About Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail
The Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park is a 30-mile non-motorized trail stretching from the Wasatch Mountains near Park City to Echo Reservoir, passing through Silver Creek Canyon, Wanship, Coalville, and along the Weber River. Once a vital rail corridor for transporting coal and silver in the late 19th century, the trail follows the route of the Union Pacific’s Echo-Park City Railway, completed in 1880 after earlier narrow-gauge lines built by the Summit County and Utah Eastern Railroads. The line was abandoned by Union Pacific in 1989 and transformed into Utah’s first rail trail, dedicated as a state park in 1992.
The trail, which descends from 6,900 to 5,280 feet in elevation, is used for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing, offering access to historic sites and scenic landscapes shaped by the region’s mining and railroad heritage. Its development was a collaboration between the state’s Division of Parks and Recreation and A&K Railroad Materials, preserving the corridor for public recreation while honoring its industrial past.