Bonneville Shoreline Trail

41°00′N 111°53′W / 41.000°N 111.883°W / 41.000; -111.883

Proposed and existing Access points for the Bonneville Shoreline Trail
Bonneville Shoreline Trail overlooking Salt Lake City.
Bonneville Shoreline Trail marker

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is a mixed use (biking/hiking) recreation trail in Utah that roughly follows the shoreline of the ancient Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric pluvial lake which existed in northern Utah before naturally draining about 14,000 years ago.[1][2] Some sections of the trail are complete while other parts are still being developed. The Bonneville Shoreline Trail hopes to one day stretch from the Idaho border (north of Logan, Utah) and run southward all the way to Nephi, Utah.

While the planned termini are 150 miles (240 km) apart, the trail will weave in and out of many canyons of the Wasatch Mountains, totaling 305+ miles of dirt and paved trails. Passing near the large population centers of the Wasatch Front, the planned trail is located within 20 miles (32 km) of 80% of the population of Utah.[3][4]

Although conceptual plans for the Bonneville Shoreline Trail date from 1990 as a way to connect and preserve existing trails in the Wasatch Front,[5] construction has been spurred on by the trail's recognition in 1999 as a Millennium Legacy Trail. As of 2016, several noncontinuous sections of the planned trail had been completed, totaling about 107 miles (172 km);[6] however, there are plans to refurbish some completed areas as they are being connected and the length is extended.[7] Much of the trail's construction is organized by county and city-level groups, through a combination of governmental, public, and private means. The U.S. Forest Service also provides management for construction and maintenance of the sections of the trail in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.[8]

References

  1. ^ Stoppato, Marco C.; Bini, Alfredo (2003). Deserts. Buffalo: Firefly Books (U.S.), Inc. p. 227. ISBN 1-55297-669-6.
  2. ^ Gwynn, J. Wallace. "Commonly Asked Questions About Utah's Great Salt Lake and Lake Bonneville". Utah Geological Survey (Utah Department of Natural Resources). Archived from the original on 2015-04-14. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  3. ^ Bonneville Shoreline Trail
  4. ^ www.UtahAdventurer.com, Leslie Kawai-. "Take a walk along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  5. ^ "History". Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  6. ^ "BST Coalition Annual Report 2016" (PDF). Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-10-10. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  7. ^ Maffly, Brian (12 August 2019). "Plan afoot to complete Bonneville Shoreline Trail clear across Davis County". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  8. ^ "SOPA - Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest". USDA Forest Service. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
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