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Bonneville Shoreline Trail: Tunnel Springs to I-80

Salt Lake City

One of the most popular sections of the BST.

Trail Running Difficult

Distance
31 km
Ascent
909 m
Descent
989 m
Duration
5-6 hrs
Low Point
1.4 km
High Point
1.8 km
Gradient
Bonneville Shoreline Trail: Tunnel Springs to I-80 Map

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) attempts to follow the bench that was formed by the ancient Lake Bonneville. "Lake Bonneville was the largest Late Pleistocene paleolake in the Great Basin of western North America,” according to Wikipedia. The lake covered most of western Utah and extended into Idaho and Nevada. At its largest, Lake Bonneville was more than 980 feet deep and covered over 20,000 square miles.

Description

Today, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail only has 100 miles of trail designated along its planned route, but eventually, the proposed trail will cover a total of 280 miles! This route will eventually stretch from the Idaho border to Nephi, Utah.

The segment of the trail mapped here is a logical combination of completed singletrack trails that form part of the official Farmington to Salt Lake segment, along with the entirety of the official Salt Lake to Parley’s Canyon segment. This section of the BST is one of the most popular, in part because it connects many other trails in the Salt Lake City trail network together, and in part because it’s so easily-accessible.

Still, this segment as mapped is a substantial 19 miles long. Of these 19 miles, one of the most popular sections is the Dry Creek to City Creek section. This portion features rolling hills and respectable grades that will force you to work for it, but simultaneously reward you with beautiful views and relaxing downhills.

The final section as mapped is a mostly pavement connector that will get you from one section of singletrack to another. Just skip this section unless you’re planning a full through-run of the BST.

Sources: http://www.bonnevilleshorelinetrail.org/ http://www.bonnevilleshorelinetrail.org/saltlaketoparleys/saltlaketoparleys.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LakeBonneville https://fatmap.com/routeid/181906/DryCreektoCityCreek/@41.2007977,-111.9179115,10979.5589354,-21.0131472,83.7202517,1959.1284340,normal

Difficulty

Difficult

Medium Exposure

2 out of 4

The trail contains some obstacles such as outcroppings and rock which could cause injury.

Remoteness

1 out of 4

Close to help in case of emergency.

Best time to visit

between April and November

Guidebooks in this area