Summit County wins $347,760 for 910 Ranch trail system development

Summit County secured $347,760 to move forward with trail system development at the 910 Ranch Recreation Area, a grant that will help turn newly protected land into a more usable public recreation asset.

The award went to the Summit County Lands & Natural Resources Department through the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant program, which this year distributed more than $19 million to 81 outdoor recreation infrastructure projects across 27 counties. The state program is aimed at new recreation infrastructure and is designed to support local economic development, tourism and quality-of-life improvements.

For Summit County, the money lands at a moment when public land policy and recreation planning are increasingly tied together. County officials closed on the 910 Cattle Ranch in January for $55 million, describing the 8,588-acre purchase as the largest conservation project in county history. The new trail funding gives the county another tool to convert that acreage into something residents can actually use, with trail access and related infrastructure moving from planning to physical construction.

The project name, 910 Ranch Recreation Area Phase II: Trail System Development, signals that the county is beyond the acquisition stage and into the work of building out a trail network. In practical terms, residents can expect a more defined recreation area on the ground, with trails intended to support hikers, bikers and other public users as the site is developed in stages. The county’s own grants-and-partnerships program has long emphasized land preservation, ecosystem restoration, public access and recreation, and this award fits that strategy.

The grant also reinforces a broader Wasatch Back pattern: local governments are using outside money to stretch tax dollars and speed up recreation projects that might otherwise compete with roads, housing and other budget demands. Summit County has already laid out another example in Ure Ranch, an 835-acre property the county says will provide public outdoor recreation opportunities with trails for hiking, biking and equestrian use. That project is being funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Utah Outdoor Recreation Initiative, county open-space bond funds and transient room tax dollars.

Statewide, the 2026 round follows a record-setting 2025 grant cycle, when the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation said it funded 142 projects across all 29 counties. The division framed those dollars as investments in community health, mental health, rural economies and stewardship of Utah’s lands. In Summit County, the immediate test will be simpler: whether the new money delivers visible trail improvements at 910 Ranch and helps turn conservation into daily public access.