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Mountain Trails plans to connect new trail network during spring cleanup

Ross Downard
/
Mountain Trails Foundation

Winter’s snowfall will take awhile to melt this spring but that hasn’t stopped the Mountain Trails Foundation from planning new projects for 2023.

There’s always a list of mountain trails that need to be repaired in spring. Mountain Trails Foundation Executive Director Lora Smith said dozens of trees fall down each winter, blocking trails. As soon as the snow melts, trail crews will start working their way up the mountain. This year, they will also focus on how to connect the hundreds of miles of existing trails.

“We will be reaching a point here in Park City’s not too distant future where the building of trails is not necessary anymore," Smith said. "So, connecting say, Mid-Mountain to 9k, that kind of stuff will be, we will have grown past that. So, we’re making sure that we're taking care of the trails we have is kind of the direction we need to be looking.”

One new trail planned this year is what’s being called Seldom Seen. Once finished, it will make the well-used Spiro trail an uphill climb only.

“Anybody who's ridden Spiro in the past five years knows it's just been trashed and it's the downhill traffic," Smith said. "And whenever you create a route, somewhere on the trail system, it has an impact elsewhere. And Spiro was one of those that when we did Pinecone years ago, [Spiro] became sort of a de facto downhill from the [Wasatch] Crest trail. And it put a lot of people on Spiro and also there's really not many ways down the mountain from that section of the mountain. So, this new Seldom Seen trail will be a flow trail downhill directional bike only.”

Seldom Seen will be what’s called a purpose-built trail, which Smith said tends to last longer because it will have higher banked turns that help prevent chatter bumps – or washboarding - which tends to destroy downhill trails.

The foundation is also working with the Park City Chamber Bureau, Basin Rec and Park City Municipal to create a trails resource page that will live on the Mountain Trails Foundation website and provide warnings and up-to-date information.

“Bonanza Flat trails are not open until July 1,” Smith said. “So, we'll be able to go in and put on the map, if you scroll over that section of the map, a pop up will come up and tell you this part of the trail system is not available until July 1. Or, you know, hypothetically, Rocky Mountain Power is doing construction on this section of trail or whatever it is just letting people know. And then also, we will be putting trail counters up so you can look at it and go, ‘Oh, you know, there's 80 people on that trail or the trailhead is full. We don't want to go to that trailhead.’”

Other trail resources this year will go to extending e-bike trails at Clark Ranch and Skyridge. Mountain Trails will also work to connect trails in the Park City Heights area.

Get more information from the Mountain Trails Foundation here.