Trails right out the back door of the Health City.
Friends of Birch is a group of Smithfield neighbors planning trails for mountain biking, hiking, trail running and snowshoeing on the bench and canyons east of town, from Dry Canyon to Smithfield Canyon.
A connected trail system on the Birch Canyon bench
The foothills above Smithfield are already crisscrossed by user-made paths. Some are great, some are eroding straight down the fall line, and most were never planned. We want to turn that into a trail system people can be proud of: sustainable grades, clear connections to neighborhoods and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, and trailheads you can walk or ride to from home.
Mountain biking
Flowing singletrack built to sustainable grades, with routes for kids and new riders as well as climbs for the rest of us.
Hiking & trail running
Loops of every length from the edge of town, with views across Cache Valley to the Wellsvilles.
Snowshoeing
Trails that stay useful when the bench is under snow, so the foothills are a four-season backyard.
Health City
Smithfield calls itself the Health City. Trails within walking distance of home are one of the simplest ways to live up to that.
Birch Canyon and the county land east of town
Between Dry Canyon and Smithfield Canyon, the Bear River Range rises steeply out of town through sage, juniper and bigtooth maple. In October the maple draws go red; in winter the north-facing slopes hold snow.
Much of this bench is public land owned by Cache County. We're walking it, mapping what's there, and working out where trails make sense, where they don't, and what it would take to build and care for them.
Where we're looking
The dashed outline is the general area we're studying. Lines appear here as the group shares them.
Ride it, walk it, help build it
We need people who know these hills, people who've built trail before, people who write grants, and people who just want a good place to go for a run after work. If that's you, send us a note.
Smithfield City: smithfieldutah.gov