Frequently Asked Questions
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Q. What is the purpose of the Tri-Canyon Trails Plan?
To identify specific actions needed to protect watershed health and provide diverse recreation opportunities in Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, and Millcreek canyons. Salt Lake County is currently updating its Regional Trails Master Plan, and the inclusion of the Tri-Canyon trail network is vital to making it comprehensive. The Salt Lake Ranger District is following direction in its Wasatch-Cache National Forest Plan, to evaluate the existing trail system (including user-created trails) to develop the Tri-Canyon Trails Plan.
Q. What is the relationship between Salt Lake County and the U.S. Forest Service in this planning process?
The predominant local mountainous trails network within the Tri-Canyons lies in Salt Lake County and is managed by the Forest Service. The two entities have partnered to create a long-term Tri-Canyon Trails Plan for Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, and Millcreek Canyons. This is separate from the planning processes occurring outside of the Tri-Canyons. Overlapping and adjacent plans will be consulted, examples include: the Salt Lake City Foothills Trail System Master Plan and the Draper Parks, Recreation and Trails Master Plan Update.
Q. Who has the final decision in this process?
The Forest Service holds the final decision-making authority in this planning process. Both Salt Lake County and the Town of Brighton are working closely with the Forest Service so they may adopt sections of this plan that fall within their boundaries. A shared goal is collaboration - with local governments, partners, and stakeholders, to establish support and momentum for this plan!
Q. How will the plan be used?
Salt Lake County will incorporate this plan as a chapter in their Regional Trails Master Plan. The Forest Service will conduct environmental review of the plan in phases, and coordinate implementation with local governments, partners, and stakeholders.
Q. How can I participate?
The engage page of this website includes tools for you to share ideas! You can also submit ideas through the website’s contact page. Community engagement opportunities will occur throughout the planning process which are listed on the website meetings + events page.
Q. How will my feedback be incorporated into the plan?
Community input will be gathered through a series of community engagement opportunities through 2023 into early 2024. Ideas from each community engagement will be summarized and incorporated into a Summary Report which will help guide the development of draft plans. See the planning timeline below for community engagement opportunities!
Q. What is the planning timeline?
Due to the concentration of Forest Service land and similar year-round recreation opportunities, the Tri-Canyons were selected for this trail planning process. The focus is trails within the boundary and trails that connect to the Tri-Canyons (i.e. trails connecting north into Parley’s Canyon, east into Summit County, and south into Pleasant Prove Ranger District and Utah County). The boundary to the west is the Forest Service boundary and the edge of urban development.
Q. How can we make trail/trailhead decisions before we’ve addressed transit?
The Tri-Canyon Trails Plan is focused on the trail network, specifically trailheads to destinations (and back). This allows the plan to incorporate how transit opportunities may interact with trailheads, but does not include planning for transit options up and down the canyons. The plan will consider how to increase connectivity to potential transit hubs.
Q. How does this relate to Recreation Fee Proposal (REA), Federal Lands Access Program – Upper Mill Creek (FLAP), Little Cottonwood Canyon – Environmental Impact Statement (Gondola B), etc.?
It’s true, there are several concurrent planning processes that impact recreation in the Tri-Canyon area! These separate planning process will be taken into account where there is overlap – primarily at trailheads. As plans progress, decisions and designs will be incorporated into the Tri-Canyon Trails planning process where applicable.
Q. Didn’t we plan all this in the Mountain Accord?
The Mountain Accord gathered great information to help reveal future opportunities for recreation in the Cottonwood Canyons. This and other valuable sources of information gathered over time for the Tri-Canyons are important resources for this plan.
Q. Who will pay for implementation and maintenance?
The Salt Lake Ranger District trails program relies on a variety of funding sources, all of which will be critical for implementation and maintenance of our future trail network. These sources include federal allocations, Salt Lake County support, partnership dollars, recreation and restoration grants, and volunteer labor among other things. With a trails masterplan to coordinate partner actions, we expect increased funding and efficiency.
It’s important to know that the Forest Service will only invest in infrastructure it expects to be able to maintain. With phased implementation, there is an opportunity to match our infrastructure to our maintenance capacity.
Q. What if this process gets hijacked by one recreator group?
Outreach and communications to publicize community engagement opportunities are occurring via Salt Lake County, the Forest Service, local governments, stakeholders, and partners to reach as many interested and diverse recreators as possible. Facilitators will help run community engagement sessions to help ensure equal participation. Finally, the trail plan will follow Forest Plan direction to provide diverse recreation opportunities and will incorporate best management practices. Input will be reviewed for content rather than counted as “votes”.
If you have additional advice or recreator groups to include, please let us know!
