Finally! The Foothill Trail System Master Plan

On March 3, The Salt Lake City Council adopted the Foothills Trail System Master plan to improve and create trails within the system.

The plan aims to improve and create environmentally sustainable, accessible, safe, and low-maintenance trails from the North Salt Lake boundary to Emigration Canyon.

This plan has been in the works since 2016, when a public input process gathered public support and feedback. This feedback helped to guide how the plan was developed and will influence trail development projects for the next 10 years.

The vision of the plan is for “The Foothills Natural Area [to] provide a variety of recreational trail experiences for all ages and abilities while managing the Foothills’ environmental resources for future generations.” according to the Salt Lake County Public Lands webpage.

Once the plan is fully implemented, the trail system will include:

• 65 miles of new trails and 41 miles of existing trails, for a total system length of 106 trail miles.
• A mix of multi-directional and one-way trails, some with shared-uses and others dedicated to a single use, like walking or biking.
• A growing network of improved trailheads with information kiosks.
• Wayfinding signage located at every trail intersection.
• Three ‘Habitat Study Areas’ where biological impact assessments will be conducted to inform trail alignments and mitigate disruption of native species.

You can learn more about the details of the plan on the Public Lands Webpage.

Further responses to key three issues brought up in February 2020 can be found on the Salt Lake City Council’s website.