Are you fed up with crowded Wasatch canyons? Then it may be time to, as the phrase directs, go west.
Hikers, mountain bikers and horse riders can turn their attention to the Salt Lake Valley’s west bench, where a multiuse trail network in Butterfield Canyon is nearing completion in time for summer fun.
Salt Lake County is finishing up construction of two downhill biking trails added to more than 13 miles of trails that opened last August in the Oquirrh canyon just below Kennecott’s open-pit mine.
On Tuesday, County Council members also voted to allocate an additional $2.7 million to further improve the canyon’s trailhead with better equestrian access and construct a county trail maintenance building.
“This is an amazing resource and a great opportunity for county residents because this area was previously inaccessible, at least legally,” said Dustin Wiberg, the county parks planner. “People have used the area before but were trespassing, and so this allows the public to enjoy these spaces.”
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
The two new mountain biking tracks are set to open in June and will up the total number of usable trail miles to 17 in Butterfield Canyon. A new parking lot has already been completed at the trailhead near the intersection of Highway 111 and Herriman Highway.
“Having a network of trails on the west side is hugely important to alleviate congestion on the trails on the east side,” said County Council member Dave Alvord, who represents the far west side of the valley. “But also just save us time and gas of having to travel so far to do some rides.”
The Butterfield Canyon trails are also connected to a larger network of county trails in Yellow Fork and Rose Creek canyons farther south via the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.
With Tuesday’s funding, the county will add more parking and an entry road for equestrian trailers. Many horse owners live in this southwest corner of the valley. And, with so many new trails to care for, a maintenance building is on the way, too. It will act as a home base for dedicated maintenance staff. The new funding boosts total spending on the trails project to $6.9 million.
Horse owners can expect the new access road to open by year’s end. Construction on the building will start in 2025. The county will eventually add a restroom, as well, but it was not a part of the allocated sales tax dollars Tuesday.
The council also spent on improvements to urban county paths in the same meeting, spreading $1.1 million across the Parleys, Jordan River and Utah and Salt Lake Canal trails.
