Jordan River trail now connects to a new city. Will addition help it reach its full potential?

Mike Winder, Millcreek's city manager, carries a kayak down the launch as Millcreek officially opens a new park, trail and boat launch along the Jordan River at 1015 West and 4000 South on Tuesday.

Mike Winder, Millcreek's city manager, carries a kayak down the launch as Millcreek officially opens a new park, trail and boat launch along the Jordan River at 1015 West and 4000 South on Tuesday. (Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)


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KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Millcreek's new trailhead connects to the Jordan River Parkway Trail, enhancing access.
  • Mayor Jeff Silvestrini sees the river as a potential community asset with new amenities.
  • Salt Lake County and partners funded the project, improving recreation and conservation efforts.

MILLCREEK — A raft of ducks floated down the Jordan River on a warm spring day as Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini described the importance of the body of water that flows through the city's westernmost boundary.

While only about a mile of the river's path touches Millcreek, he sees it as a beautiful but underappreciated natural resource.

"We all hope the Jordan River will someday be more of a shining star in our community," he said. "It has so much potential."

Moments later, he helped cut a ribbon Tuesday to open the new Millcreek Trailhead along the Jordan River Parkway Trail, which he believes can be a step toward reaching that potential.

Located at 1015 W. 4000 South, the trailhead includes several new picnic tables and a small playground for children. Mike Winder, Millcreek's city manager, launched a maiden kayaking voyage from a new boat launch site, while other dignitaries hopped on bikes to test a new trail segment on the river's east side that links to nearby Sunnyvale Park, as well as the main trail in Taylorsville through a bridge almost a half-mile south of the ramp.

Tuesday's festivities were a "long time coming," capping a desire to connect Millcreek with the Jordan River Parkway Trail that dates back to shortly after the city incorporated nearly a decade ago, Winder explained.

Until now, the trail only ran along a Taylorsville section south of Meadowbrook Expressway. A bridge over the road connected it with a South Salt Lake section, meaning that the trail essentially bypassed the city. And without open land along the trail, the city didn't have much to offer toward its goal to provide nature access on the west side in the way it does on its east side.

"Our council had a dream of making sure that residents on the west side of the city had (a) recreational amenity over here," Silvestrini said.

Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini and Salt Lake County Councilwoman Suzanne Harrison cut the ribbon as they officially open a new park, trail and boat launch along the Jordan River at 1015 West and 4000 South on Tuesday.
Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini and Salt Lake County Councilwoman Suzanne Harrison cut the ribbon as they officially open a new park, trail and boat launch along the Jordan River at 1015 West and 4000 South on Tuesday. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)

Getting there required plenty of deals and partnerships, though.

Salt Lake County, which owns the land where the trailhead was built, allowed the project to move forward as long as the city oversaw fundraising. The county also directed some federal funds toward the project, while the Utah Department of Natural Resources and Jordan River Commission also chipped in with grants, and Millcreek also put some of its own funds into the project, according to city leaders.

Winder added that the city needed to negotiate with private landowners to build a trail that cuts through the ends of their backyards.

Many of the partner groups wanted to get involved. The trail brings many walkers, runners and bikers, but the river itself has gained more canoeing and kayaking interest with many new boat ramps, which the project addressed.

"All of these river access points have just made this hidden gem into something truly open and accessible to the public," Soren Simonsen, executive director of the Jordan River Commission, told KSL.com.

Millcreek officially opens a new park, trail and boat launch along the Jordan River at 1015 West and 4000 South on Tuesday.
Millcreek officially opens a new park, trail and boat launch along the Jordan River at 1015 West and 4000 South on Tuesday. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)

Most people will use the trailhead for new recreation opportunities, but Simonsen said it also provides conservation groups with better access to the river for cleanups in the area. It's also why he found it fitting that the trailhead opened on Earth Day.

As part of the agreement, Salt Lake County will now assume control of the trailhead moving forward, while Unified police will patrol the area. Adding the trailhead could potentially improve safety by adding "more eyes" on this portion of the river trail, Silvestrini said.

It could also put more eyes on the Jordan River, possibly helping it reach the potential Millcreek sees in it. Salt Lake County leaders say that's something they hope stretches beyond one city.

"I think more people are becoming aware of the recreation opportunities on the river and along the river," Salt Lake County Councilwoman Suzanne Harrison added. "Certainly, it's a community effort to make sure we're taking care of it and enjoying it."

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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Carter Williams is a reporter for KSL.com. He covers Salt Lake City, statewide transportation issues, outdoors, the environment and weather. He is a graduate of Southern Utah University.
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