Gov. Cox announces Utah Trail Network Master Plan

On October 28, Governor Spencer Cox announced to the Utah Transportation Conference the finalization of the Utah Trail Network Master Plan, the blueprint for a series of over 3,000 miles connecting major locations throughout the state. The trails are in­tended to be paved, inter­connecting towns and cities down to the level of making navigation to local stores, schools and parks more accessible by foot, bike or scooter. Said Governor Cox at the conference, “We need to spend more time outside, more time connecting with people and more time exer­cising, and the way we do that is through our trail system.” UDOT compared the establishment of the trail system to the advent of the interstate, calling it “generational.”

Images via Utah Department of Transportation.

The Trails Division for the Utah Department of Trans­portation has been plan­ning a series of intercon­nected trails for years, with Cox envisioning the idea of a Utah-wide trail since his campaigns in 2022. Accord­ing to the master plan, upon completion, 95 percent of all Utahns will live within one mile of one of the network’s trails and 96 percent of all Utah’s jobs will be within one mile of a trail network facility - facilities enabling active transportation such as electric bikes or scooters.

While a series of projects have already been completed, the trail network will be incor­porating 500 miles of already established trails, over 2,000 miles are projected to be completed in 2026 and 2027, with over $100 million approved for the trails. Construc­tion is slated to start in the coming spring. The trails generally match the layout of Utah’s major highways but are not necessarily de­signed to be connected to the highway system. Per the UDOT report on the announcement, the trails are meant to function indepen­dently from the high­way system, with the trail network brochure reading, “Imagine the freedom of walking to the store without traf­fic, biking to school on a scenic route, or rolling to a doctor’s appoint­ment with ease.”

The initiative has received support from many Utahns, though some are expressing concerns about cost, local historical sites or the circumvention of local authority. Some Kane County residents in places like Mt. Car­mel and Orderville have shared concerns on soon-to-be-paved lo­cations that are signifi­cant to their communi­ty’s history but might not meet UDOT’s strict standards of what constitutes a historical site. UDOT and its new Trails Division has a campaign to actively meet with such groups in these communities via video conferences, but the individuals in Kane County raising these concerns “aren’t really satisfied, it’s not really transparent.”

The master trail net­work, its promotional and informational ma­terial and an interac­tive map are available at utahtrailnetwork.utah.gov. Where the majority of the trails are planned and un­der construction, the maps are still subject to change as viability studies are performed and projects get un­derway.