The long-envisioned Ranch to Ridge trail is nearing completion, marking a major milestone in a decades-long effort to connect open spaces and communities across the Snyderville Basin. First imagined in the early 1990s through the work of Utah Open Lands and the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District, the trail represents years of conservation planning, public investment, private fundraising, and partnership.
The Ranch to Ridge trail, now in its final stages of completion, traces its roots to 1998, when the first trail easement was secured for what would become an important mid-mountain connection. That easement, known as Hunter’s Trail, was created through collaboration between the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District and Utah Open Lands. The broader goal was not only to link neighborhoods and open spaces across the Basin, but also to build a more sustainable trail network for the community.
The work began even earlier, when Utah Open Lands started conversations with landowning families in the mid-1990s about protecting connected open space reserves. Those discussions helped lay the groundwork for the protection of more than 1,400 acres at Hi Ute Ranch, made possible through a Summit County and Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District bond, a landowning family’s commitment to local wildlife, and a major private fundraising campaign led by Utah Open Lands. At the time, the Millennium Trail Connection was the first trail corridor made possible through that land protection; additional connections were also envisioned. The Ranch to Ridge trail is now emerging as one of the clearest results of that long-term planning.
As we enter the final stages of construction and excitement builds for this long-awaited trail, we collectively ask users to exercise caution. Shoulder season is here, and the freshly built trail can be especially susceptible to damage before it has time to stabilize. Users are also asked to access the trail using the designated park-and-ride lot off Kilby Road. Please do not use the Ecker Hill Middle School parking lot for trail access or parking. Respecting these access guidelines will help minimize impacts on surrounding neighborhoods and school facilities while ensuring the trail can be enjoyed as intended.
Now and in the future, this will be a resource to use with reverence. It traverses a protected area that has been set aside with public and private support to preserve ecological habitat values, traditional relationships with the land, and opportunities for public recreation. We collectively request that users respect this intent by being thoughtful about their usage now and in the future.
Utah Open Lands and Basin Recreation are planning to celebrate this community investment in the spring of 2027, when the trail has stabilized.
