Lora Anthony, Executive Director

When I moved to Park City, my children were toddlers and infants. We found our new community, exercise and mental wellbeing outdoors, on the trails. With the twins in a double-wide baby jogger and the two older boys on foot or tiny mtb’s, our trail adventures were long in duration but not distance. If we made it from our house to the Whistling Gate in Round Valley, it was an epic tour.

Back then, the days seemed to pass so slowly, one day flowing seamlessly into the next. One trail adventure after another, the years went by. I couldn’t see it then, but those days were not crawling, they were flying. Fast. Away.  Suddenly, or so it seemed, my boys were all grown up and I was left pining for my littles. And then in February, the longing was relieved as my oldest son and his wife brought us a granddaughter, Elodie.

Last week, I felt the most important part of my life come full circle. As Elodie and I ventured out onto the newly surfaced Round Valley Express on our first baby jogger tour, it was like being in a time machine that took me back a quarter century. The mountain views, sunshine and fresh, cool spring air were the same as back then. Elk and deer, hawks and sandhill cranes flying overhead, coyotes, badgers – all the same. Well, maybe a few more badgers.

Thanks to the work of local government, Park City’s visionary leaders of the late 20th century, and land trusts, Summit Land Conservancy and Utah Open Lands, little has changed in Round Valley in 25 years. Except for one thing – the addition of the many miles of trails that provide gentle access for humans, big and small, to the great outdoors. Rademan Ridge and Rambler, the oldest of trails in Round Valley, are accompanied these days by many others in delivering joy and wellbeing to the children and grown ups of this community.

Stepping out of the way-back machine, I find myself here, older, perhaps a little wiser, still with trail dirt on my legs and, today, with sublime fulfilment in my soul.

To every donor who supports the trails and open spaces that make this community what it is – now and for generations to come – please accept my heart felt thanks.

What a wild and wonderful circle of life this is.    

See you out there,

Lora Anthony, Executive Director

Urban legend has it that the flit of a butterfly wing can cause a tornado on the other side of the planet. And, while science may have a thing or two to tell us about that legend’s validity, when one labors in the nonprofit world, like we do here at MTF, one has the privilege of a front row seat to a stage upon which small actions yield colossal impacts.

This month, the 2025 MTF budget was polished and memorialized. Anybody from the nonprofit sector can affirm that budgeting is something of an art in our world. There is very little predictability when it comes to the expenses side of the column, and even less when it comes to the revenue (read: donations) side. For instance, last year, MTF saw two major, unexpected repair bills for equipment critical to summer projects underway. And, as is always the case, financial markets, politics, grant competition, attitudes about charitable giving, and so on, seem to blow with the wind making income projection a moving target.

Enter the butterfly effect: it is because nearly one thousand smaller donations stack up each year that MTF has the capacity to weather unforeseen gusts, soar on windfalls and continue the mission to build, maintain and protect trails. It is the small shimmies of many donor wings that create an updraft which keeps MTF – and the trails we care for – aloft year after year.

On behalf of the board of directors, crew and trail lovers, I thank our donors, big and small, for their faith in this organization.  

The other day, my husband, puppy and I were wandering Round Valley when we saw, on the ridge above Round Valley Express, a golden eagle – or maybe a juvenile bald? Today I saw a pair. 

On and off over the years, goldens have been present in Round Valley. If you’ve been lucky enough to spot one, surely you noticed that to quietly observe these majestic creatures is to allow one’s spirit to soar skyward, as if lifted on a warm summer thermal. It is clear why, from Greek and Norse mythology, to the traditions of indigenous peoples, to state and religious symbolism, the golden eagle holds a revered, even sacred, standing in the human psyche.

So, with that as an introduction, I pose this question: will 2025 commence a Golden Age? I recognize this is a loaded question, as the most famous person to make the claim recently is America’s 47^th president. Still, whether you love or despise the source isn’t the point. The point is to reflect on an interesting notion. A Golden Age? How appealing, invigorating, inspiring!

Mountain Trails Foundation’s staff and board of directors are optimistic about the triumphs to come in 2025. We will expand carefully and efficiently to achieve the highest standard of trail maintenance, our professional trail crew will receive fair and livable wages, we will advocate for kindness on trails and, in doing all of this, we will lift up community health and wellbeing through trails. 

Our commitment to you, trail loving supporters, comes on wings of goodwill and hard work, as we exuberantly usher in a Golden Age for trails.

Last month, I attended the International Mountain Bike Association’s (IMBA) Lead Up Summit in Knoxville, TN. What I learned, aside from how genuinely nice people are in Knoxville, is that Mountain Trails Foundation, Park City and the State of Utah are models of extreme success in fostering access to outdoor recreation. Mingling through a conference hall full of government representatives, economic development people, lobbyists, professional fundraisers, trail builders and nonprofit leaders, I was assured that, in this great nation, the business of outdoor recreation is alive and well. In fact, it is a multi-billion dollar, yes, that’s billion with a B, industry.   

According to the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Office of Outdoor Recreation, “Outdoor recreation creates $6.1 billion in value-added for Utah, accounts for 2.7% of Utah GDP and includes 66,736 jobs.” (Austin, 2022). After 31 years in business, thanks to consistent community support, MTF proudly continues its contribution to the industry as we exemplify our role in trail development and maintenance.

By the time we close the door on 2024, MTF will have spent nearly $1M in donor and grant funding on winter grooming, routine maintenance and new projects across the Wasatch Back. We have employed an 11-person professional trail crew, and just two office employees, including myself. That balance clearly illustrates MTF’s priorities and the efficiency with which we run this business. Boots in the dirt first and forever!

MTF’s annual report is in the works right now, and as it comes together, a narrative of success unfolds. For that, MTF’s staff, board and I are immensely grateful to you, our donors and partners, for the part you play in making this business a model of success. Stay tuned – there’s much more to come. 

See you out there. . .