A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would require the U.S. Department of the Interior to study whether the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Utah should be officially designated as part of the National Trails System — the federal program that recognizes and supports important hiking and recreational trails across the country. The study would look at things like the trail's historical and recreational value, its current condition, land ownership along the route, and whether formal federal designation would be practical and beneficial.

Importantly, this bill does not actually designate the trail — it only directs the government to study the idea. If the study finds that designation makes sense, a separate action by Congress would be needed to make it official. This is a standard process used before adding new trails to the national system.

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail follows the ancient shoreline of Lake Bonneville, a massive prehistoric lake that once covered much of what is now Utah and neighboring states. The trail runs along the base of the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City and other communities. People who use the trail for hiking, running, and other outdoor activities, as well as local communities and land managers in the region, would be most directly affected if the trail were eventually designated. Federal designation can bring increased funding, better maintenance, and greater public awareness to a trail.

The bill has been introduced in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, where it has had a hearing and been approved by the committee with some amendments.