The Utah Department of Transportation recently completed the master plan map for the Utah Trail Network that will designate 500 miles of existing trails and 2,600 miles of new paved trails.
UDOT worked with communities and planning partners to select the trails for the master plan map which will be updated every four years.
Once the statewide trail system is completed, it will connect six national parks, 25 state parks, 33 universities and community colleges, 74 high-capacity transit stations, and 208 towns and cities. Ninety-five percent of the state’s population will live within one mile of the network.
“Generations from now, people will look back and remember this as the moment Utah changed how we get around,” UDOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras said. “The Utah Trail Network will connect communities in every corner of the state and give people more ways to move, explore and enjoy life here.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox championed a statewide trail network in 2022. The Utah Legislature created a fund for the network in 2023. The Utah Transportation Commission approved nearly $95 million in funding earlier this year to plan and build 19 new paved trails or complete existing trail gaps statewide. Construction will begin on several trails in the spring.