The Trail Planned for 910 Ranch Follows the Walk Jeremy Ranch Already Takes

Summit County's first planned public trail on the 910 Ranch exists for one reason above the rest. The walk on East Canyon Road has more people and more dogs than the road can safely handle, and on a public road the county has little control over how walkers use it. On a trail, it would have that control. The plan going to the state for approval this winter sets aside about 15% of the 8,500-acre ranch as a "community zone" with five miles of trail. That zone would be the only part of the property where dogs are allowed. It sits at the base of the ranch, beside the road where most of those walkers already go.

For anyone in Jeremy Ranch who heads north out of the neighborhood with a leash in hand, the plan grows directly out of that walk. County staff say they put the trail where people already go.

The Walk, as the County Measures It

East Canyon Road is the gravel road north of Jeremy Ranch that splits the 910 Ranch in half. The county tracks foot traffic on it with cellphone analytics. Summit County Lands and Natural Resources Director Jess Kirby told the Park Record in July that the road averages about 300 walkers a day. A typical outing runs 3 to 5 miles, from the gate to the dilapidated bridge and back, and in the county's in-person counts most walkers have dogs with them.

The same reporting explains why the trail sits where it does. "The county intentionally placed the trails where they are based on how people are already using the land," the Park Record wrote, "which is why the plan also lets visitors bring dogs to certain areas of the property."

So 300 walkers a day is more than a count of visitors. It is the reason the trail exists, and it shaped where the trail goes.

Why the Road Itself Can't Be the Answer

East Canyon Road is public, and that limits how much control the county has over the people walking it. "It's a public road. I cannot regulate that," Kirby told the Park Record, describing the number of people walking dogs on the main road as a public safety hazard. "If we don't, they're just going to walk the road."

She made the same case to the Summit County Council on Oct. 28, as the Park Record reported. If the county does not give people a place off the road, "we're going to still have that use on the road with almost no control over how they access the creek."

The creek is East Canyon Creek, and about five miles of it run through the ranch. That is where the debate over dogs is most heated. Critics asked why dogs would be allowed next to the most sensitive part of the property. Kirby's answer was that the road and the planned trail both run beside the creek, and that "when you actually walk the proposed alignment, you're further away from the creek on the trail than you are on the road." She also acknowledged a few spots where the trail comes close enough to the water to form a small "beach."

Not everyone on the council agrees. Councilor Roger Armstrong questioned allowing dogs on the property at all. Councilor Megan McKenna supported the community zone and said an outright ban would likely create other problems. The plan kept the dog zone.

What Comes With the Trail

Moving the walk onto a trail also brings it under management. Here is how the road works today compared with what the plan proposes for Phase 1:

The ban on commercial dog walkers came straight out of what the county has seen on the road. "We've seen upwards of 10 to 15 dogs with one (walker), and it's uncontrollable," Kirby said in the Park Record's account of the October meeting. "It's just not for this space, and it overwhelms the trail system."

The county also plans to have trained rangers patrol the property and write tickets for parking problems, leash violations and other dog-related issues. As of late October, the Lands and Natural Resources Department had four employees, including a ranger. KPCW reported that the draft 2027 county budget adds three seasonal positions to the department, with council discussion scheduled for Nov. 4. "I feel like we are in a position where we can adequately manage Phase 1, the five miles of trail," Kirby told the council. "Going beyond that is going to take acts of budgeting."

Staffing is the limit on how much of the ranch can open. The five-mile trail at the base of the ranch is the part the county says it can manage now.

The Calendar From Here

The trail is not built yet, and this winter the walk stays on the road. Here is the sequence as it stands:

1. Jan. 27, 2026. Summit County closed on the purchase of 8,588 acres, paid for with $15 million from the county's 2021 open space bond and a $40 million Forest Legacy Program grant.
2. Oct. 28, 2026. Kirby presented the final management plan to the County Council for feedback. Final approval belongs to the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
3. Later in November. Kirby is scheduled to present a long-term vision for the county lands department.
4. Dec. 1 to April 30. East Canyon Road closes to vehicles, as it does every year.
5. By the end of the year. The state is expected to decide on the plan.
6. Next spring. If the plan is approved, the county expects to begin installing trails.

Under a 2023 county ordinance, the road gets no regular maintenance or snow removal during the seasonal closure, and motor vehicles are prohibited.

The Rules on the Road This Winter

Until the county announces a Phase 1 opening, all public recreation stays on East Canyon Road. The rest of the ranch is closed. As KPCW put it, people should not stray from the road. The county's 910 Ranch StoryMap lists the current reminders:

• East Canyon Road is not a designated off-leash area.
• Dogs must be on a leash or lead, or wear an electronic collar, with the owner carrying a physical leash.
• Dogs must stay within the owner's voice and sight command and may not go past the road's edges onto ranch property.
• Pet waste stations are placed along the road.
• No hunting, no fishing, and no floating, wading or other use of the river.
• Fires and sparks of any kind are restricted.

The ranch lies in both Summit and Morgan counties, and the county notes that leash laws change at the county line. The Summit County rule comes from Summit County Code 5-1-9, which the county summarizes in its dog leash FAQ. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the county's current code yourself before relying on it.

Hunting on the property is permanently prohibited, a commitment the county made to the former landowner.

The People in Orange Vests

Walkers on the road this fall have likely passed volunteers in orange vests. These are 910 Ranch Volunteer Ambassadors, who help county staff with daily monitoring of East Canyon Road and the ranch. TownLift previewed an ambassador-led hike set for Oct. 12, about three miles on dirt two-track roads, with stops to talk about the property and its recreation plans.

The ambassador program is at capacity. The county posts news about public engagement, volunteer openings and project progress through the Lands and Natural Resources newsletter. The county says recreation stays limited to East Canyon Road until it announces an official Phase 1 opening.

The planned trail runs past the same gate and creek where Jeremy Ranch walkers go now. If you'd like to see the land around the Phase 1 trail and the neighborhood streets that lead to it, Inhabit Park City can show you around. Schedule a Neighborhood Tour.