As part of the 8th annual Utah Outdoor Recreation Summit, the Zion Forever Project, Zion Cycles, Utah Clean Cities, and Magnum hosted an East Zion ribbon cutting and e-bike tour of new trails.
This ribbon cutting officially opens the first 10 miles of publicly accessible mountain biking trails on Zion’s east side, beyond the park borders. These first 10 miles were made possible by land grants and easements from private landowners, donations to the Zion Forever Project, funding through the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation Grant, The National Park Foundation, and support from Kane County.
The next 24.5 miles of trail slated in Phase II are funded through an effort led by the Zion Forever Project and the collaboration of public and private partners. The new trailheads are adjacent to the new East Zion Visitor Center site, now funded through efforts led by Utah’s Kane County Commissioners. The National Park Service visitor center will serve as a home for guests, trailheads, and interpretive programs on Zion’s east side. The location will become a hub for the regional transportation center. In a pilot effort led by Utah Clean Cities, new EV shuttles will begin running from the town of Kanab, in what eventually will see fleets of alternative fueled vehicles transporting guests within the park and to gateway communities east of Zion National Park.
The Utah Outdoor Recreation Summit is a gathering place for all sectors of the outdoor recreation industry to build a vision together for the future, health, and vitality of outdoor recreation in Utah. Through programming, networking, and outdoor activities, this event focuses on strengthening outdoor recreation communities, the outdoor recreation economy, and improving health and quality of life for all Utahns.
This year’s theme is “Outdoors Elevated,” and the Summit does just that — elevates the outdoors. The office seeks to build on the appreciation and admiration for the outdoors and
continue to promote the outdoors, outdoor communities, and the people and organizations that make outdoor recreation possible.
