Mountain Trails Foundation

We build, maintain and protect Park City, Utah's trails

News

Support Our Friends at South Summit Trails Foundation

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South Summit Trails Foundation has succeeded far beyond expectations in developing an outstanding eastern Summit County trail experience. Thanks to a partnership with the Kamas District Office of the U.S. Forest Service, SSTF has built one of the first mountain biking trail systems upon Forest Service land in the country! 

The Slate Creek MTB trail is located adjacent to the Mirror Lake Highway, just 6 miles east of Kamas in the Uinta mountains. This is a family-friendly mountain biking destination with a variety of terrain for varying skills. Utah Mountain Biking says of the trail, “This is the trail that riders have been begging for – a bike-specific ride in the Uintah Mountains along the Mirror Lake Highway. It’s more than worth doing. It’s a great ride!”

To further meet growing non-motorized recreational demands in eastern Summit County, SSTF is excited to announce an expansion plan that will add 10 additional miles of trail in the Slate Creek area.  This will include a 5-mile upper elevation loop as well as beginner and intermediate, bike only, “flow” lines.  With Forest Service guidance, SSTF intends to greatly enhance area non-motorized trail offerings.   

As you can imagine, these and other non-motorized trail projects require significant funding and volunteer help.  While SSTF has successfully raised a majority of the funding for this and other projects, this is a challenging time of rising costs.  Now, more than ever, SSTF needs your support. 

Please consider a generous donation to southsummittrails.org or contact us directly for more detailed information on SSTF projects and how you can get involved. 

MEET MORE OF THE TEAM

Meet the Team

We are passionate about the Park City Trail System.

Lora Anthony

Lora@MountainTrails.org
Executive Director

Rick Fournier

Rick@MountainTrails.org
Field Manager

Ginger Wicks

Ginger@MountainTrails.org
Bookkeepr

Ian Hartley

ian@MountainTrails.org
Resource Manager
435-655-5853

2022 Trail Crew

Everyday Volunteers

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Volunteers are, by definition, those who willingly render service without expectation of compensation. While raising my sons, there came a summer when I forced them out of the house into the real world of volunteerism. In my household back in the day, the phrase ‘willingly render service’ was up for debate, but they were out of the house nonetheless. Challenged to find work for my young men, I thankfully discovered the good people at the Christian Center of Park City’s food pantry were willing to put to work a set of cantankerous teenaged boys. I know full well that my boys’ behavior improved as soon as I drove away – and I also know that the nice folks at the food pantry were patient and kind even while slowed down by their new helpers. Seven years later, those grouchy teenagers are wonderful young men (bias acknowledged), just barely enlightened enough to now admit the benefits they derived from getting out of their own heads and serving others.

So it is at this time every year, when MTF receives an abundance of requests from volunteers eager to work on trails, that I step back to consider the significance of volunteerism to MTF and to society. Volunteerism is strategically valuable not only in getting trial work done, but also in developing a positive trail culture. It is against these immense benefits that the challenges presented by volunteer events are weighed. Dig Days can be logistically challenging and also time intensive for our already overly-committed crew. Yet in acknowledging the societal gains and our duty to community, MTF has committed to monthly Dig Days and several Trailhead Meet & Greets throughout the coming summer.

Yet, never to turn away a set of helping hands, I hereby propose an addition to the way volunteers are utilized for the benefit of trails. It takes the management of volunteers out of the crew’s hands and puts it in the public’s hands. . . literally. It’s the Everyday Volunteer Program, organized by citizens at large and fully funded by goodwill and ambition. It works like this. . .

Everyday Volunteers, first and always, offer a friendly smile and a positive word to fellow trail users – this is the easiest part because it is highly infectious and already common practice. Everyday Volunteers can also bring a set of pruners to gently and modestly clip back that nasty overhanging snag or shin-grabber. Everyday Volunteers pick up extra dog waste, perform random 10-minute trailhead tidy-ups, submit beautiful photos for the MTF photo contest/content library, and stop to send MTF a pin drop where there is a blow-down or trail safety problem.

And the real glory of the Everyday Volunteer Program is that it is perfectly flexible, replicable, performed in a mostly-convenient moment by trail users of any age or ability and has enormous, meaningful and expanding impact. 

On behalf all trail users, we extend gratitude in advance to the Everyday Volunteers who make our trails what they are: wonderful community spaces!

I look forward to seeing you out there. . . every day. 