To identify specific actions needed to protect watershed health and provide diverse recreation opportunities in Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, and Millcreek canyons. Salt Lake County is currently updating its Regional Trails Master Plan, and the inclusion of the Tri-Canyon trail network is vital to making it comprehensive. The Salt Lake Ranger District is following direction in its Wasatch-Cache National Forest Plan, to evaluate the existing trail system (including user-created trails) to develop the Tri-Canyon Trails Plan.
Q. What is the relationship between Salt Lake County and the U.S. Forest Service in this planning process?
The predominant local mountainous trails network within the Tri-Canyons lies in Salt Lake County and is managed by the Forest Service. The two entities have partnered to create a long-term Tri-Canyon Trails Plan for Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, and Millcreek Canyons. This is separate from the planning processes occurring outside of the Tri-Canyons. Overlapping and adjacent plans will be consulted, examples include: the Salt Lake City Foothills Trail System Master Plan and the Draper Parks, Recreation and Trails Master Plan Update.
Q. Who has the final decision in this process?
The Forest Service holds the final decision-making authority in this planning process. Both Salt Lake County and the Town of Brighton are working closely with the Forest Service so they may adopt sections of this plan that fall within their boundaries. A shared goal is collaboration - with local governments, partners, and stakeholders, to establish support and momentum for this plan!
Q. How will the plan be used?
Salt Lake County will incorporate this plan as a chapter in their Regional Trails Master Plan. The Forest Service will conduct environmental review of the plan in phases, and coordinate implementation with local governments, partners, and stakeholders.
Q. How can I participate?
The engage page of this website includes tools for you to share ideas! You can also submit ideas through the website’s contact page. Community engagement opportunities will occur throughout the planning process which are listed on the website meetings + events page.
Q. How will my feedback be incorporated into the plan?
Community input will be gathered through a series of community engagement opportunities through 2023 into early 2024. Ideas from each community engagement will be summarized and incorporated into a Summary Report which will help guide the development of draft plans. See the planning timeline below for community engagement opportunities!
Q. What is the planning timeline?
- 2020 Trail Inventory (user-created trails) | Trail Counter Project Initiated (ongoing throughout planning process)
- 2021 Trail Inventory (FS system trails)
- 2022 Situation Assessments
- 2023 Listening Sessions (community engagement) | Conceptual Framework (community engagement)
- 2024 Draft Plan Review (community engagement) | Final Plan
- AFTER Environmental review in phases | Implementation in phases
Due to the concentration of Forest Service land and similar year-round recreation opportunities, the Tri-Canyons were selected for this trail planning process. The focus is trails within the boundary and trails that connect to the Tri-Canyons (i.e. trails connecting north into Parley’s Canyon, east into Summit County, and south into Pleasant Prove Ranger District and Utah County). The boundary to the west is the Forest Service boundary and the edge of urban development.
Q. How can we make trail/trailhead decisions before we’ve addressed transit?
The Tri-Canyon Trails Plan is focused on the trail network, specifically trailheads to destinations (and back). This allows the plan to incorporate how transit opportunities may interact with trailheads, but does not include planning for transit options up and down the canyons. The plan will consider how to increase connectivity to potential transit hubs.
Q. How does this relate to Recreation Fee Proposal (REA), Federal Lands Access Program – Upper Mill Creek (FLAP), Little Cottonwood Canyon – Environmental Impact Statement (Gondola B), etc.?
It’s true, there are several concurrent planning processes that impact recreation in the Tri-Canyon area! These separate planning process will be taken into account where there is overlap – primarily at trailheads. As plans progress, decisions and designs will be incorporated into the Tri-Canyon Trails planning process where applicable.
Q. Didn’t we plan all this in the Mountain Accord?
The Mountain Accord gathered great information to help reveal future opportunities for recreation in the Cottonwood Canyons. This and other valuable sources of information gathered over time for the Tri-Canyons are important resources for this plan.
Q. Who will pay for implementation and maintenance?
The Salt Lake Ranger District trails program relies on a variety of funding sources, all of which will be critical for implementation and maintenance of our future trail network. These sources include federal allocations, Salt Lake County support, partnership dollars, recreation and restoration grants, and volunteer labor among other things. With a trails masterplan to coordinate partner actions, we expect increased funding and efficiency.
It’s important to know that the Forest Service will only invest in infrastructure it expects to be able to maintain. With phased implementation, there is an opportunity to match our infrastructure to our maintenance capacity.
Q. What if this process gets hijacked by one recreator group?
Outreach and communications to publicize community engagement opportunities are occurring via Salt Lake County, the Forest Service, local governments, stakeholders, and partners to reach as many interested and diverse recreators as possible. Facilitators will help run community engagement sessions to help ensure equal participation. Finally, the trail plan will follow Forest Plan direction to provide diverse recreation opportunities and will incorporate best management practices. Input will be reviewed for content rather than counted as “votes”.
If you have additional advice or recreator groups to include, please let us know!