Commonly referred to as the Living Room Trail due to its unique couch shaped features at the top, this section of trail is actually a part of the George’s Hollow Trail area.
After meeting with Utah’s Historical Preservation office, the renovation project will now be called The Quarry Loop Project, referencing the historical significance this quarry played in the shaping of Utah’s history.
This project includes the lower part of the popular Living Room Trail, is a long-overdue maintenance or “renovation” project on 2.5 miles of previously constructed trails in the Salt Lake City foothills above the Natural History Museum of Utah.
Sections of trails to be improved exist along historic road beds that were constructed for sandstone quarrying over a hundred years ago. Although heavily used by the public, they have not been maintained and are not signed, resulting in a spiderweb of erosive user-created trails in the area.
Renovation of these trails and wayfinding signage will go a long way to improving the user experience and helping to protect the resource.
Two of the trails we will be working on are identified as USFS “System Trails.” These are the George’s Hollow Trail and the Skyline Trail. Both trails provide access to the Living Room Trail. Together these two trails create an excellent 45-minute hiking loop that will now be referred to as The Quarry Loop Trail Project.
Better establishing these trails and adding wayfinding signage will help hikers and runners stick to intended trails, instead of wandering off onto unsanctioned user-created trails. Over time, these unwanted user-created trails will hopefully fall into disuse, preventing further hillside scarring and erosion. These two trails are hiking and running trails only and not suitable for mountain bike use. The rugged, rocky nature of the terrain in this area and steep grades make these trails better for hiking. This area is identified as hiking-only in the Foothills Master Plan and falls in line with desired management goals for the University.
This project will be conducted using trained and experienced hand crews to conduct heavy maintenance on these trails. The project also includes the development and installation of wayfinding signage. All trail work would be on the existing trail alignments and not involve trail reroutes. These trails are well above the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and below the main George’s Hollow Trail (aka Living Room Trail). These two trail alignments cross both University of Utah and US Forest Service property. We have worked with our University and USFS partners to develop the scope of this project. The Utah State of Historic Preservation Office has also reviewed and is in support of this project. They have expressed interest in erecting signage illuminating the mining and quarrying history of the area. Additionally, Salt Lake City Trails and Public Lands staff was consulted in planning for this effort and while they are not conducting work on this project, it fits within their goals for trail improvements in the Foothills Natural Area. Salt Lake City and the Historic Preservation Office will help with the wayfinding and interpretive signage part of the project as partners.
The existing trails are deeply incised, narrowed, and/or blocked by rocky outcrops. The specific trail tread work will involve widening the trails to approximately three feet, breaking rock outcrops, and creating consistent outslope and grade reversals to ensure water drainage and minimize future maintenance requirements. Wayfinding signage will direct trail users to these purpose-built and maintained trails and will discourage the use of the erosive user-created trails. Interpretive signage will educate users about the history of the sandstone quarrying as well as the flora and fauna of the area.
In 2023 Trails Utah reached out to Salt Lake City, the University of Utah, and the USFS to propose renovating this very popular trail.
For the Quarry Loop Trail project, TU acquired permissions from the U of U to work on University property and address needed routine maintenance. Salt Lake City Trails & Natural Lands, the entity overseeing improvements to the trails in the foothills, also approved the maintenance project. We continue to plan for Phase II of the project on US Forest Service land, that will reroute a section of the Upper Living Room Trail as well as improvements to existing trails.
A massive thank you to our funders and partners on this project!
Funders:
Partners:
There is plenty of street parking along Colorow Road. The Natural History Museum and Red Butte Gardens are just northwest from the parking area. The trail is narrow, following an old wash for a section. It’s a good idea to download your map ahead of time because there are many trail intersections and off-shoots along this route. There is minimal to no shade on this route, so it is a good idea to come prepared with plenty of water during the warmer months.
While grants cover some costs, donations and membership dollars are crucial for ongoing planning and environmental reviews. Consider supporting Trails Utah through donations or becoming a sustaining member.
