In 2017, Park City purchased the 1,500 acres that make up Bonanza Flat nestled between Empire Pass, Brighton and Wasatch Mountain State Park.
“Bonanza Flat Conversation Area was perhaps one of the most unique preservation saves, I think, in the history of Utah,” Utah Open Lands Executive Director Wendy Fisher told KPCW.
She said Park City voters approved a $25 million bond to help fund the open space purchase. Utah Open Lands brought in another $13 million in private funding.
“All of this was because Bonanza [Flat] was headed towards 260 units of development - ski-in ski-out, 18-hole golf course - really an environment that would be wholly different from what you see there today,” Fisher said.
In recent years the area’s popularity has grown, particularly with hikers, mountain bikers and scenic drivers.
“2020 and the pandemic was a game changer for open space in the state of Utah,” Fisher said. “I’ve heard this nationally too, but in Utah we saw a 300% increase in use of our open spaces throughout the state, and Bonanza Flat was not immune to this. We saw, in some instances, a 1,000-fold increase in daily use on some of the trails.”
Bonanza Flat user data collected over the summer of 2023 found Park City residents made up just 7% of the visitors. Salt Lake City locals made up the largest portion at 25%. The data also shows that most visitors stay in Bonanza Flat for less than 45 minutes.
Thursday the city council will review proposed amendments to Bonanza Flat’s management plan to “protect the visitor experience, discourage single-occupancy vehicles and protect the area’s natural beauty,” according to Park City Municipal spokesperson Clayton Scrivner.
The proposed changes include adding paid parking kiosks at several trailheads, including Bloods Lake, Bonanza Flat and Empire Pass.
Parking would be free for residents of the 84060 zip code. All others would pay for parking. That price will be up to the council.
As part of the paid parking plan, the city would also expand public transit access to Bonanza Flat. From July 3 to Oct. 30, Park City Transit’s purple bus would be converted to a shuttle and service the area’s trailheads. The shuttle would run Friday to Monday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., every 15 minutes.
The purple bus normally travels between Old Town and the Montage hotel. The proposed move is seen as an enhancement to the existing Transit 2 Trails program, which provides free rides to Bonanza Flat.
The city council is also considering a new trailhead with 15 paid parking stalls at the intersection of Guardsman Pass Road and Pine Canyon Drive. In August 2023, Park City permanently banned parking at the “Y” because of overuse and congestion.
Major trailheads across Big Cottonwood Canyon, which connects directly to Bonanza Flat, are beginning to charge fees as part of a new U.S. Forest Service initiative. Fisher said Bonanza Flat could be exposed to a flood of traffic if fees aren’t implemented.
“It’s all about protecting the resources,” she said. “We are very interested in what people have to say, and we hope that they can realize that it really is geared towards understanding that if we don’t do something, especially as other jurisdictions are making this move, we really could jeopardize what we have at Bonanza Flat. And that’s what we’re taking measures and steps to avoid.”
Last year Park City Councilmembers already signaled they would consider paid parking to reduce negative impacts in Bonanza Flat.
The council will consider approving the proposed changes at its meeting Feb. 6. The public can comment before the council votes.
The meeting agenda and a link to attend virtually can be found here.
