With 6 miles of mountain bike trails, Lodestone Regional Park has become a sought after location for local mountain bikers and school teams to train, practice and just have fun. 

“These new trails at the park represent our commitment to expanding outdoor recreation opportunities for Salt Lake County residents,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said. “This skills course will provide riders of all abilities a place to improve their techniques while enjoying our beautiful natural landscape.”

The idea began in May 2021 when the West Granite Mountain Biking Team approached the county with their idea. The county soon approved the initiative and the team went to work. They shoveled and cleared nearly 2 miles of trails to the west of Lodestone Park’s tennis courts. 

The team adopted the area as its training grounds and vowed to maintain the area. 

“The team learned how to maintain trails so they can be more respectful to our environment,” West Granite head coach Rochelle Bartschi said at the time. 

The newly minted trails included switchbacks and good up and downhill areas to help them train to be better riders. In 2024, Trails Utah began the improvement of the existing trails and added approximately 4 miles with funding from the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation.

The trails and planning committee of the division is committed to ensuring Utah remains a leader in outdoor recreation. 

Financial donations and many volunteer hours helped the project.

“We are grateful for our partners,” Trails Utah Director Sarah Bennett said. “They transformed this vision into reality. Trails truly are about knitting people to the landscapes we call home. We are honored to have been part of this project.”

In 2020, the West Granite Mountain Biking team had 17 registered riders. It includes students that attend Kearns, Cyprus, Hunter and Granger high schools and their 10 feeder junior high schools. It is 100% inclusive and season practice starts in June. 

“This team has set itself apart from others,” Bartschi said at the beginning of this project. “These trails will make a difference in this community.”

The trails have always been open to the community and its riders. Many other mountain bike teams regularly use the area to help them learn and train. 

In 2017, the Utah Mountain Biking League began with about 320 student-athletes. In 2024, it boasted over 7,600 participants. It is the largest biking league in the country and now operates among six regions across the state. λ