Paid parking will soon go into effect at Bonanza Flat area trailheads, a popular summer destination at the upper elevations of Park City.
On June 2 paid hourly parking will start at the Bloods Lake, Bonanza Flat and Empire Pass trailheads.
Park City Parking Manager Johnny Wasden said parking will be $5 per hour on the weekdays and $8 per hour on weekends.
Wasden said they don’t plan to implement time limits on parking.
“We’re kind of letting the pricing control the turnover,” he said. “But if we do start to see long-term vehicle parking where folks are just kind of parking and staying put and paying those larger fees, we may impose time limits.”
Paid parking will also be in effect at a new small trailhead located at the intersection of Guardsman Pass Road and Pine Canyon Road, near the Little Joe Loop trail.
A free locals parking permit is available to residents in the 84060 zip code. That’s because taxpayers funded a $25 million bond to purchase and preserve Bonanza Flat in 2017. The nonprofit Utah Open Lands also contributed $13 million.
Residents can apply online for a free parking permit and must include vehicle registration, photo ID and proof of residency. Two local parking permits are available per household.
Along with paid parking, the city plans to expand public transit to Bonanza Flat. Starting mid-summer, Park City Transit’s purple bus will service the area’s trailheads on a 15-minute frequency from the Old Town Transit Center.
Extended service will be limited to four days a week, Friday through Monday, according to a staff report. Vehicles will be ADA compliant and can accommodate up to 11 bikes.
The purple bus normally travels between Old Town and the Montage hotel.
Earlier this year the Park City Council approved the paid parking plan to better manage traffic congestion in Bonanza Flat. Trail rangers with the city wrote more than 100 parking tickets in the area during peak leaf-peeping days last fall.
Park City officials said revenue from the new paid parking will fund the enhanced transit service.
Bonanza Flat user data collected over the summer of 2023 found Park City residents accounted for 7% of the visitors. Salt Lake City locals made up the largest portion at 25%.
The Utah Department of Transportation plans to open Guardsman Pass Road, which offers access to Bonanza Flat, by May 22.
Park City Municipal is a financial supporter of KPCW.
