Pioneer Trail Foundation

The Pioneer Trail

Pioneering belongs to all of us.

The Trail

A walking route through downtown Salt Lake City that connects the places where Utah began and continues to evolve. 1.5 miles on foot. A civic corridor shaped over time.

The trail follows the city’s original north-south spine, linking historic sites, public gardens, and civic spaces through Capitol Hill and State Street. It connects beautiful places of government, culture, faith, and daily life, making Utah’s story legible on foot.

This is infrastructure for encounter. A place to walk, reflect, and consider what pioneering looks like today.

City Creek Park Corner

City Creek Park Interior

State Street

State Street Roundabout

Council Hall

Capitol Grounds

Memory Grove

Memory Grove Overlook

Canyon Road

Aims of the Trail

Beautify Public Space

Design and care for exceptional parks and green spaces by planting native perennial gardens and improving seating, lighting, and walkways along the Trail and its surrounding civic spaces.

Activate Historic Sites

Activate underused historic sites along the Trail through new programming, clearer wayfinding, and expanded opportunities for public use and gathering.

III

Celebrate Cultural Values

Use public art along the Trail to explore pioneering virtues such as community, vision, service, industry, and gratitude – values shared by many kinds of pioneers who have shaped Utah across generations.

Design and care for exceptional parks and green spaces by planting native perennial gardens and improving seating, lighting, and walkways along the Trail and its surrounding civic spaces.

The Route

Why Now

Utah is changing quickly. Growth is reshaping the state and placing Salt Lake City on a larger stage, bringing new people, new demands, and renewed questions about what we share and why it matters.

The Moment

The Ideas

What’s Next

The Moment

The Ideas

What’s Next

How do we pioneer a way forward that keeps what’s best and improves what comes next?

Team

The Pioneer Trail Foundation began as a grassroots effort led by neighbors on Capitol Hill. It has grown into a serious, volunteer-led organization supported by leaders from across the neighborhood, city, state, cultural, and business communities.