Residents push back on recreation plan for 910 Cattle Ranch
Residents pressed Summit County to cap parking and curb unsupervised use at 910 Cattle Ranch, a $55 million open-space purchase now set up for 5 miles of trails.
Residents pressed Summit County to rein in recreation at 910 Cattle Ranch during a June 24 public hearing, arguing the 8,588-acre property in Jeremy Ranch should not absorb more traffic, parking or casual access than the county is proposing. The draft plan would divide the ranch into a community zone, an exploratory area and a conservation core, with the base area allowing dogs and likely about 5 miles of trails.
County Lands and Natural Resources Director Jess Kirby called the proposal an adaptive management plan that could tighten if officials decide stronger restrictions are needed. In the current draft, the conservation core would be reserved mainly for education, research or special permits, while the exploratory area would allow limited recreation under stricter rules. The current draft does not include paving or other high-impact development, and conservation, not recreation, is the priority for the property.
Residents at the hearing objected to unsupervised recreation and warned that heavier use could disturb wildlife on land that sits near the Great Western Trail and connects to a larger habitat corridor. David Atherley, a longtime local involved with ranching and other activities on the property for more than 40 years, urged the county not to install the full 240 parking spaces allowed under the conservation easement and to keep Kirby’s recommended 40-car lot instead.
910 Cattle Ranch is the county’s largest open-space acquisition in history and one of the last contiguous mountain ranches privately held by a single landowner in western Summit County and the Snyderville Basin. Summit County closed on the land in January 2026 after a purchase process that began with a 2023 option agreement. The $55 million deal was backed by a $40 million U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy grant and a $347,760 Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation award for trail system planning.
Before the hearing, county staff held stakeholder meetings with neighboring owners, homeowners associations and state agencies, along with an open house and survey.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
