Nestled along the foothills of Springville, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail offers panoramic views of Utah Valley to hikers, bikers and runners looking for a crisp autumn walk or jog. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the opening of the 3.5-mile Springville section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

With plans to eventually span more than 150 miles and reach from Nephi to the Idaho border, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail follows the eastern bench line of the ancient Lake Bonneville. Traversing through more than six counties in Utah, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail Project has been a multi-community effort to preserve a natural pathway for non-motorists at what is frequently the intersection of wilderness and suburbia.

Cities along the Wasatch Front have completed sections of the trails at various intervals over the past 20 years. I met recently with Harold Davis, former chairman of the Springville City Parks Board, to walk along the Springville section of the trail that he, along with other volunteers, helped to clear out and dig before its opening in June 1999. Davis became involved with preservation efforts of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to help give Springville residents the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the area views from the natural pathways of the foothills. Ten years ago, Davis and other community volunteers helped carve a path, place markers, and raise a trailhead sign along the 3.5-mile Springville section of the trail.

Although the trailhead sign is now broken and worn, and many of the original trail markers are missing, the Springville section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail -- beginning with a trailhead at about 1800 North and Main Street -- still runs 3.5 miles across the base of Springville's Wasatch Mountains, joining at its southern end with the Hobble Creek Parkway Trail and connecting on its northern end to Provo's section of the Bonneville Trail, which in turn runs past Y Mountain and Rock Canyon.

I was amazed at the view. I'm a runner, and I live in Springville, but this was my first week running the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, which seems to be not widely known (and not used as often as we Springville-ites could be using it). Part of the problem is finding the trail. While there are several access points across the state to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, Springville's trailhead is not marked from Main Street. Now that I know where the trailhead is (accessible from the old gravel pit road just north of McDonald's -- follow the road to a parking area about a quarter-mile above the Ironton Hill highway), I plan to be a regular visitor.

The day I met Davis at the trailhead site, I ran a 6-mile loop of the trail with Jenna Holmes, a Springville resident and running buddy. Holmes, too, ran the trail for the first time, although her husband frequents the trail for hiking in the summer, for access to hunting trails in the fall, and for great snowshoeing in the winter. This is the location of my own next planned snowshoe adventure with my kids.

Holmes and I ran 3 miles south -- not quite to the mouth of Hobble Creek Canyon; rather, to the Stonebury Loop point -- and back.

This same week I ran the trail with another running partner from a beginning point at about 750 East and 1100 North, in Springville, where the mountain borders undeveloped property and several dirt roads give informal access to the Shoreline Trail. We ran 3 miles north from the trailhead into Provo (the trail's connection into Provo is clearly marked). During both my runs this week, I met just one other runner on the trail, a new Springville resident from California, who regularly runs from Springville into Provo to the base of Y Mountain and back.

After the gorgeous views of Springville and Utah Valley from the Bonneville Trail, I'm addicted. I already have two more trips planned in the next week. And, I'm making arrangements to take visiting extended family on a hike -- eight total kids in tow -- in the middle of this month.

What a hidden secret Springville has -- but I hope the secrecy changes. I hope I see more runners, hikers and families on my now-weekly runs on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. If you're a runner, you need to work in a run on the Springville section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. If you're a hiker (with young kids or old kids or no kids), you need to hike at least a portion of the trail. You'll immediately see the valley views below.

I'm always "for" short hikes that are beautiful and easy; these are great for introducing hiking to kids or for visiting guests. There's not a lot of hiking required from the Springville Bonneville Shoreline trailhead in order to be on the beautiful Utah mountains and witnessing a breathtaking view of the valley -- perfect for families and visitors wanting a nature hike.

IF YOU GO:

Access the Springville section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail by following the old gravel pit dirt road at approximately 1800 North Main (about .25 miles north of McDonald's). The dirt road curves steeply east and up the mountainside to a parking area at the base of the trailhead.

You can also access the trailhead from informal and unmarked dirt roads bordering undeveloped property at approximately 750 East and 1100 North in Springville. The Shoreline Trail is easier to access but somewhat harder to find here. You may need to explore a bit. Go east and up the mountain until you hit a small trail (intended for non-motorists and thus smaller than the crisscrossing dirt roads); this is the Bonneville Trail.

From the actual trailhead, you can walk/bike/run/hike/snowshoe/ride south toward the mouth of Hobble Creek Canyon or north toward Y Mountain. Both directions offer stunning views.

Note: The Bonneville Shoreline Trail going south from the Springville trailhead is missing markers and sometimes crosses with deer paths and dirt roads until at about the white lime pit. Here, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail connects with an older, wider portion of the trail at the top of the lime pit and runs very clearly toward Hobble Creek Canyon. You couldn't really get lost anywhere here; you just might end up taking a more winding, hilly path to get to the lime pit because of crisscrossing roads and deer paths. We had only one area where we were not sure where the actual Bonneville Trail intersected. We found out that our best guess had been correct, though, and we easily found the well-traversed section at the top of the lime pit.

Plot out the exact distance and course and see a satellite map at www.mapmyrun.com -- a great Web site for hikers and runners.

Related

• Walking Miles on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail