New option to address Bonanza Flat parking debuts. Will Millcreek Canyon be next?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Park City Transit launched a fare-less weekend bus service to Bonanza Flat and Bloods Lake trailheads.
New parking fees at trailheads help fund the service expansion, addressing parking challenges in the popular recreation areas.
A similar shuttle service for Millcreek Canyon is also being considered, with public comments underway.

PARK CITY — A new bus service debuted over the weekend, whisking mountain bikers and hikers alike to a pair of popular trailheads in the Wasatch Backcountry.

It's an idea that others are also exploring as they consider ways to address the ongoing and growing challenges tied to Utah's outdoor popularity.

Park City Transit launched its new "Trail Service" route on Friday, which is a weekend extension to the agency's No. 9 Purple Route. The fare-less service runs between Old Town Transit Center (558 Swede Alley) in the heart of Park City to the Bonanza Flat and Bloods Lake trailheads every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the summer and fall seasons.

Both lots are frequently full during both seasons, as people enjoy several scenic mountain hiking routes, including the summer wildflowers and fall foliage.

Every bus can hold up to eight bikes per trip, and dogs are allowed with a leash and muzzle. The free service will operate every 20 minutes from 5:40 a.m. to 6:20 p.m. on weekends. The route only goes as far as Montage Deer Valley during its normal 30-minute service from 5:36 a.m. to 6:06 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

Park City began charging parking fees during peak hours at its Bonanza Flat, Bloods Lake and Empire Pass lots earlier this year, as part of its plan to address parking challenges in the backcountry. Parking costs $5 per hour between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, and $8 per hour on weekends. It's free to park any other time of the day.

City residents are eligible for a free parking permit to avoid the fees, which were introduced as the trailheads became "consistently overwhelmed by cars, traffic and parking demands," Johnny Wasden, Park City's parking program manager, explained to KSL NewsRadio last month. That, in turn, became a safety hazard because the roads in the area, such as Guardsman Pass, are narrow and in steep terrain.

People hike along the Bloods Lake/Lackawaxen Lake Trail in Wasatch County on Sunday. The trail is accessible through Park City Transit's "Trail Service" route that debuted on Friday. (Photo: Carter Williams, KSL.com)

"We certainly don't want to be discouraging people from enjoying these open spaces, but I think that it was just getting really out of hand and dangerous," he said.

Fees collected from parking will be used to help pay for the expanded bus service. Park City also recommends that people consider parking in lots for the Silver Lake Loop Trail in the Uintah-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and WoW Trail in Wasatch Mountain State Park as alternatives.

A Millcreek Canyon shuttle?

A similar shuttle service up Millcreek Canyon has been in discussions for over a decade, and now those conversations are beginning to heat up again as the canyon's popularity has only grown since the Mountain Accord was signed in 2015.

The Central Wasatch Commission, created by the accord, recently approved a motion calling for an updated Millcreek Canyon Shuttle Program feasibility study, which will be carried out by Fehr & Peers, the same transportation firm that conducted a feasibility study in 2012.

It will explore shuttle demand and frequency needs, as well as parking locations.

The commission is also looking to create a pilot program while Upper Millcreek Canyon is closed for a massive project that has it closed this summer and the next one. It would help figure out the shuttle fleet size, frequency needed to address recreation demand and other operational costs.

Once that closure ends, a service plan will look into the potential of expanding service into the Big Water parking lot area. Ways to handle everything from dogs to skis and bikes will also be considered in the studies, as the service could operate year-round.

A 30-day public comment period on the program opened on Monday, with the commission specifically seeking information about what would encourage people to ride a shuttle service up the canyon, what would discourage them, when they are more likely to ride it and potential costs, among other ideas people have about the program.

Comments can be sent to the commission's website, emailed to comments@cwc.utah.gov or by phone by calling 435-650-0614 during business hours.

A shuttle service could help alleviate congestion and parking shortages in the canyon that were already becoming a problem when the accord was signed, said Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini.

"The need for reliable transportation has only grown," he said in a statement. "This updated feasibility study is the next step toward making the recreation experience in Millcreek Canyon more efficient, accessible, and enjoyable for everyone."

Contributing: Mariah Maynes

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.