there are many steps to be taken in the conversion process, he is confident that city leaders and project planners are genuinely concerned about the problems posed by these concerns about the future of cities. foothills of the city.

“I think the proposed plan will help us achieve this vision that we have encouraged the city to embrace with these foothills,” Fisher said. “So we are optimistic.”