2,500 acres added to Bonneville Shoreline Trail connection

A 2,500-acre swath of sagebrush and wildflowers is the newest addition to the continuing progress of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, and a collection of Salt Lake County mayors on Tuesday dedicated the milelong stretch of land around Hidden Valley Park, 11700 S. Wasatch Blvd. The land will connect the ambitious trail project from Sandy to Corner Canyon in Draper and help preserve an important part of Utah history, officials said.

"It is part of what our state has been," Bennett said of the Bonneville Shoreline, "and it helps us understand the forces that created this beautiful scene."

Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon said he and his family hike the trail on Sunday afternoons, exploring the mountainside and taking in the views of the valley.

And as the valley's population continues to grow, Corroon said, protecting open space through endeavors such as the Bonneville Shoreline Trail is critical.

"As we grow, we lose that elbow room that we all love the West for," he said.

Negotiations with the Trust for Public Land and a number of South Valley municipalities started in 2007, according to WaterPro, the water company that owned the land.

The process was drawn out and difficult at times, said Kent Player, chairman of Draper's parks, trails and recreation committee.

"The trail was kind of held hostage," he said.

But with financial help from the Trust for Public Land and Salt Lake County's open-space fund, a deal was successfully brokered, said Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan.

Now, Player and the dozens who toured the latest addition to the path Tuesday are looking forward to making improvements and connecting the trail.

"This is a big day for us," Player said.

When it is completed, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail could run from Santaquin in Utah County to the Idaho border, and become "a hiking, biking, equestrian trail at the back door of more than a million homes," said Brian Ferebee, forest supervisor for the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

Officials said the latest addition to the trail would have a number of other benefits, including improved watershed protection and possibly financial gains.

"Quality of life seems to drive economic development more than anything else," said Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, adding that incoming businesses see the county's growing trail system as a positive factor in moving to the valley.

e-mail: afalk@desnews.com