National Trails Day is this weekend: Here's how you can help support Utah's trails

SALT LAKE CITY — Saturday is National Trails Day, a day for people to give back to and support their local trails. And there is plenty to do for the trails in Utah.

"National Trails Day is your chance to get outdoors, connect with your community, and give back to the trails you love. This year, we're empowering everyone to become trail stewards on any trail, anywhere," according to American Hiking Society.

Utah has an extensive trails system across the state, with a wide variety of trails providing for hikers, runners, bikers, off-road vehicles and horseback riders.

Not only do the state's trails provide for a variety of use, there are also many differences in geography, from Alpine trails in the Uintas to slick rock trails in Moab.

"There's trails for everyone in Utah. So no matter what kind of experience you're looking for, you are able to find it," said Patrick Parsel, the Statewide Trails Program manager for the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation.

Parsel added that National Trails Day and bringing attention to local trails is important because "trails don't just exist in a vacuum." There is a lot of work that goes into funding, designing, planning and building trails. But it isn't just the creation of the trail that takes work, but the maintenance as well.

"The maintenance will never end on a trail, and that really doesn't happen without the community support, volunteerism, getting people out there," Parsel said. "We want you to get involved in the local stewardship groups, with the land managers where you're at and spend some time volunteering to help improve them."

The benefits of Utah's extensive trail system

Parsel said the variety found in Utah's trails is what makes them so special and unique as they provide many scenic opportunities.

"I think it's just you never get bored on trails here in Utah," Parsel said. "If you go to some other states, you know, one corner of the state looks the same as another corner. I think if you live in Utah and you like to recreate on trails, you can always find something new, something exciting within a very short distance for driving."

He added that the trails draw people to Utah, the outdoor recreation activities drive tourism and some people even choose to move to the state for these activities. Many communities in the state, both along the Wasatch Front and in rural areas, are seeing the benefits of trails and are applying for grants to build more.

"I think it's just a really key way for people to spend time with others, to get outside and just overall, just like quality of life, it really just elevates it. Having a good trail network near where you live to just make life that much more enjoyable," Parsel said.

How you can help out your local trails

There are many stewardship organizations and other groups across the state that help to maintain and support Utah's trails. One such organization is the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, which helps protect trails and ecosystems in the central Wasatch and Cottonwood Canyons areas through stewardship and education.

Emily Salle, who works with the foundation, shared that protecting and maintaining trails is important because trails are how people access public lands and spaces.

"We build an appreciation for those environments and a culture of stewardship through experiential opportunities in the wilderness and in nature," Salle said. "Trails are our gateway to those experiences, whether it's on an OHV trail, on a mountain bike or on foot or equestrian, those are all experiential opportunities for folks in their public lands."

Here is a look at existing stewardship organizations in the state that have volunteer opportunities and other ways you can help support Utah's trails:

Northern Utah:

• Cache Trails Alliance - Cache County
• Trails Foundation of Northern Utah - Weber County

Wasatch Front:

• Bountiful Trails Advisory Committee - Davis County
• Salt Lake Climbers Alliance - Salt Lake County
• Corner Canyon Trails - Salt Lake County
• Parley's Rails, Trails and Tunnels Coalition - Salt Lake County
• Cottonwood Canyons Foundation - Salt Lake County
• Bonneville Shoreline Trail Committee - Salt Lake County
• Traverse Mountain Trails Association - Utah County
• Utah Valley Trails Alliance - Utah County

Eastern Utah:

• Mountain Trails Foundation - Summit County
• South Summit Trails Foundation - Summit County
• Wasatch Trails Foundation - Wasatch County
• Moab Trails Alliance - Grand County
• Grand County Trail Mix/Moab Trail Mix - Grand County
• Northeastern Utah Mountain Bikers - Uintah County

Southern Utah:

• Trail Alliance of Southern Utah - Washington County
• Grand Staircase Escalante Partners - Garfield/Kane Counties
• Richfield City Mountain Bike Trails Committee - Sevier County

Other:

• Trails Utah - Salt Lake County
• Backcountry Horsemen of Utah - Statewide

Another way to get involved is through the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation's "Adopt the Outdoors Program," which aims to "facilitate public-private partnerships to help maintain public recreation infrastructure throughout the State of Utah while fostering stewardship from individuals, companies, and nonprofits."

The division also has a list of upcoming trail events in the state, for those looking to get involved.

What volunteering to help with Utah's trails looks like

Salle said that most of the volunteer work through the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation is clearing brush off of trails, using loppers or handsaws, so that they don't get overgrown. She added that when they bring in volunteer groups they can get a lot more done than they would with just their small crew.

"We want them to have a good time hanging out with each other, talking to our staff, so they can learn a little bit about what we do, being outside and being able to enjoy that, and so it's a social experience, as much as it is getting things done experience," Salle said.

They also have some developed recreation work, which includes maintaining picnic areas, painting picnic tables, clearing fire pits and other projects.

Other volunteer work includes mitigating invasive weeds by pulling them by hand.

Parsel said that for trails that aren't in areas with lots of vegetation, like in the desert southwest, the work involves more tread repairs, which is fixing areas that experience a lot of erosion.

For those who aren't able to volunteer, there are other ways to help. The different stewardship groups have member programs and donation programs to help the trails, and Parsel said these member programs are usually cheap.

Another important part of supporting Utah's trails is leaving the areas better than you found them when you're out recreating — everyone should try their best to leave no trace.

"Just trying to recreate responsibly when we're out there, and realizing that everyone likes to recreate, but they all kind of do in their own unique way, and so just being respectful of other users," Parsel said.

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