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Salt Lake City completes Donner Trail Park revitalization

Salt Lake City completes Donner Trail Park revitalization

Built World Salt Lake City, UT local

New playgrounds, water-wise landscaping and the city's first memorial tree grove open at the 14.3-acre East Bench park, funded by the 2022 parks bond.

Yesterday: Park completion celebrated

Overview

Updated Yesterday

Salt Lake City has completed its revitalization of Donner Trail Park, a 14.3-acre green space at the base of the Wasatch foothills in the East Bench neighborhood. The project adds new playgrounds for a wider range of ages, water-wise landscaping, a connected walking pathway, public art, and the city's first Memorial Tree Grove where residents can dedicate a tree to a loved one. The improvements ran on about $850,000 from the voter-approved Parks, Trails, and Open Space General Obligation Bond, with an additional $434,000 for the tree grove through the city's capital improvement program.

The park sits in the East Bench, an older neighborhood that had aged playgrounds and underused open space. The redesign builds on the park's existing scenic views of the Salt Lake Valley, adding shaded walking routes and a community gathering space. The Memorial Tree Grove is the first such program in the city, letting residents reserve a tree with a $380 donation; planting begins in spring 2027. The project closes a chapter in the city's larger effort to modernize its parks after voters approved the $85 million bond in 2022.

Why it matters

The city's first memorial tree grove gives residents a new, permanent way to honor loved ones in a public park while expanding tree canopy in a fast-growing region.

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Key Indicators

$850K
Bond funding for revitalization
From the $85M Parks, Trails, and Open Space GO Bond voters approved in 2022.
$434K
Capital improvement funding for tree grove
Allocated through the city's capital improvement program.
14.3
Park size (acres)
Donner Trail Park's total area in the East Bench.
83
Trees available in Memorial Grove
First-phase trees across 17 species available for reservation.

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People Involved

Erin Mendenhall
Erin Mendenhall
Mayor of Salt Lake City
In office; champion of the parks bond
JC
Jana Cunningham
Communications and Engagement Manager, Salt Lake City Department of Public Lands
Spokesperson for the department
 Adam Kuby
Adam Kuby
Artist, 'Journey Lines'
Selected via public art RFQ
 Kim Shelley
Kim Shelley
Director, Salt Lake City Department of Public Lands
In role

Organizations Involved

Salt Lake City Public Lands Department
Salt Lake City Public Lands Department
Municipal Department
Implementing agency

Manages Salt Lake City's parks, trails, urban forestry, and open spaces.
Salt Lake City Public Art Program
Salt Lake City Public Art Program
City Arts Program
Commissioned public artwork

Oversees the city's public art collection and commissions, funded in part by 1.5% of GO Bond proceeds.
Parks, Trails, and Open Space General Obligation Bond
Parks, Trails, and Open Space General Obligation Bond
Municipal Bond
Funding source

Voter-approved $85M bond for parks, trails, and open space improvements citywide.

Timeline

July 1846 October 2026

7 events Latest: Yesterday
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Park completion celebrated

    Latest Milestone

    City celebrates the newly revitalized park with playgrounds, water-wise landscaping, a walking pathway, public art, and the first Memorial Tree Grove.

  2. Construction begins

    Construction

    Crews start redesign, closing rotating sections of the park over several months.

  3. Adam Kuby selected for 'Journey Lines'

    Selection

    Design board and Public Art Program select Kuby's design featuring sculpted berms and stone elements.

  4. Public art RFQ issued

    Procurement

    Public Art Program issues Call for Artists with $107,500 budget for a site-specific artwork at Donner Trail Park.

  5. Community engagement begins

    Planning

    Public Lands conducts first phase of community engagement to gather input on park improvements.

  6. Voters approve $85M parks bond

    Funding

    Salt Lake City residents pass the Parks, Trails, and Open Space General Obligation Bond to fund park improvements citywide.

  7. Donner-Reed Party treks through the valley

    Historical

    The party whose name the park honors passed through the Salt Lake Valley in summer 1846, before its disastrous winter in the Sierra Nevada.

Scenarios

1

Memorial Grove thrives with high demand

Possible Resolves by May 1, 2027

Discussed by: City officials and park planners

The 83 available trees in the first Memorial Tree Grove are reserved quickly once online reservations open. The city expands the program to more parks and adds additional tree species, making the grove a signature community feature.

2

Memorial Grove grows steadily but slowly

Likely Resolves by May 1, 2027

Discussed by: Community garden planners

Tree reservations come in at a moderate pace, with the grove filling over a few years rather than months. The program continues and the planting schedule extends into 2028.

3

Grove underperforms, program reevaluated

Unlikely Resolves by May 1, 2027

Discussed by: City budget analysts

Fewer than 30% of trees are reserved. The city considers adjusting the $380 donation, expanding species choices, or reallocating remaining grove space to other uses.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

July 1846

Donner-Reed Party (1846)

The Donner-Reed Party, a group of 87 pioneers heading west, passed through the Salt Lake Valley in late July 1846. They took the Hastings Cutoff through the Wasatch Mountains before their journey ended in tragedy in the Sierra Nevada during winter, where dozens died and some resorted to cannibalism.

Then

Of the 87, roughly half survived; the party became the most infamous cautionary tale of Western overland migration.

Now

Their route marked an early precursor to the mass Mormon migration that settled the Salt Lake Valley a year later in 1847.

Why this matters now

Donner Trail Park was established decades ago to commemorate that crossing, making the park's name a deliberate memorial to a pre-pioneer moment in the valley's history.

November 2022

Salt Lake City parks GO Bond (2022)

Salt Lake City voters approved an $85 million general obligation bond for parks, trails, and open space improvements. The measure funded the Donner Trail Park project and other park renovations citywide.

Then

The bond funded the first full renovation of an existing park (Steenblik Park) and then Donner Trail Park.

Now

The bond represents a sustained municipal commitment to expanding and modernizing urban green space in a fast-growing city.

Why this matters now

This project is a direct result of that bond measure, making it a test case for how the city applies voter-approved funding to neighborhood parks.

Sources

(4)
+1
SLC.gov KSL.com Salt Lake City Public Art Program Salt Lake City Department of Public Lands

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