After three years of hard work, the Anchor Trees trail opened to the public with its own version of a “ribbon cutting” — chainsawing through a downed log — earlier this week. The hiker-only trail starts near the Montage Deer Valley and connects to the Bloods Lake trailhead, creating dire ct access from the Park City trail system to Bonanza Flat. From there, the trail systems can then be explored all the way into the Cottonwood Canyons on the Wasatch Front. The Anchor Trees trail is a collaboration between Deer Valley Resort, Summit Land Conservancy and Mountain Trails Foundation. Deer Valley owns the land, Summit Land Conservancy operates the land easement protecting the area and Mountain Trails Foundation was responsible for building the trail.  Community members gather at the trailhead of the Anchor Trees trail at Deer Valley during its opening celebration. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record “We all saw the need for a hike-only trail so we got together to designate an alignment that honored conservation values and served the public,” said Lora Anthony, executive director of Mountain Trails Foundation. “We find that when strategically placed, professionally designed trails are in place, illegal social trails are less likely to develop. Sanctioned trails keep people where you want them and away from where you don’t want them.” Hiker-only trails can also keep people safer and improve the overall experience of everyone on the mountain. Although it’s only 1 mile long, Anchor Trees has 800 feet of elevation gain, so even experienced hikers might think it’s challenging. The short but steep hike is classified as a moderate “blue” trail. Hikers should be prepared for a steep grade and high stone steps placed into the trail, but the reward is eye-level views of the towering aspens and pines overlooking the valley. The beauty of the land is in part due to the longstanding protection by the Summit Land Conservancy. Hikers explore the Anchor Trees trail during the inaugural outing, marking the opening of the new route. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park RecordHikers make their way along the Anchor Trees trail during its inaugural hike, celebrating the opening of the new trail. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park RecordGolden aspens and evergreen trees frame a view of the surrounding mountains from along the Anchor Trees trail, showcasing the fall colors in Park City. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record CEO Cheryl Fox said that one of the things land easements try to protect is the local watershed, which extends into the trees themselves. Much of the watershed, Fox said, exists beyond running water, including underground, in plants and the snowpack.  The Empire Easement protecting the Empire Canyon area surrounding the new Anchor Trees trail was put into place in 2000. It was the first easement granted to Summit Land Conservancy. “This last year, in 2026, we made some upgrades to the conservation easement itself,” said Fox. “We added some protections to the area where Anchor Trees is and made it clear that public access is a value of that easement.” Conservation easements do several things, which Fox said can be categorized as “negative or positive,” meaning they either focus on keeping things out or protecting what’s there. In the case of Anchor Trees, Summit Land Conservancy worked closely with Mountain Trails Foundation on the positive value, specifically for public access. “When the community was looking at the impacts to the Empire Pass development in the ’90s, people would skin up, hike up and bike up daily. That was everybody’s collective backyard,” Fox said. “The community realized that was going to change as the ski area moved into that area, so it was important to the community that the public access for trails was protected.” As a prize for taking the bus, riders received their choice of a water bottle or a set of Park City-area trail maps produced by the Mountain Trails Foundation. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record Fox said Deer Valley has been a “great partner” in conservation work.  In addition to maintaining and promoting public access, Fox said it’s important to work with the natural landscape when building trails. “This is why Mountain Trails is such a great partner, because they want to build trails that don’t create bad side effects. They’re not only really fun to use, but they’re also low impact,” Fox said. “They’ll route the trail around critical wildlife habitat or they’ll make sure that they put it in such a way that it doesn’t create additional erosion. They’re experts at that.” Volunteer crews worked on Anchor Trees for two years, but Mountain Trails Foundation decided to bring in their professional crews to finish off the work this summer because of the trail’s technicality. The trail was cut entirely by hand. Because of its steep grade, crews had to build retaining walls, switchbacks and place stone steps along certain sections of the trail.  “There are miles and miles of free trails all around Park City, Wasatch County and Summit County but, as the Anchor Trees trail demonstrates, there’s a lot that goes into it,” said Fox.  Summit Land Conservancy and Mountain Trails Foundation are nonprofit organizations that rely on volunteers and employees.  Fox said she hopes that when people are out enjoying Anchor Trees and other trails, they’ll be able to return gratitude by supporting local nonprofits. “How lucky are we that we have these trails available for free, all because the nonprofit organization is raising money to make it happen,” said Fox.  Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record The post New Park City hiking trail showcases land preservation work appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less