Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park

Recreational trail in Summit County, Utah

40°39′36″N 111°30′05″W / 40.66°N 111.5013889°W / 40.66; -111.5013889Area450 acres (180 ha)Established1992OperatorUtah State Parks, Mountain Trails Foundation

The Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park is a recreational trail that follows abandoned railroad lines in Summit County, Utah, United States.

The Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail is 28 miles (45 km) long, and averages 125 feet (38 m) wide.^[1] The trail stretches between Park City (beginning at 40.66°N/111.5013889°W) and Echo Reservoir (ending at 40.972041°N/111.437895°W), following Interstate 80 across Silver Creek Canyon, then going along the Weber River through the towns of Wanship and Coalville. Elevation along the trail varies from 5,280 feet (1,610 m) to 6,900 feet (2,100 m), and total acreage is 450 acres (1.8 km²).^[2] The trail is designated to be used for only non-motorized activities, including biking, hiking, horseback riding, jogging, and Nordic skiing. The trail is managed by the Mountain Trails Foundation.^[3]

History

In 1871 the Summit County Railroad Company was organized. It constructed a five-mile (8 km) narrow gauge railway to transport coal from mines in Coalville to the Union Pacific line in Echo. In 1880, the Utah Eastern Railroad built a narrow-gauge line between Coalville and Park City to transport coal to fuel the pumps that removed underground water from Park City’s silver mines. At the same time, the Union Pacific Railroad constructed the Echo-Park City Railway, a broad-gauge spur line, alongside it.

The narrow-gauge lines were eventually abandoned, and in 1989, Union Pacific abandoned its line. Union Pacific, along with the Division of Parks and Recreation, and A&K Railroad Materials, turned the property into the first non-motorized recreational trail in Utah. The state park opened to the public in 1992.^[3]

References

^ Mountain Trails Foundation. "Mountain Trails Foundation". Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
^ Utah.com. "Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park". Utah.com LC. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail". Utah State Parks. Retrieved February 6, 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park.

Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park
Julien, Liza; Elliot, Sally (January 1996). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Union Pacific Park City Branch Railroad Grade" (PDF). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
"11 photos, from 1995" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Inventory.

Protected areas of Utah

Federal

National Parks	Arches Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Capitol Reef Zion
NPS National Monuments	Cedar Breaks Dinosaur Hovenweep Natural Bridges Rainbow Bridge Timpanogos Cave
National Historic Parks	Golden Spike
National Recreation Areas	Flaming Gorge Glen Canyon
National Historic Trails	California Mormon Pioneer Pony Express Old Spanish
National Forests	Ashley Caribou–Targhee Dixie Fishlake Manti–La Sal Sawtooth Uinta–Wasatch–Cache
Forest Service areas	Desert Biosphere Reserve
National Wildlife Refuges	Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Fish Springs Ouray
National Conservation Areas	Beaver Dam Wash Red Cliffs
BLM National Monuments	Bears Ears Grand Staircase–Escalante Jurassic National Monument
U.S. Wilderness Areas	Ashdown Gorge Beartrap Canyon Beaver Dam Mountains Black Ridge Canyons Blackridge Box-Death Hollow Canaan Mountain Cedar Mountain Cottonwood Canyon Cottonwood Forest Cougar Canyon Dark Canyon Deep Creek Deep Creek North Deseret Peak Doc's Pass Goose Creek High Uintas LaVerkin Creek Lone Peak Mount Naomi Mount Nebo Mount Olympus Mount Timpanogos Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Pine Valley Mountain Red Butte Red Mountains Slaughter Creek Taylor Creek Twin Peaks Wellsville Mountain Zion
Wild and Scenic Rivers	Green River Virgin River

State

State Parks Northern Region	Antelope Island Bear Lake Camp Floyd Deer Creek East Canyon Echo Flight Park Fred Hayes at Starvation Great Salt Lake Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail Hyrum Jordan River OHV Park Jordanelle Lost Creek Red Fleet Rockport Steinaker Utah Field House Utah Lake Wasatch Mountain Willard Bay
State Parks Central Region	Fremont Indian Goblin Valley Green River Huntington Millsite Palisade Scofield Territorial Statehouse Utahraptor Yuba
State Parks Southern Region	Anasazi Coral Pink Sand Dunes Dead Horse Point Edge of the Cedars Escalante Petrified Forest Frontier Homestead Goosenecks Gunlock Kodachrome Basin Otter Creek Piute Quail Creek Sand Hollow Snow Canyon