New trail gives Provo residents a place to hike, while reviving a Utah Lake ecosystem

Provo • A restoration project decades in the making has opened to the public at Utah Lake, providing a spot for a threatened fish species to flourish and giving Utah County residents new trails to explore.

The Provo River Delta, a half-mile north of the Utah Lake State Park, opened Saturday. Included in the new recreational area is a 1.2-mile paved trail that is open to bikes, pets and fishing. This southbound trail also connects to the existing Skipper Bay and Provo River Parkway trails, creating a 3.8-mile loop.

Other amenities of the recreation area include:

• An observational tower that gives a 360-view of the Wasatch Mountains and wildlife, like ospreys, pelicans and Arctic and Caspian terns.

• Platforms to give fishermen access to the lake’s 18 fish species.

• Ramps for nonmotorized boats.

• Designated waterfowl shooting zones.

• A Provo city park that is scheduled to be finished next year.

The Provo River Delta Restoration Project, which began construction in March 2020, was put together by the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, the United States Department of Interior and Central Utah Water Conservancy District. One of Utah’s “largest restoration[s],” according to commission director Michael Mills, the project received $10 million from the federal government, through what the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said was the Biden administration’s “Investing in America Agenda.”

In addition to giving residents a place for recreation just 10 minutes from Provo’s city center, the project also provides a haven for the June sucker, a threatened species that only inhabits Utah Lake.

The lake once contained only 1,000 June suckers, according to a Utah Department of Natural Resources news release. Now, an estimated 30,000 to 45,000 of the fish species are part of the spawning population in the lake‘s waters, with nearly 4,000 of them tagged. During a Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony for the project’s partners, more June suckers were released; the hatchery-raised fish were cultivated by a Logan water-recirculation facility, the release said.

The project has also brought more than 150,000 native plants to the area.

“It’s a win-win,” Mills said of the project’s part in revitalizing the lake’s ecosystem while adding to its recreational use.

While the delta area was ultimately built to save a threatened species, Mills said residents shouldn’t see the area as “off limits.”

“We want people to come out here and have fun,” Mills said.

Once work in the delta finishes, two government agencies will manage the area. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will own the area and manage waterfowl hunting, while Utah County will oversee the trailhead and tower.

Before Saturday’s festivities, Mills said he saw 35 different birds from the viewing tower. As he watched terns dive into the delta to pick off small fish and bugs, Mills said the observation deck gives a “different perspective” of the area.

Marné Isakson and her husband, Richard, have lived in Provo for 40 years. Visiting the trailhead even before construction finished, they said the trail is a peaceful way to “get back to nature.”

“I’m excited to see as many people as there are,” Marné Isakson said, watching dozens of park visitors traversing the trail on opening day. “It shows interest in recreation, but best of all, protecting nature.”

Richard Isakson, who said he visits to “see the mountains from a distance,” said he hopes the new delta area will bring more attention to Utah Lake.

“It needs to be preserved,” he said. “[It’s] a beautiful resource for us.”

Paula Trater, a biological technician, organized the project’s community initiatives, including outreach to Provo High School and Brigham Young University students.

Since 2020, Trater has planted willows and weeded out invasive plants alongside these students.

“When you get your hands in the dirt,” Trater said, “you just feel part of the whole ecosystem.”

Trater said she’s particularly proud of one collaboration: A bicycle rack, shaped like a June sucker, in the trailhead’s parking lot. It was made by a welding class at Provo High.

Provo High School teacher Ashley Haug, brought her bike to the trail Saturday, maneuvering through walking pedestrians to see the project’s finished product.

She has brought her environmental science students to the area for five years, attending Trater’s tours and landscaping projects.

These class expeditions, Haug said, have included her students in the “future” of Utah Lake.

“The more people invest in a place,” Haug said, “you see it thrive.”

Correction • In an earlier version of this story, the new Provo River Delta trail was incorrectly described as the Skipper Bay Trail. Also, the number of June suckers estimated to live in the lake was misreported.