The Bonneville Shoreline Trail area above the University of Utah is a special community resource. Hikers can hang out at “The Living Room” and watch the sunset over the Oquirrhs, runners wend their way up foothill summits, and mountain bikers traverse across sunny slopes and through small groves of Gambel oak.
With its proximity to a large urban center, the trail system is nothing if not popular. In turn, this crowding creates occasional conflict between trail users and a well known tension between different types of recreation. There are some golden rules of trail etiquette that are critical to consider before heading up into the relative wilds of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.
Acknowledge others. The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is a shared public space and being friendly enhances the experience of everyone involved. As a cyclist, runner, and hiker, I realize it’s not always desirable to stop and make small talk with other trail users, but it’s easy and quick to make eye contact and smile.
Do: Acknowledge others with a smile or head nod.
Don’t: Pretend that you’re recreating in an anonymous vacuum, somehow invisible to everyone else around you.
Manage the audio. Lots of trail users like to listen to music while recreating. But portable speakers are an anathema to nature-based recreation and headphones insulate the listener from potential hazards. My friend Jeff runs to and from work on the Shoreline Trail several days a week and says that the biggest hazard he encounters are people absorbed in their headphones that they don’t notice other things on the trail.
Do: If you want to listen to music, pop in one ear bud so that you can hear the trail runner or mountain biker about to overtake you from behind.
Don’t: Use portable speakers or headphones if they are going to impair your ability to hear other trail users.
Be responsible for Fido. Technically dogs are supposed to be on leash on the Shoreline Trail but the local norm is that they can be off-leash. Either way, not everyone is a fan of your pup, and they should be highly responsive to verbal commands.
Do: Keep your dog on a leash or under verbal control.
Don’t: Pick up your dog poop just to leave it in a plastic bag by the side of the trail. It’s unsightly, disgusting, and gives all dog owners a bad reputation.
Park Considerately: Parking for the Shoreline Trail is frequently at the top of residential neighborhoods where, I would imagine, the residents are somewhat sensitive to folks parking in front of their houses.
Do: Consider parking at trailheads that have more public parking and are not directly in in front of a residence. For instance, parking at the LDS Church on the top of 11th Ave is available and inconspicuous, whereas parking at the top of Terrace Hills Drive is prime residential neighborhood territory.
Don’t: Tailgate outside your car listening to music outside someone’s house before/after your Shoreline Trail outing.
Make the Shoreline Trail Better than it was Before Your Visit: Everyone knows it’s poor form to litter, and yet litter still exists. Make it a point not to just avoid littering, but to pick up the litter left by a less conscientious user.
Do: Keep a roll of trash bags in your car and stick one in your backpack before beginning your hike. Bonus points for also bringing work gloves, eyewear, and a spade to dig out some of the invasive Myrtle Spurge. Note: Myrtle Spurge is toxic and you should avoid contact with the sap.
Don’t: Litter
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is a marvelous resource and a convenient place for many in the University of Utah community to recreate. Due to it’s popularity and mixed-use, there is occasionally tension between trail users. By attending to the Golden Rules of BST Etiquette, we can
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