SALT LAKE CITY – After half a century of being closed to the public, Salt Lake City will pick up where Dr. George A. Allen left off in his tradition of opening Allen Park for visitors on Sundays. The park will officially reopen to the public on Sunday, October 4 and remain open during daylight hours, seven days a week thereafter.

“The preservation of this one of a kind space in our city is an important milestone for us, and for generations of Salt Lakers to come. I am happy that the day has finally come when everyone will be able to see and experience what a special place Allen Park is,” Salt Lake City mayor Erin Mendenhall said.

Beginning October 4th, the public will be able to enter Allen Park from the entrance facing 1300 East and walk along the entire length of Allen Park Drive. Along the way, guests will see a vibrant and mature urban forest, home to peacocks, squirrels and other wildlife. There are views of mosaic artwork, as well as historic buildings that had been relocated to the park from across the valley in the mid-1900s.

The city purchased the property for $7.5 million in the spring of 2020 using a combination of park impact fees and stormwater mitigation fees. Upon gaining control of the property, the city’s Trails and Natural Lands Division began developing a short-term plan to prepare a portion of Allen Park to be opened to the public while protecting its natural, artistic, and historic artifacts.

The city will continue to develop a community driven, long-term plan for Allen Park to determine how to best preserve this unique space and activate it in the future.

Allen Park will be open during daylight hours seven days a week, although the specific hours may change this winter. There is no on-site parking at Allen Park. Visitors are encouraged to use public transportation – UTA’s route 220 runs nearby – or there is public parking at Sugarhouse Park.

Key partners who have supported this initial public opening of Allen Park include the Save Allen Park community group, Seven Canyons Trust, Preservation Utah, Utah Open Lands, and others.

“Few sites in Salt Lake City can claim as long and as powerful a hold on the public imagination as Allen Park…Preservation Utah looks forward to aiding Salt Lake City in restoring, interpreting, and programming Allen Park in the present moment and for years to come,” said David Amott, Executive Director of Preservation Utah.

“The community concern and community support Utah Open Lands witnessed in the effort to save Allen Park was a clear demonstration that this vital living riparian area and cultural landscape will continue to be a community treasure well worth the multiple efforts that went into saving it,” said Wendy Fisher, Executive Director of Utah Open Lands.

“Allen Park is an exciting addition to Salt Lake City’s green space inventory. It features one of the last remaining wild sections of stream. The 1,200-foot stretch of Emigration Creek meanders its way among an old-growth riparian forest, historic homes, and creative works of art…Allen Park provides a community asset to escape the chaos of urban life,” Brian Tonetti, Executive Director of Seven Canyons Trust, said.

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