The Rail Trail maintenance and management is handled by the Utah State Park System. There are projects scheduled this spring to address the problems of buckling asphalt, weeds and willows.
It might surprise area trail users to learn that the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail is a state park and does not fall under the jurisdiction of local trails management organizations. It follows abandoned railroad tracks and runs from eastern Summit County at Echo Reservoir, 28 miles, to end in Park City.
Rail Trail State Parks Manager, Eric Bradshaw has applied for grant funding to fix the bulging asphalt found on the paved sections of the Rail Trail. The trail is multi use and the buckling is a safety concern. He filed for a Recreational Trails Program grant last year and he says he will hear soon if the funding has come through.
“We’re planning on just ripping up the old, damaged area where the roots are just popping through and just putting in a patch. The person that maintains the trail is going to take on the project. And, I’d really like to get it done in June as soon as I find out, we can go ahead and move forward with it so we can get it done before some of the other projects are going on.”
Bradshaw says he wants to try to finish up his work before the Snyderville Basin Sewer project begins. He says that work will impact the rail trail from Prospector Park to the Water Treatment Plant near Quinn’s Junction.
“In the Park City area, the Snyderville Basin will be accessing the trail with trucks to improve the sewer line. I believe they’ll be there for a few weeks. They won’t be blocking this trail. The trail will still be open. So that’s something people should probably be understanding is going to be happening in June.”
Maintenance plans include cutting back willows and vegetation. Bradshaw says it will help with the roots coming up through the macadam as well as managing the overgrowth onto the trail.
Users complain about the stickers that are known as goat heads causing problems for cyclists in the unpaved areas of the rail trail.
“Well our contractors already sprayed the weeds and he’s going to be box scraping the whole trail. And, I haven’t heard of any stickers yet. I’ve seen bikes on it. So, the last few years, people say you can’t ride the rail trail, the Echo section to Coalville through Wanship. I haven’t seen or heard of any stickers.”
Bradshaw says a couple of events coming up in June and July could make it a little busy in certain sections of the rail trail.
“The first weekend in June, on Saturday, Ragnar is coming through. They’ll probably get on the rail trail at Echo starting at 3 o’clock in the morning and they’ll probably finish about nine. And they go all the way to Promontory, and they get off. So, that Saturday may be very busy for that section from Echo to Promontory. And then Tri Utah will just be using the Echo section as well."
The triathlon and 10 k is July 13th.
You can find a link to the Rail Trail State Park at https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/historic-union-pacific-rail-trail/
https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/echo/events/
