Wayne’s Loop, a popular mountain biking and hiking trail that was closed in June of last year, is scheduled to make a comeback sometime during 2023 or 2024 as Mendon city and Cache County are working together to provide adequate accessibility to the area.
According to County Executive David Zook, the trail, which was originally created by volunteers, grew more and more popular as people searched for outdoor recreational activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, the popularity of the trail led to its end as the city of Mendon closed the trail.
“The trail was shut down because of the fact that it was just unmanageable,” Zook said. “Too many people coming out, nowhere for people to park, it was creating issues with dust on the road, there were safety concerns.”
Shortly after the trail was closed, county officials began looking for ways to solve the problems that had led to the trail’s demise. Though the trail itself was owned by the city, much of the land leading up to the area belongs to the county.
“The trails program at the county and our countywide planning staff, we developed three different potential concepts for where a trailhead could be located on the property,” said Carly Lansche, Cache County’s regional trail and active transportation coordinator, explaining the Mendon City Council later decided on one of the three concepts.
The chosen concept for the trailhead, according to Lansche, will situate the trailhead it such a way to preserves most the agricultural land around the city’s property.
“So, with that, when we develop it, the trailhead will have a new connector trail that basically brings you back up to Wayne’s Loop and Deep Canyon,” Lansche said.
Reopening the trail will also require a larger parking lot, which will be built below the trailhead to prevent parking issues that have been problematic in the past. The road leading to the parking lot will be paved and there will be a toilet added at the trailhead as well.
Zook and Lansche estimated the project will cost $760,000. While that much has been secured through the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation; the Recreation, Arts, Parks, and Zoos grant program; the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation — Russel Family; the Secure Rural Schools Program through the U.S. Forest Service; and funds from the American Rescue Plan Act; project coordinators are still concerned more money may be needed as labor and material costs rise.
“Thanks to the hard work and collaboration between our Trails Department and several community partners, this amenity will soon be back, and better than ever,” Zook said in a news release Friday.
Construction for the project is slated to begin next summer, according to the release. Those who wish to donate, or learn more about the project, can visit https://arcg.is/bLaDj.
“We have received a lot of support from the community throughout the process and look forward to improving access to the area for generations to come,” Lansche said in the release.