WEBER PATHWAYS

TRAILS FOUNDATION NORTHERN UTAH IS A LOCAL NON-PROFIT WHOSE MISSION IS TO PLAN, PROMOTE, PRESERVE, PROTECT, CONSTRUCT, AND MAINTAIN A NETWORK OF PUBLIC PATHWAYS, TRAILS AND RELATED OPEN SPACES FOR NON-MOTORIZED USERS THROUGHOUT NORTHERN UTAH. IN 2022, THROUGH THE HELP OF INDIVIDUAL DONORS, CFOV, MEMBERSHIPS AND GRANTS, TFNU WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT A FULL-TIME TRAIL CREW FOR 18 WEEKS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER TRAIL SEASON. THIS SMALL, BUT MIGHTY CREW, HOSTED 13 COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER NIGHTS, MAINTAINED, AND BUILT OVER 12 MILES OF TRAILS INSIDE THE NORTH FORK PARK IN EDEN, ALONG WITH PORTIONS OF THE BONNEVILLE SHORELINE TRAIL, THE WEBER RIVER PARKWAY, UPPER WHEELERS AND GREEN POND TRAILS, POWDER MOUNTAIN & THE SIDEWINDER TRAIL LOCATED WITHIN THE BRIDGES COMMUNITY / WOLF CREEK RESORT. NEW TRAILS COMPLETED INCLUDE THE LONGER LOOP, GIDDY UP AND SPORK TRAILS IN NORTH FORK PARK. PHASE 2 OF OUR MASSIVE BLACKNER'S BEND CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ALONG THE WEBER RIVER PARKWAY WAS COMPLETED THIS YEAR. IT INCLUDED BOTH TRAIL BUILDING AND WORK TO IMPROVE THE FUNCTION OF THE WEBER RIVER. TWO-THIRDS OF A MILE OF PATHWAY WERE COMPLETED TO A 10-FOOT WIDTH AND FINISHED WITH CRUSHED ROCK THAT WILL PROVIDE A FIRM, ALL-WEATHER SURFACE THAT IS NOT AS HARD AS ASPHALT OR CONCRETE. ANOTHER THIRD OF A MILE WAS LEFT UNFINISHED AS IT WILL BE MODIFIED IN THE THIRD (AND FINAL) PHASE OF WORK - HOWEVER, IT WAS LEFT USABLE FOR PEDESTRIANS AND MOUNTAIN BIKERS. THE PINEVIEW LOOP PATHWAY IN EDEN WAS MAINTAINED. CRACKSEAL AND RESURFACING WERE ADDED AND ENGINEERING BEGAN ON A NEW (LONG-AWAITED) TRAIL FROM SNOWCREST JR. HIGH TO LIBERTY PARK. EARLIER IN THE YEAR, WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CO-HOST A LOCAL AVALANCHE EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR THE NON-SKIERS ALONGSIDE OGDEN AVALANCHE AND THE GOAL FOUNDATION. THIS WAS HELD LIVE AT ROOSTER'S B-STREET IN OGDEN AS WELL AS RECORDED AND SHARED HUNDREDS OF TIMES AFTER THAT. IN THE LATE SPRING, WE WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP, PLAN AND EXECUTE OUR FIRST EVER YOUTH TRAIL HIKES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ARCADIA GUIDED OUTDOOR EDUCATION. THESE GUIDED YOUTH HIKES INTRODUCED YOUTH IN THE AREA TO THE 7 LEAVE NO TRACE PRINCIPLES WHILE ALSO LEARNING OUT THE LAND WE RECREATE ON, HOW TO BE A RESPONSIBLE TRAIL USER, TRAIL ETIQUETTE AND EVEN HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY THEIR HAND AT TRAIL MAINTENANCE WITH OUR TRAIL CREW. ALL IN ALL, THESE TWO (SOLD OUT) EVENTS WERE AWESOME WHEN ONE OF OUR LONG-TIME BOARD MEMBERS PASSED AWAY SUDDENLY IN 2022, IT LEFT US STUNNED. IT ALSO GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO HONOR HIM WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ANNUAL RICHARD S.WHITE FRIEND OF THE TRAILS AWARD TO HONOR THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO EXEMPLIFY THE MISSION AND VISION OF TFNU THROUGH THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO TRAILS IN OUR COMMUNITY IN HONOR OF OUR VERY OWN BOARD MEMBER AND LONGTIME SUPPORTER, RICHARD WHITE. THIS, IN ADDITION TO A BEAUTIFUL BENCH DEDICATED