Utah’s Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park: May 2025 Trail of the Month
Beginning in the mountain community of Park City, Utah, the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park stretches 28 miles to Echo Reservoir, connecting the communities of Wanship and Coalville along the way. It was the first rail-trail in the state and became an inductee into Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame in 2010.
Even before the Union Pacific Railroad discontinued its train operations on its historic line between Park City, Utah, and Echo Reservoir in 1989, local outdoorsman Dick Stoner saw the route’s potential for recreation and transportation.
“I fished the Weber River quite a bit when I was younger, and I would ride the trail when there were still trains and trestles,” said Stoner, who moved to Park City 50 years ago for the stellar outdoor opportunities and spent 20 years working as a ski instructor and race coach for the Park City Ski Team before transitioning to real estate.
Today, he regularly rides the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park, especially enjoying the section northeast of Park City that follows the route of the scenic Silver Creek Canyon with its sweeping views of the Wasatch Mountains and wetland meadows.
A Centuries-Old Transportation Corridor
Indigenous people, including Shoshone tribes and the Núu-agha-tuVu-pu people (also known as the Ute for which the state was named), have called this area home for centuries. Prehistoric pictograph rock etchings can be found near the rail-trail in Coalville that tell their story, mixed in with later etchings from Utah’s early pioneers.
“The adjacent reservoir and the rock formations that tower above the trail are pretty unique and there is so much history in that zone,” said Rick Fournier, the trails and grooming operations manager for Park City’s Mountain Trails Foundation, who said he loves the trail’s northern section through Echo Canyon. “It also descends east down Silver Creek Canyon where you’ll find numerous beaver dams, and parallels sections of the old Lincoln Highway.”
The historical highway, established in 1913 and named after President Lincoln, was one of America’s first major cross-country routes for cars. But before that came the Union Pacific, the first railroad to enter Utah Territory. Construction began through Echo Canyon in 1868 as a part of the transcontinental railroad, and soon a spur connecting Park City to the community of Echo facilitated regular passenger service to and from the area.
More than a century later, when the idea arose of turning the now abandoned rail line into a rail-trail, Stoner didn’t need any convincing on the merits of the idea. “When they started talking about this, I was very excited, and I got involved right away.” He would go on to serve as the chairman of the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail Council from 1990 to 1993, and was in attendance at the 1993 ribbon cutting when the rail-trail was turned over to Utah State Parks.
Early grassroots fundraising efforts for the project included a “Rail Trail Ale” created by Wasatch Brew Pub, as well as t-shirt sales and bake sales. Ultimately, the committee of trail enthusiasts was able to raise $10,000, which allowed them to receive a $100,000 federal grant from the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), which was responsible for financing much of the country’s transportation infrastructure during the 1990s.
“We had 26 trestles that had to be reinforced,” Stoner recalled of the intensive project. “With the money, we built the trail, had a ribbon cutting and gave it to State Parks done.”
In addition to the traditional trail uses of walking and biking, the route also became popular for horseback riding, fly fishing, bird watching, cross-country skiing and other outdoor pursuits. In 2010, the rail-trail entered Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame.
Although much of the route parallels I-80, scenic views and wildlife can still be found along the way. “It follows the Weber River for several miles, where you’ll find mule deer, bald eagles perched in the cottonwoods and cutthroat trout in the river,” enthused Fournier.
But after three decades of use, the trail is showing its age with an overgrowth of weeds and its primarily gravel surface in need of repair. Plans are underway to make improvements to its current condition with the next step being a transfer of the trail’s management from Utah State Parks to Summit County. The two entities are in talks to move forward with the transition, which was unanimously approved by the Summit County Council in May 2023.
The county has also devoted funds in its budget in anticipation of the new responsibility and completed a multi-year study of the trail corridor, detailing a plan for improvements with extensive input from the community, including multiple public meetings and surveys. Among the plan’s goals for the county’s oversight of the trail: to enhance the user experience, safeguard the natural environment, promote economic vitality and enrich community character.
A Connector of Culture and Community
On its north end, the trail skirts along the cool blue waters of the reservoir at Echo State Park before reaching the small town of Coalville with its quiet residential streets and business district that runs parallel to the rail-trail. Heralding their entrance to town, travelers will be greeted with a colorful, community-made mural of a freight train bearing the words “Coalville Ahead.”
