Mountain Trails Foundation

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

Trail Report

Monsoons, Mothers & Black Gold

by

After an unrelenting, hot, dry and smoky early July, this past week has brought monsoonal storms, giving our high desert dirt some desperately needed moisture and our lungs a little reprieve from the smoke.

With long-awaited approvals from stakeholders and necessary digging permits from the resort, the MTF crew was able to start work on two major new projects- both directional in nature.

The Mother Urban trail, named after a colorful character in Park City lore, will be a directional, “uphill only for bikes” trail (multi-directional for hiking) and will create a much needed alternative route up to the Mid Mountain trail from the heart of Old Town.  It will utilize a good bit of the Treasure Hill parcel along with the adjacent Moosehouse/Gravedigger zone and should go a long way towards taking pressure off of both Jenni’s and Armstrong.    

We’ve also broken ground- beautiful, rich, organic, black gold, in the north facing conifers of the Black Forest zone up at Park City Mountain.  This new “down country” directional downhill and bike only trail, will create an early connection from Charlie’s 9K down to the Mid Mountain Trail.  While it will be intermediate in nature, it won’t be lacking in fun flow and will descend for over two miles before meeting up with Mid Mountain just below the Pioneer lift.  

We’re super stoked about both of these projects and are confident that they will greatly enhance the trail system as whole, by dispersing use, providing meaningful connections and creating multiple new route options.  Oh, and there’s a pretty good likelihood that they will both put a smile on your face.  

Rick  

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

July Trail Report from Rick

by

It’s hard to believe that June is already in the rearview mirror – a month that brought record heat early on and more recently, some welcome, hero-dirt-producing thunderstorms.  

We said so long to 4-year crew member and all-around great guy, Nick Herrman (see Trail Crew Profile).  He will be missed, and we wish him all the best! We also welcomed aboard our awesome new intern, Otis Milliken.  

The summer trail season is in full swing and here are just a few of the projects the team completed in June:   

  • Milky Way to SkyRidge Peak completed. Stats:  1.1 miles, 800 feet of elevation gain.  Currently and “out and back” only for bikes, multi-directional for hikers.    
  • Finished Phase 1 of the new “Lynx” trail, from the Park City Heights development up to Fox Tail/Skid Row.  Stats:  1 mile, directional, uphill only for bikes, multi-use.   
  • Collaborated with Park City Mountain on some base area fixes including a complete overhaul of the blown out, lower half-mile section of CMG.  Work is also underway on a new, directional flow trail that will bypass the base area operations for a super fun, bike-only, descent back to the First Time Lot.        
  • A sustainable, hand-built, reroute of the badly eroded access trail from Lake Lackawaxen up to the Clayton Peak Saddle.
  • After a summer of social distancing, we’re super stoked to be working side by side with volunteers once again this year.  To date, we’ve held 4 volunteer days, including hosting over 60 enthusiastic volunteers for National Trails Day.   

It’s summertime and the livin’s easy… 

Rick, Field 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

Rick’s Spring Trail Report

by

Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.  –John Muir

Spring is nature’s way of saying ‘Let’s party!’  –Robin Williams

Spring has always been synonymous with rebirth and new beginnings.  And that couldn’t be more true than during this post-pandemic spring of 2021.  Earlier this spring, we welcomed a new addition to the MTF family; Race Belieu Smith, son of our own Chase Smith and his better half, wife Colie. 

We also welcomed a new crew member, Alec Johnson, to the MTF team.  Alec brings with him 5 years of trail experience working for Mountain Bike the Tetons, in Driggs Idaho, and we’re stoked to have him on on-board.

We have an ambitious dirt agenda this season, one that includes 5 new trail projects in addition to our general maintenance program.  Each of these projects is unique and they are all “purpose-built”, meaning that they all serve a purpose. 

Chris “Vandy” Vanderlinde and crew are currently chipping away on the unique (and rocky) lunar landscape of SkyRidge Peak, on the northeast side of the Jordanelle Reservoir.  This continuation of the multi-use, Milky Way trail, will enable mountain bikers to ascend over 800 feet to the summit of the peak.  We will follow that up with a “bike-only” descent back down to the trailhead this fall or next spring.     

Just west of SkyRidge, Chase Smith and team are working on a new directional connection from Park City Heights up to the Fox Tail/Skid Row area.  This is phase 1 of a multi-year trails plan that will include a connection from the Woodchip Trail down to Skid Row as well as a downhill directional flow trail that will descend over 500 feet, back down to PC Heights.

Other projects on the dirt docket will include:

– A directional “uphill only for bikes” continuation of the Treasure Hill trail that will provide a new, moderate route up to the Mid Mountain trail from Old Town.

– A directional, downhill, flow trail that will connect the new 9K to Mid Mountain in the Black Forest area.

– The completion of the Bonanza loop; a 5+ mile long, directional, multi-use loop, that will be the first mountain bike-friendly trail in Bonanza Flat.     

We’re super-excited about each of these projects and confident that they will provide meaningful connections and create unique, smile-inducing experiences for trail users of all types. 

After a year of social distancing, we’re eager to once again engage the local community.  With that in mind, we’re looking at organizing a locals volunteer day the 3rd Thursday of each month.  This will likely be a post-work, ride/hike/run to the work site, dig and socialize for a few hours with our friends and neighbors, old and new.  Stay tuned for details…           

Have a great one out there!

Rick, Field 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