480-acre easement permanently protects Payson Canyon recreation land
A 480-acre easement at Payson Canyon locks in biking, hiking and horseback access after decades of work around the Forebay area.
A 480-acre conservation easement at the base of Payson Canyon has permanently protected the Forebay Area for public recreation, capping years of work by Payson and Lehi to keep the land open for bikes, hikes and horses close to town. The deal secures the foothill property in a partnership between the two cities and protects the trail-adjacent ground that has become one of Payson’s most important outdoor access points.
Carey Pierce started building mountain bike trails in the area in 2003 after working at a bike shop and helping with an Onion Days race route. What began as a few connector trails grew into a broader community push to save the terrain not only for riders, but for everyone who uses the canyon for recreation. Supporters spent years pushing to keep Forebay available for future generations as development pressure grew around open space near Payson.
Payson acquired about 500 acres in the foothills south of the city limits in early 2001 to protect watershed, wildlife habitat and local recreation. The 2020 Forebay Area Management Plan places the property adjacent to the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest along the Mt. Nebo Scenic Byway and has long supported hunting, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and motorized OHV riding. A 2008 management plan focused on conservation, and later the city and the Payson Forebay Committee worked with Friends of Forebay, National Park Service staff and Brigham Young University students on site visits from August 2019 through September 2020 before the updated plan was finalized.
Over the previous five years, Payson added a parking lot, a bridge, restrooms at the lower access point and more trails. In 2025, the city approved a concept plan for a future mountain bike park on the north part of Forebay with five biking zones: short track, dual slalom, bike park core, flow zone and tech zone. The Forebay Committee, a seven-member advisory board to the City Council, also listed 2025 accomplishments that included approval of the bike park, two new trails, benches, a trail maintenance employee and an equestrian trail.
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