Efforts continue on trail system from mountains to the lake By JIM WRIGHT Standard-Examiner staff Weber County's system of trails, already one of the best in the state, is poised to become a much grander network, one that will eventually allow a hiker to wander an uninterrupted route from the Ogden Valley almost to the Great Salt Lake. The popularity of trails along Ogden's East Bench, the Ogden River Parkway and the Riverdale Parkway along the Weber River have caught the attention of trails advocates and elected officials from one end of the county to the other. "In the last few years, elected officials from the county and the cities have really caught the vision and are willing to do something about it," said Jay Hudson, a volunteer who has helped lead the push for more and improved trails in Weber County for the last decade. New trails are planned in nearly every community in the county. The newest city in the county, Marriott-Slaterville, has begun planning for a trail, parking areas and a public park along a section of the Weber River from about 12th Street to 2700 West, said Randy Phipps, a volunteer who has been coordinating the planning of the trail. "The concept is preservation and restoration," Phipps said. "When we were kids, we could play out here along the river. We want to make an area we can be proud of. The whole idea is to leave our grandchildren a heritage." Trails are also planned or developed in Uintah, North Ogden, Farr West, Harrisville, Riverdale and in the Ogden Valley. Ultimately, the centerpiece of the trails system will be the Centennial Trail, a 25-mile loop that will include the East Bench trails, the Ogden River Parkway and the planned Weber River Parkway. When it's completed, the trail will reach from the mouths of the two canyons to the confluence of the two rivers. "It's on its way," Hudson said. "We've still got problems, but compared to five years ago, there's been phenomenal progress." At some future time, Hudson said, the confluence of the Ogden and Weber rivers will likely become a focal point of the trail system. He said there has been discussion of building a replica trading post at the confluence, the point where the two rivers join near 1200 West and 17th Street. Work continues on extending the Ogden River Parkway, which now extends past Monroe Boulevard and is nearly completed to Washington Boulevard. Although there are still many deals to be worked out, much of the route for the Weber River Parkway is now in public hands. Land has been donated, purchased or easements have been granted for most of the route, Hudson said. The segment of the proposed trail between the Riverdale Parkway and Fort Buenaventura State Park will likely see the first construction, Hudson said. "Riverdale could have its section of the trail built in a couple of years," Hudson said. In the Snow Basin While planning is still being done on the Weber River Parkway, there will be a fair amount of work on the trails in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest in the Snow Basin area this year. Rick Vallejos, recreation manager for the Ogden Ranger District, said the Forest Service has already earmarked funds for the Snow Basin trails project. The district must complete an environmental assessment of the project, which is expected to be finished later this summer. Once the assessment is approved, the district will begin work on the trails, probably late this summer, Vallejos said. The district's first priority is to renovate damaged portions of the existing trails. After that, Vallejos said, the Forest Service plans to build new trail segments linking existing trails, including a relatively short spur to connect the Wheeler Creek trail with the Middle Fork trail to the south. After that, Vallejos said, a new trail will be built from the top of the new Strawberry Gondola at Snowbasin to link up with the Beus Canyon trail on the west side of Mount Ogden. The trail would crest the Strawberry summit and link with the Beus Canyon trail below a series of switchbacks that lead to the summit of Mount Ogden, allowing access to the trail from both sides of Mount Ogden, Vallejos said. From mountains to rivers Also, work crews will cut a trail tread along the uppermost section of the Beus Canyon trail, which has been marked in the past by rock cairns. Vallejos said a few hikers have gotten lost without a clearly marked trail to follow. "We thought people would like the primitive trail, with the rock cairns across the top, but as it turns out, people miss that tread," Vallejos said. The district also plans to build a three-mile-long trail from Allen Peak, just north of Mount Ogden, along the summit ridge and north to the Sardine Peak Ridge. Eventually, the district plans to build a trail linking its Maples trail with the Indian Trail on the west side of Mount Ogden. That probably won't happen for a couple of seasons, however. Think about this for a hike: By this fall or next summer, it will be possible to begin hiking at the top of Strawberry Bowl on the east side of the ski resort, over the Mount Ogden divide to Beus Canyon, down the Beus trail to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, north to the Ogden River Parkway and then west to the confluence of the Weber and Ogden rivers. Hudson said the trails system in the county has already begun to attract regional attention. "We have not one, but two, rivers, and we'll soon have trails and parks all along them," Hudson said. "That's what will give Weber County an identity - our natural resources." You can reach reporter Jim Wright at 625-4266 or jwright@stardard.net. June 1, 2000 297