Lora Smith
Executive Director

MEET MORE OF THE TEAM

Meet the Team

We are passionate about the Park City Trail System.

Lora Anthony

Lora@MountainTrails.org
Executive Director

Rick Fournier

Rick@MountainTrails.org
Field Manager

Ginger Wicks

Ginger@MountainTrails.org
Bookkeepr

Ian Hartley

ian@MountainTrails.org
Resource Manager
435-655-5853

2022 Trail Crew

Boots on the Ground – The 2022 Trail Crew

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Any organization is only as good as its people, and the Mountain Trails Foundation has had no lack of good humans in the mix throughout its 30-year history. The success of Mountain Trails and the enduring legacy of the Park City trail system is due in large part to the guys and gals who are the “boots on the ground”- the MTF Trail Crew. 

Since landing the Trails Manager position many moons ago, I have had the good fortune and pleasure of working with some amazingly talented, passionate and hard-working individuals, who have literally left their mark on our local trails; building, maintaining, and protecting this amazing resource that we all love.    

Early on, through word of mouth, we tapped into the local ski resorts, attracting ski patrollers who were looking for summer work to complement their winter gigs.  We’ve also had many college graduates who ended up in Park City for the same reasons we all did and were looking for a temporary venture until they got a “real job.”  And we’ve had several individuals who had worked on legit trail crews, from Maine to New Mexico to Driggs, Idaho.  We’ve had Airforce and Marine veterans and we’ve had a professional cyclist, professional skier, and a 4-year “intern” who went on to become an aerospace engineer for Boeing – proof that rocket science and trail building are not that far removed. 

2022 has been a year of rebuilding, with several long-time, experienced staff leaving us recently to pursue their dreams. Despite my concerns a few months back that it would be a challenge to find sufficient staffing, it all came together, as it always does, and I couldn’t be more stoked with the diverse team that we’ve assembled. That said, I’m super excited to introduce you to the 2022 Mountain Trails Trail Crew… 

Rick

Trails Manager

MEET MORE OF THE TEAM

Meet the Team

We are passionate about the Park City Trail System.

Lora Anthony

Lora@MountainTrails.org
Executive Director

Rick Fournier

Rick@MountainTrails.org
Field Manager

Ginger Wicks

Ginger@MountainTrails.org
Bookkeepr

Ian Hartley

ian@MountainTrails.org
Resource Manager
435-655-5853

2022 Trail Crew

2022 Map Photos Needed  Submit to Win!

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Our 2022 maps are almost ready but we need your help with the final touch. We want the maps to represent our amazing community and show what trails mean to YOU. Whether it’s an old favorite or yet to be taken, your photos could be the next map cover.

We are looking for unique images that show the diversity of our trails. We know you all ride bikes, but we also want to see hiking, trail running, dog walking, adaptive cycling or any other trail endeavors.  The only caveat is that there MUST be a TRAIL in the photo. If you are selected as the winner, your image will be featured on the front of the 2022 Summer Trail Map. You will get photo credit, and more importantly, you’ll be able to choose ANY piece of MTF gear that you want.

CONTEST DETAILS…

  • Both professional and amateur submissions welcome
  • You must be willing to release the rights of your image to MTF (even if you don’t win)
  • Your image must be at least 1.5 MB in size and 2400 x 3200 pixels and in a VERTICAL (portrait) format in order to be considered for the final winner.
  • Yes, you can enter more than one photo
  • We will stop accepting entries on May 25th. The winner will be announced in our June newsletter and social

SUBMIT PHOTOS TO: https://mountaintrails.org/photo-contest

MEET MORE OF THE TEAM

Meet the Team

We are passionate about the Park City Trail System.

Lora Anthony

Lora@MountainTrails.org
Executive Director

Rick Fournier

Rick@MountainTrails.org
Field Manager

Ginger Wicks

Ginger@MountainTrails.org
Bookkeepr

Ian Hartley

ian@MountainTrails.org
Resource Manager
435-655-5853

2022 Trail Crew

Caught by the Tip

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This winter, MTF worked to coordinate with local photographer and enthusiastic trail lover, Ross Downard, on a photo shoot to capture the wintery magnificence of the Round Valley trails. With week after week of high pressure pushing into the season, we’d almost written off hopes of capturing much needed winter action images to fill our digital library. But, on Monday the 14th of March, luck turned. With fresh snow flocking sagebrush the night before, there was a last-minute call to rally. Because the crew was coordinating the transportation of Ross and his equipment to a scenic, inner-valley location, most of the trails remained un-groomed that morning. Cloaked in the near-zero temps of pre-dawn, I carefully picked my way up to the Gate to Nowhere through three inches of powder covering the icy track beneath. Then, with numbing fingers and stiff legs, awaited the crew.