Brandon Brady, a member of the Coalville City Council, said the community is working to improve the connection between the rail-trail and the town’s business district in an effort to foster economic development. “I think it’s becoming more of a priority. We just did a Main Street study and we’re trying to connect more places to it.”
Brady said he often sees families out riding or walking the trail, and he regularly takes his five daughters out for fun outings along it. They especially love the interpretative signage that the trail offers with interesting historic tidbits about the region, including the fact that dinosaurs once flourished in the area and prehistoric fossils nearby show signs of 25 species of mammals, including saber-toothed cats, ground slots, mammoths and dire wolves.
One thing that Jessica Long, a University of Utah master’s degree student, would like to see more of is connections to art and culture along the trail. For the past year, she’s been working on an implementation strategy to do just that for her thesis project.
“The trail connects to a lot of really neat communities, but in terms of arts and culture elements and placemaking, it has some room to improve,” Long explained, noting that although these elements are plentiful along the southern Park City section, she would like to more evenly distribute artworks along the trail’s full route. “There’s been a call in the community to make the trail feel connected and cohesive.”
As an example, Coalville has a thriving quilting guild that Long tapped into to create a planned “Quilted Together” art piece featuring a large gateway on the town’s Center Street, which intersects with the rail-trail. She expects to complete her thesis soon and added that Summit County has also hired a consultant to do an arts and culture master plan for the entire area.
The southern end of the trail is anchored by the mountain town of Park City. Famed as the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics and the host of the Sundance Film Festival for decades, the city is a year-round hub for skiing and other outdoor activities. Here, a 3-mile section of the trail is paved and managed by the city and its management firm, Mountain Trails Foundation.
“The ‘in-town’ section near Park City is heavily used because it’s adjacent to neighborhoods and acts as a commuter pathway as well as connecting to different trail sections in town,” said Fournier. “It serves as a major artery for Park City residents.”
Along with providing a link to the Poison Creek Trail, which runs through Park City’s historic downtown, the rail-trail provides access to the Round Valley area north of the city—dubbed Park City’s “backyard playground”—which features 56 miles of beginner and intermediate single-track trails through rolling high-desert terrain.
“It is a wonderful asset in town,” said Courtney Ryan, communications manager for Visit Park City. “A lot of our outdoor recreational providers use this trail all year around.”
Related Links
Trail Facts
Name: Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park
Used railroad corridor: The trail follows the route of the late-1800s Union Pacific Railroad, which ceased to operate in 1989 and was converted into a rail-trail in the early 1990s.
Trail website: Utah State Parks
Length: 28 miles
County: Summit
Start point/end point: Echo Dam Road adjacent to I-80 in Echo State Park (Coalville) and Poison Creek Trail at Bonanza Drive (Park City)
Surface type: Asphalt, Gravel
Grade: The trail has mostly gentle grades of 2% to 3%, although the route drops about 1,000 feet as it descends from Park City through Silver Creek Canyon toward Echo Reservoir State Park, making for some steeper sections.
Uses: Walking, bicycling, inline skating (on paved sections in Park City, Wanship and Coalville), horseback riding, fishing and cross-country skiing; wheelchair accessible on the paved sections in Park City, Wanship and Coalville
Difficulty: Easy to moderate. From Park City in the south, the trail descends gradually, making for an easy ride toward the northeast, while the ride from north to the south involves a steady uphill.
Getting there: The closest major airport is the Salt Lake City International Airport (W. Terminal Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah), about 37 miles from the southern start of the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail in Park City. Salt Lake City is also served by Amtrak at its central station (340 S. 600 West, Salt Lake City).
Access and parking: From south to north, parking is available at:
- Park City: A parking lot for the trailside White Pines Touring store (1790 Bonanza Drive) offers a few spaces marked with signage as parking for rail-trail users.
- Wanship: Trailhead at 1975 Hoytsville Road (at Old Lincoln Highway)
- Coalville: Trailhead at Echo Dam Road/N. Main Street and 200 North
- Coalville: Echo State Park, 2115 N. Echo Dam Road
Rentals: Bike rentals are available at White Pine Touring (1790 Bonanza Drive, Park City), located just steps from the southern end of the rail-trail. During the summer months, rentals are also available at numerous locations through the Summit Bike Share in Park City.
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