A popular spot for runners and mountain bikers in the Salt Lake valley is the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. I decided to check this trail out and I learned how easily accessible it is while it provided me with an excellent view of Salt Lake City.
The section I ran on starts across the street (Sunnyside) from the Hogle Zoo and is an out-and-back run that goes beyond the 4 or 5 miles that I ran before turning back for a total of 8 to 10 miles. It is hilly and rocky, so be prepared for a good climbing and descending workout. It’s also a good idea to bring some water along if you plan on going long.
Heading out from the Hogle Zoo trailhead going north is a steady hill to climb which gives one an idea of what to expect ahead. After about ½ mile of running up this winding, rocky dirt trail you will come to a gateway which shows the name of this trail and also the section, “Pipeline to Sunnyside” – we are going the reverse of this. Going past the gate you will head north, running on a dirt road parallel to the valley. You’ll eventually pass through Red Butte Gardens and hook back onto the trail to your right – you’ll see another Bonneville Trail sign. Heading straight north you’ll also run the dirt trail going by the Emma Eccles Jones Medical Research Building and then the Huntsman Cancer Institute, both on your left hand side.
You’ll soon find yourself climbing a little once again before descending and heading east towards a valley. Before entering this valley you’ll pass by another Bonneville Shoreline Trail Sign. This section of the run, into the valley, around a small mountain hill and then back out, is all uphill and is the toughest part of the run. You’ll probably pass a few mountain bikers, but make sure you focus on where you place your feet and also keep an eye ahead for bikers coming down the hill. There are a lot of trees and bushes to provide shade in this section. At some point you may wonder if you’ll ever make out of the gully, but keep climbing and you’ll soon notice that your heading west out of this zone.
Once you make it out of this section the uphill gets easier and you are out in the open again. The view of the city center is grand and if you go a little while more you can also see the capitol. Once I reached the section where I was a little past and parallel with the capital building is when I decided to turn around. There is more trail to explore some other day down the road. Heading back I followed the route back east into the canyon and back out which was all downhill. Instead of following the dirt road going parallel the Huntsman and Eccles Jones buildings and University Hospital I actually ran on the paved roads and parking lots on these properties all the way to Red Butte, where I jumped back on the way I came. Going out I didn’t remember going downhill to Red Butte, but coming back to this hill I definitely notice it now! Once I started heading down to the trailhead parking lot I was definitely relieved.
This section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail connects south to Crestview Drive. There is also plenty more trail to explore north, leaving the city and probably connecting to other trail networks. You will notice many other trails intersecting and leading to other sections up higher on the mountains that would be fun to check out and keep your running fresh. Enjoy!
-Mick M.
slamkablam@yahoo.com
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