May 28, 2025

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As a way to increase access to the Foothills Natural Area, Mayor Erin Mendenhall and the Salt Lake City Department of Public Lands opened the first of four new trailheads at Bonneville Boulevard, 675 N. Bonneville Blvd on Tuesday.  

The new trailheads offer welcoming spaces that create an improved and user-friendly experience based on the community’s desire for enhanced accessibility and amenities, three trailheads – Popperton Park (360 N. Popperton Park Way), Victory Road (670 Victory Rd.), and Emigration Canyon (2699 E. Sunnyside Ave.) – are also scheduled to open later this summer.

“Our trailheads in Salt Lake City are the gateway to adventure,” said Mayor Mendenhall. “These new trailheads offer visiting and local residents a space where they can gather and connect before or after exploring all the incredible natural experiences our Foothills have to offer.”  

During the public engagement process of the 2020 Foothills Plan, the community asked for new trailheads and amenities throughout the trail system. The four new trailheads welcome visitors to the Foothills with abundant parking, kiosks with trail maps, picnic areas, and more. In addition to these four major trailheads, 25 minor trailheads throughout the Foothills will be equipped with Be W.I.L.D. outdoor stewardship welcome stations, which include dog waste bag dispensers, trash receptacles, trail counters, and more.   

“By providing more improved access points to the Foothills and opportunities to care for the Foothills, we are accomplishing our city-wide goals of strengthening our urban-nature interface, improving our community’s health, and increasing environmental stewardship,” said Tyler Fonarow, director of the Division of Trails and Natural Lands at Public Lands. “We are excited to invite people to our amazing trail system, which is now more inclusive, safe, and welcoming than ever.”  

In addition to trailheads and amenities, the public’s request for increased trail maintenance will be met with the implementation of the Foothills Stewardship Program and the hiring of Foothills-specific trail maintenance staff and restoration ecologists. Foothills Stewards will help expand the City’s ability to care for trails and the surrounding land. The program also provides pathways for trail-users to build community and give back to the trails they know and love.  

“We are proud to support Mayor Mendenhall and the City in advancing the vision of improved access to the Foothills – an invaluable resource for Salt Lake City’s health, wellness, and quality of life,” said Kim Shelley, director of Public Lands. “The new trailheads also reflect our ongoing commitment to sustainability, equity, and the long-term stewardship of our natural spaces.” 

The Bonneville Trailhead will also include six artist-designed bike rack installations painted by local artists, Xander Brickey, Eric Fairclough, Valerie Jar, Bill Louis, Caro Nilsson, and Brooklyn Ottens. A collaboration between the Salt Lake City Arts Council’s Public Art Program and Public Lands, this project provides a platform for emerging local artists while celebrating the ecological significance and cultural diversity of the Foothills – offering trail-users a visually engaging experience. Four more bike rack murals will be placed at the Popperton Park Trailhead later this summer.  

Salt Lake City’s Foothills Natural Area consists of more than 8,000 acres between Davis County and Parley’s Canyon. The 2020 Foothills Plan assessed the community’s desires for recreation and amenities in the Foothills and proposed a vision for sustainable recreation in the Foothills. The Salt Lake City Council approved funding for the planning and design of trails, restoration, and amenities in the East City Creek and Twin Peaks zones of the Foothills. The opening of these new major trailheads, minor trailheads, represents the kickoff of this planning and design phase.