WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — President Joe Biden signed the Bonneville Shoreline Trail Advancement Act into law on Dec. 29 as part of the year-end omnibus federal spending legislation. The Act will swap some federal Wilderness land boundaries to allow access to trailheads for the proposed trail, which has been in plans for more than two decades.
Specifically, it will release 326 acres of designated Wilderness —where bikes are not allowed — divided over more than 20 locations, to accommodate trail connections and trail development. It then creates 326 acres of contiguous new designated Wilderness space in Mill Creek Canyon.
“This is a monumental and historic day for trails and mountain biking! The BSTAA has been led by mountain bikers and its passage is the culmination of years of hard work, relationship building, and collaboration. We’re stoked. This will help complete the long-awaited Bonneville Shoreline Trail and bring both long-distance opportunities and more trails close to home to residents of the Salt Lake Valley,” said David Wiens, the executive director of the International Mountain Bicycling Association.
The trail will eventually stretch 280 miles from the Idaho border to Nephi, Utah, south of Salt Lake City. About 100 miles of the trail have already been completed. IMBA said it will continue working with its partners in the Salt Lake Valley on the implementation of the BSTAA.
