Mountain Trails Foundation had its 30th anniversary as an officially chartered organization on September 30th. Conveniently that was a Saturday in 2023, so a good excuse to celebrate. Laughter and nostalgia filled MTF’s garage as some of Park City’s trail legends shared origin stories of Park City’s trail system. Some taller than others, perhaps, these tales told of landowners, guns, pirate builders and shovels. And, it was from those very seeds of contention that Mountain Trails Foundation grew.
I don’t regularly suffer from imposter syndrome relative to my position as MTF’s fourth executive director, but humility was quick before a garage full of people, young and old, whose collective histories with Park City’s trails now paint a picture of unity and love of the outdoors.
Like any normal 30-year-old, Mountain Trails Foundation has suffered its bumps and grinds. We’ve dreamed naïve dreams and stumbled through disappointment. Relationships with partners have grown strong, morphed or disappeared. MTF has lived in the garages and spare bedrooms, relocated more times than any of us can count, and finally scraped together enough to become a homeowner. All the while, MTF has lived in a Village that cared, invested and rejoiced in its growth.
Now, three decades later, that Village numbers in the thousands. Members who support our mission to build, maintain and protect trails for non-motorized recreation are part of the legacy – and simultaneously ensure that trails have a future in society.
See you out there,
Lora Anthony, Executive Director