TO HIM ALONG ONE OF HIS FAVORITE STRETCHES OF TRAIL INSIDE THE OGDEN NATURE CENTER, WILL ALLOW HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR OUTDOOR COMMUNITY FOR YEARS TO COME. EARTH DAY 22 ALLOWED US TO PARTNER WITH OGDEN TRAILS NETWORK AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO REBUILD PORTIONS OF THE TRAILS THAT START AT THE 12TH STREET TRAILHEAD JUST BEFORE ENTERING OGDEN CANYON. RETAINING WALLS WERE INSTALLED AND SIGHT LINES MUCH IMPROVED. MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, OGDEN CITY AND TFNU BOARD AND STAFF MADE MANY IMPROVEMENTS OVER THE TWO DAY EVENT. IN JUNE, TFNU WAS THRILLED TO BRING BACK NORTHERN UTAH'S ONLY NATIONAL TRAILS DAY CELEBRATION EVENT AT NORTH FORK PARK ON SATURDAY, JUNE 4TH WITH A WONDERFUL MORNING FILLED WITH TRAIL RELATED DEMONSTRATIONS, VENDORS, INFORMATIONAL SPEAKERS, RAFFLES AND MORE NOT ONLY WAS THIS A GREAT TRAILS CELEBRATION, BUT IT WAS ALSO A WONDERFUL WAY TO ENGAGE WITH OTHER LOCAL NON-PROFITS AND RELATED OUTDOOR BUSINESSES TOGETHER. JUST BEFORE NATIONAL TRAILS DAY, THE NEWLY FORMED TRAILS ALLIANCE OF NORTHERN UTAH ALONG WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM OTHER LIKE-MINDED ORGANIZATIONS IN THE AREA INCLUDING: GOAL FOUNDATION, OGDEN TRAILS NETWORK, THE BACK COUNTRY HORSEMEN OF AMERICA, GEAR:30, WEBER DAVIS MOUNTAIN BIKING, VISIT OGDEN, OGDEN NATURE CENTER, ARCADIA GUIDED OUTDOOR EDUCATION, AMERSPORTS FACTORY OUTLET, OGDEN NORDIC AND OGDEN VALLEY ADAPTIVE SPORTS MADE ITS DEBUT WITH AN INTRODUCTORY VIDEO THAT WE DEVELOPED, FILMED AND WAS SHARED ACROSS OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, YOUTUBE, AND ALL THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. NOT ONLY WAS THE VIDEO WELL RECEIVED, BUT IT HAD PEOPLE CLICKING ON OUR TRAILS ALLIANCE WEBSITE (HTTPS://WWW.TRAILSALLIANCENU.ORG/) TO TAKE PART OF THE TA PLEDGE TO BE A RESPONSIBLE TRAIL USER. 172 PLEDGES FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY WERE RECORDED BY THE END OF THE YEAR. OCTOBER KEPT US ON OUR TOES. IT STARTED OFF WHEN WE HOSTED NEW YORK AUTHOR, NATE SCHWEBER, AT OUR NEARLY SOLD OUT ANNUAL AUTHOR DINNER EVENT AT THE TIMBERMINE STEAKHOUSE AS HE DISCUSSED HIS BOOK, THIS AMERICA OF OURS; BERNARD & AVIS DEVOTO AND THE FORGOTTEN FIGHT TO SAVE THE WILD. OVER 300 PEOPLE ATTENDED AND OFFERED THE DYNAMIC AUTHOR A STANDING OVATION AT THE CONCLUSION OF A WONDERFULLY EXCITING EVENING RAISING FUNDS FOR TFNU AND SHARING SOME LOCAL OUTDOOR HISTORY AS WELL. AND JUST A FEW DAYS LATER, WE ROUNDED OUT THE YEAR BY CO-PRODUCING THE FIRST ANNUAL NORTHERN UTAH TRAILFEST - A CELEBRATION FOR ALL TRAIL USERS. TFNU, GOAL FOUNDATION AND WEBER COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION CREATED AND CO-PRODUCED THIS FREE OUTDOOR WEEKEND CELEBRATION. THE COMMUNITY FESTIVAL COINCIDES WITH TWO TRAILS ENDURANCE EVENTS, A 3/6/9 HOUR TRAIL RACE, AND A 3/6 HOUR MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE AS WELL AS WEEKEND CAMPING, ACTIVITIES, MUSIC AND PRESENTATIONS AT THE CUTLER FLATS AREA OF NORTH FORK PARK. WITH OVER 1000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE AS WELL AS OVER 200 ATHLETES WHO COMPETED IN THIS EXCITING FIRST YEAR EVENT, WE COUNT IT A HUGE SUCCESS AND CAN'T WAIT FOR IT AGAIN THIS FALL