Objective 3: Protect Natural Areas for Sustainable Recreation 

PCCVB and its partners will launch a comprehensive visitor education program to ensure that people who engage with our local environment understand responsible visitation practices. Educational efforts will focus on minimizing impacts to keep the destination beautiful for years to come, providing meaningful research to influence behavior, and managing wildlife interactions. 

Project Progress

The mountains are incredible, and keeping them that way takes a little awareness. The Trails Less Traveled campaign and ongoing improvements to parkcitytrails.org help visitors and locals alike understand how to enjoy the outdoors without loving it to death. 

Currently, there are multiple websites that inventory portions of the region’s trail systems. Through this initiative, trail information will be consolidated into one user-friendly platform. This platform will house a holistic regional trail map with information on trail status, conditions, and amenities. Further, the platform will integrate features that will enable a broader dispersal of visitors so certain trails or areas are not disproportionately utilized, and other trails gain greater exposure. 

Project Progress

Parkcitytrails.org is a resource for real-time trail conditions, closures, and stewardship tips any time of year. The site has gotten easier to use on mobile, with live status updates and alerts from land managers to help you know before you go, especially during the spring snowmelt season when trails need a little extra love. 

 PCCVB and its partners will work together to identify and advocate for local, state, and national programs and resources that support the efforts of this Plan and to mitigate impacts climate change has on the region, its natural environment, and the visitor economy.

Project Progress

Climate change is reshaping the landscapes we love, and Park City is responding with intention. Community stakeholders are actively pursuing federal climate and environmental funding, engaging in working groups like the Greater Salt Lake Clean Energy and Air Roadmap (SL-CLEAR), and participating in planning around the SLC-UT Games. The Sustainable Tourism Grant program and Park City Community Foundation Climate Fund are directing additional resources toward local climate resilience. 

Local governments are matching that momentum with meaningful commitments. In January 2026, the Summit County Council adopted Resolution 2026-04, recommitting to and expanding the County's sustainability and climate action goals. On the ground, local government, nonprofit partners, and private landowners are working together to reduce wildfire risk through fuels treatment programs and initiatives like the Weber River Watershed Resilience Fund across the greater Park City area.

As a means to enhance the outdoor recreational space that extends beyond political geographies, we will grow both the number and quality of relationships with land management organizations and communities throughout the Wasatch Back. From these enhanced relationships, the region will experience greater coordination, advocacy, and outcomes for the overall health of its natural environment.

Project Progress

Great outdoor experiences don't stop at county lines, so we're building relationships with neighboring counties and land managers across the Wasatch Back to connect trail systems and protect open space together. The WOW Trail in the Bonanza Flats Conservation Area is a strong example, linking Summit and Wasatch County trail networks and expanding access across the region. 

Summit County can tap into growing public interest in regenerative travel, where visitors leave destinations better than they found them. Developing a robust voluntourism program will provide meaningful opportunities for visitors to give back to the community.

Project Progress

A voluntourism program is in development to give visitors meaningful ways to give back to the trails and natural spaces they enjoy. Opportunities are currently sporadic, but this is an area of active focus and more details are coming.