# Plain Language Summary: Bonneville Shoreline Trail Advancement Act

This bill makes adjustments to several protected wilderness areas in Utah to create space for the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, a popular hiking and recreation path that runs along the foothills near Salt Lake City. The bill removes about 654 acres total from four existing wilderness areas—Mount Naomi, Mount Olympus, Twin Peaks, and Lone Peak—and adds about 326 acres to Mount Olympus Wilderness. The net effect is that these removed lands will be managed as regular national forest land rather than strict wilderness, which allows for more types of recreational use and maintenance activities like trail building and upkeep.

The practical impact is that hikers and outdoor enthusiasts will have better access to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, which can be more easily maintained and developed now that it's not restricted by wilderness regulations. Wilderness areas have strict rules that limit development and motorized use, so removing these specific parcels means the Forest Service can more actively manage the trail corridor. For people who use this trail regularly—and it's a well-known recreation spot in the Salt Lake City area—this means improved trail conditions and accessibility. However, those who prefer to preserve wilderness in its most pristine, undeveloped state may see this as a trade-off, since these lands lose their wilderness designation.

The bill also includes protections to ensure that existing water rights and water agreements aren't affected by these changes. This is important for Utah's water management, as the state carefully manages water allocations. The bill essentially says that nothing in this change affects who has the right to use water in these areas or any agreements between states about water sharing.

Bonneville Shoreline Trail Advancement Act

Curtis, John R.

Bonneville Shoreline Trail Advancement Act This bill modifies the wilderness designations of certain lands in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah. The bill designates approximately 326.27 acres in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest as part of the Mount Olympus Wilderness. The bill also removes the following lands in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest from designation as wilderness: <ul> <li>approximately 11.17 acres in the Mount Naomi Wilderness,</li> <li> approximately 197.4 acres in the Mount Olympus Wilderness,</li> <li> approximately 9.8 acres in the Twin Peaks Wilderness, and </li> <li> approximately 107.9 acres in the Lone Peak Wilderness Area.</li> </ul> The lands removed from designation as wilderness shall be managed as part of the forest.