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The Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) is a Utah trail project of mammoth proportions. The BST was originally envisioned as a 280-mile trail running from the Utah/Idaho border in the north to the community of Nephi, UT, in the south. Roughly 100 miles of the 280 have been built, and the remaining miles are proving to be the most challenging.
Pedaling the shoreline of an ancient lake
The shoreline of the ancient Lake Bonneville inspired the present-day BST route. Roughly 13,000 years ago, the vast lake stretched across what is now Utah, Nevada, and Idaho, covering approximately 19,800 square miles. The lake’s waves gradually sculpted a terrace into the mountainside, forming what today serves as the eastern edge of Utah’s Salt Lake Valley. For generations, local inhabitants — from the region’s first indigenous residents to modern suburbanites — have uncovered remnants of this prehistoric lake, including fossilized shells.
This distinctive landscape provided natural paths along the mountainsides, routes that have been in use for thousands of years. With the growing population along the Wasatch Front, these trails became increasingly popular. In 1990, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail was officially designated to curb damage from unauthorized motor vehicle use, which was degrading the terrain and negatively impacting the experience for hikers and mountain bikers.
Local riders in Logan concocted plans to connect a missing section of the BST themselves…