Twenty frigid minutes later, the crew showed up and the shoot commenced. On Ross’ prompt, I worked my skinny skis with little grace and poor form over the exceptionally soft, minimally manicured track along Cammy’s ridge. Finally, on a slight downhill section, I caught some glide – and then a ski tip in the ungroomed margin of the track. In that moment, when effort gave way to reward, when I was just starting to find stride, an extraordinary face plant came to full execution. Through an adrenaline haze, the crew’s distant, concerned shouts vaguely registered. Gathering rattled senses then confessing that only my pride was bruised, laughter erupted. When Ross sent photos a week later, we knew this was one of those rare, yes embarrassing, bloopers caught on film and it warranted public sharing.

From this event, I took a few life lessons – because that’s how I learn best . . . the hard way. A poignant lesson derived was this: even when life is gliding along smoothly, when focus is right on track, there are always unseen obstacles lurking in the periphery. Sometimes they catch you off guard and it’s a quick stumble. Sometimes it’s a total faceplant. Regardless, the trick to recovery is the same: first, exercise resilience – get back up, brush off and move on down the trail. Second, surround yourself with people who lift you up. 

As I gathered skis and poles upright, brushed the snow from my face, then looked down the trail, what I saw was more humbling than a full scale yard sale. I saw the wide-eyed, concerned faces of the caring, wonderful people who are part of the MTF team. Utterly amused by this harmless trail calamity, they burst into hoots and howling laughter – with me, not at me. What better balm is there for a slightly bruised ego than sharing a belly laugh with the people you work with, care about, over a magnificent blunder.

May you be the cause of genuine, kind laughter this month. 

See you out there,

Lora Smith, MTF Executive Director

MEET MORE OF THE TEAM

Meet the Team

We are passionate about the Park City Trail System.

Lora Anthony

Lora@MountainTrails.org
Executive Director

Rick Fournier

Rick@MountainTrails.org
Field Manager

Ginger Wicks

Ginger@MountainTrails.org
Bookkeepr

Ian Hartley

ian@MountainTrails.org
Resource Manager
435-655-5853

2022 Trail Crew

Happy Trails Chase!

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In the words of Big Head Todd, last week was a bittersweet one, more sweet than bitter, more bitter than sweet. Ok, DEFINITELY more sweet than bitter.  Last week we said so-long to 6-year crew member and all-around great human, the one and only, Chase “Big Easy” Smith.  To say he’ll be missed, is an understatement. Happy Trails Chase!

Chase has truly been the backbone of our trail crew for these past several years – this, at a time when we were quickly growing as an organization, taking on more large-scale projects, acquiring more equipment, addressing growing maintenance needs, and expanding the winter trails grooming program. I honestly don’t know what we would have done without him. 

Chase has played a huge role in every major trail project that we have completed over the past several years from WOW to Charlie’s 9K. He also led the builds on the new Lake Lackawaxen trail in Bonanza, the Big Easy (he’s the piano man), Lynx at PC Heights and, last but certainly not least, the yet to be completed, Cyn City trail (9k to Mid Mountain, downhill, flow trail). He’ll be putting the final touches on that beauty later this summer and his trail artistry will be on full display. 

Not surprisingly, he also became a standout groomer. Chase was instrumental in taking our winter trails program to the next level. He really helped us to stay on top of the grooming and expand our fat bike offerings over the years.

This spring Chase will be starting his own trail contracting business, Race n’ Chase Trails, and I have no doubt that he’ll be super-successful. 

We’d like to thank Chase for his many contributions, not only to Mountain Trails, but to the greater Park City outdoor community. I have no doubt that we’ll be enjoying his hard work for years to come, leaving us with many miles of smiles. We wish him all the best with his new gig as Dad, professional trail builder, and everything in between.   

Rick, MTF Trails Manager

MEET MORE OF THE TEAM

Meet the Team

We are passionate about the Park City Trail System.

Lora Anthony

Lora@MountainTrails.org
Executive Director

Rick Fournier

Rick@MountainTrails.org
Field Manager

Ginger Wicks

Ginger@MountainTrails.org
Bookkeepr

Ian Hartley

ian@MountainTrails.org
Resource Manager
435-655-5853

2022 Trail Crew