While this week’s featured hike isn’t your traditional mountain trail, the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is a wonderful place to explore with your family.

Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve spans 4,400 acres of wetland habitat along the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake. The wetlands of the Great Salt Lake provide nesting and feeding areas for over 250 species of birds, resulting in over 4 million birds visiting each year! In fact, some of the largest gatherings of birds on the Great Salt Lake have been observed right at the visitor’s center of the Great Salt Lake Shoreland Preserve.

Once at the preserve, you’ll be able to enjoy a boarded walkway that will take you on a loop around much of the preserve. This loop is approximately 1.3 miles and is flat, making it the perfect trail for all ages. Along the boardwalk, you’ll find several educational exhibits offering lessons about the Great Salt Lake’s birdlife, habitats, and the need to protect this important area.

When you are feeling restless and need to get out of the house, visiting the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is the perfect solution. Your whole family will enjoy the fresh air, beautiful scenery, and counting how many different birds you can spot.

The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is stunning at sunset. Visit in the early evening and watch the sun melt into the Great Salt Lake from the preserve’s beautiful open-air pavilion and observation tower.

You can learn more about the Great Salt Lake Shoreland Preserve and even listen to an audio tour here.

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While visiting this trail, remember to practice #ResponsibleRecreation. Maintain social distancing, stay home if you are sick, keep dogs on a leash and pickup after them, and “pack it in – pack out”.