Debate on trails may get heated

Public comment on varying trail plans connecting Emigration Canyon to Summit County will be heard by the Salt Lake County Council again this month, and if past public hearings are any indication, the meeting is destined to be heated.

At issue are two designs, one that shows a midmountain trail that passes above private homes and another showing a trail on the north ridge top that must cross the busy Emigration Canyon Road. The first plan is from the county's Trail Advisory Committee, and the second is from Emigration Canyon Township Planning Commission.

Some residents of Emigration Oaks argue a new trail near their mountain subdivision poses threats of fires and crime and could decrease property values. Also, a few trails proposed by the county cross through private property.

But the north ridge trail proposed by the township would abut the Red Butte Research Natural Area, a plan the U.S. Forest Service says it would not allow. In addition, the township's plan cuts out some current local trails.

"It's been a rather long and controversial project to get to this point," said Lynn Larsen, project manager with the county Parks and Recreation Division.

Interested residents first approached county and community council officials with the idea of an Emigration Canyon trail system in 2003. Funding by the County Council was approved in 2004. The trail would connect the Bonneville Shoreline Trail with Summit County. In addition, it would link trails of national historical significance, like the Great Western Trail, the Mormon Pioneer Trail, the Donner-Reed Trail and the Pony Express Trail.

"As a county and as a County Council, we have long had a priority to make public spaces available to county residents," said Councilman Mark Crockett, who represents the canyon area. "We also have a priority as a county and as a council to mitigate the impact on local residents, and that balance needs to be weighed."

Sarah Bennett Alley, founder and director of Friends of Emigration Canyon Trails and Open Space, says only a small group of residents are complaining about the county-proposed, midmountain trail. Alley, an Emigration Canyon resident, originally approached the township and County Council with the idea for a more extensive trail system. An avid mountain biker and hiker, Alley has written four trail-biking books and hopes the county-proposed plan will be implemented.

"The average distance from the trails to homes in Emigration Oaks is a mile, and homeowners in Emigration Oaks won't have it," she said. "It would be an incredible asset for the canyon community."

In over 10 years of researching books, Alley said she has seen similar discussions across the West over the creation of trails so close to residential homes. But increased problems for neighbors "never prove out. They're largely unfounded."

The public hearing is scheduled for June 27.

Crockett said the council will study a number of specific questions concerning the trail plans in the upcoming weeks. Other council members also want the issue scrutinized thoroughly.

"This is an issue where you kind of get your hiking shoes dirty and you need to be a familiar with the topography of the canyon," Councilwoman Jenny Wilson said.

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