Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 22, parking will be permanently closed along the roadway near the "Y" intersection of Guardsman Pass and Pine Canyon Drive, according to a social media post from Park City. The area was not designed for parking and doesn't have necessary facilities, the post stated.
The city said visitors should instead park in designated parking lots along Guardsman Pass, or utilize the Transit to Trails shuttle service.
But Park City resident Steve Peer said the change was already in effect Sunday.
"It was a zoo," he said. "I mean, there were people driving all over trying to find parking, going back and forth and back and forth. It was a mess."
Peer said prohibiting parking at the intersection takes away access to Bonanza Flats for older adults and those with physical disabilities, including his wife, who has Parkinson’s disease.
"It's at least flat, so you're entering straight at grade level," he said. "It's not a big biking location so that you're not having bikes trying to whip by you."
According to the post, the change is part of the management strategy of Utah Open Lands to reduce waste and other human impacts on the land. But Peer said if that’s the case, then biking trails shouldn’t be built there.
"I definitely don't remember them pitching to the taxpayers when we voted for the bond issue to allow it to occur, that it was going to be a minimal use area," he said. "I remember pretty specifically it said this is going to be a park area to be used by, you know, residents."
Park City Trails and Open Space Manager Heinrich Deters said they felt the need to regulate the area due to overuse. He added that the "Y" intersection was never designed with the appropriate amenities to be a trailhead, but the city is exploring creating accessible trails there. A discussion about the management of Bonanza Flat will be on the city council's agenda in the coming weeks.
