This wilderness park is truly a local hidden gem - my family friends that are Utah natives didn't even know about it lol! I found it via Ebird when looking for birding hotspots in my years-long search for the Lazuli Bunting that has always eluded me - until now!!
I saw 17 Lazuli Buntings in one hour - mostly the colorful males I was after! I also saw numerous feisty Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, plenty of robins, some various finches as well as lots of other wildlife like squirrels, colorful Whiptail lizards, and even some beautiful Eight-spotted Skimmer dragonflies! And during spring there are so many beautiful wildflowers! You also get mountain views from almost any angle - definitely some gorgeous scenery.
This park actually holds tons of trails - lots of mountain bike trails such as the start of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail - and several hiking trails including the trailhead for the 100-mile Great Western Trail through the Wasatch mountains. There's also an orienteering course throughout the park and you can access the info for it via their website.
The main hiking trail is short though - just over a mile long and relatively flat. But there are so many offshoots you could make your hike much longer if you want. All gravel - well maintained. There are lots of trail markers and signs but all the offshoots and bike trails turn it into a spider web, so I highly recommend a good trail map (I use AllTrails).
I'm giving it 4 stars bc honestly it's not the most peaceful trail system for hikers. The mountain bikers are constantly flying by and they're not very careful in watching for pedestrians so be aware and be careful. Also, there's a shooting range along the back part of the park trails and it's noisy and a little unnerving lol.
There are several campsites you can reserve via the city's website - I saw one of them and it was an absolute mess - full of trash and clothes and such - so the campsites don't seem well cared for. Shame bc it could be really nice :/
I didn't see any bathrooms or portapotties anywhere so go before you come. There's also a lot of construction going on at the entrance - so the parking lot is inaccessible at the moment (May 2023). There is street parking along one side but space is limited. I saw lots of people parking on the other side but there are "no parking" signs so be aware. read more