Scenic park with bike trails opens in Santaquin Canyon | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo provided, Santaquin City

Cyclists of all ages now have a new place to ride their bikes in a safe area away from the roads with great views and plenty of space. The new Santaquin Bike Skills Park at Prospector View Park opened on August 2nd and will have a grand opening on Tuesday August 27th.

According to John Bradley, city services director, the park has easy, moderate and difficult skill areas with 14 courses and seven future courses. The park is for non-motorized bicycles. Participants will follow the difficulty levels and park rules posted on site, he said.

Construction on Prospector View began in 2022. Over 2,000 hours of volunteer work were put in to complete the project in just over two years. The cost of the project was $400,000, including the final piece of the project – a pavilion with picnic benches that will be built this fall. Half of the project was funded by a Utah Outdoor Recreation grant, according to Bradley. Park overhead fees and the Santaquin Recreation, Arts and Parks (RAP) tax were also used for funding.

Mayor Dan Olson said he grew up in Santaquin and spent a lot of time outdoors.

“During the 2021 campaign and throughout the campaign, it became clear that there was a need for more recreational opportunities and to open a canyon that was closed after the 2018 fires,” he said. “I got to work early on, and in a few months the road from Santaquin City to Nebo Loop will be open again. But I wanted more. I knew about the 120 acres the city owned in the canyon and thought a city park with mountain bike and hiking trails would be perfect.”

Photo provided, Santaquin City

The park was chosen as the 2024 Facility of the Year by the Utah Recreation Parks and Recreation Association (URPA). According to Olson, there are four different levels of difficulty with wide and steep turns, jumps and hills to ride.

“The Santaquin Prospector View and Mountain Bike Park was built in the canyon in a setting that offers views of Utah Valley as well as the surrounding mountain peaks. The trails are named after pioneer families who explored the mountains for minerals, dug mines, supported their families and built the town,” said Olson. “This park is a gem that many will discover in the days, months and years to come. This park has plans for more and more as we take advantage of opportunities to expand it.”

Lindsay Scott, event coordinator for the recreation department, said there has been a lot of encouraging feedback from the community showing enthusiasm for involving children in outdoor activities.

“It seems that people of different ages already find the activities in the park valuable and express great satisfaction with their experiences,” she said.

Scott believes that when government invests in and focuses on outdoor recreation, communities across the country thrive.

“In today’s society, where there is a desire to encourage children to spend more time outdoors and less time on electronic devices, this becomes even more important,” she said. “A skills park provides an opportunity to develop and improve desired skills and can potentially develop into a sport when the children reach high school and can join a mountain bike team.”

The grand opening The event will take place on Tuesday, August 27th at 5pm. Everyone is invited to enjoy music, food and a kick-off to a unique and adventurous bike skills park.

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