Logan • A trail that follows winding Canyon Road — offering cliffside views and connecting to routes leading into Logan Canyon — has been fenced off by private landowners for more than two years.
Now, the city is preparing to take the matter to court.
After 18 months of unsuccessful negotiations, the Logan City Council on Tuesday voted to allocate $150,000 from its risk management reserves to cover anticipated legal costs in a dispute that has frustrated trail users and left a once-popular path blocked.
“The connection in our trail system there at 600 East and 400 North is just a really critical one for our whole system,” said Logan Mayor Holly Daines, “and it’s in an area that’s been open to the public for years and years.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) A trail that follows Logan's Canyon Road, near the Utah State University campus, in 2024. This week, the Logan City Council voted to set aside $150,000 for a legal fight over trail access.
The blocked off section, about 500 feet long, was fenced off in 2023 by homeowners who claim it sits on private land. For years, the trail had been used freely by hikers, runners, cyclists and dog walkers — including many Utah State University students walking between campus and Logan’s Island neighborhood. The disruption forces residents onto a steep detour or along the busy 400 North corridor.
The city has retained a land use law firm that is now drafting a formal complaint, Daines said.
“We really had hoped to work something out with the property owners,” she said. “It could be a win-win, but unfortunately, it’s not our choice. But we’re going to litigation, and we’ll ultimately let the courts decide.”
The landowners could not immediately be reached for comment.