Sponsors (4)
The bill creates a 280-mile national trail that promises recreation, tourism, and preservation benefits for local communities but leaves key funding, administrative, and land-use implementation details unresolved, shifting risk and uncertainty onto local governments and landowners.
Residents and visitors along the Idaho–Utah corridor gain a new 280-mile nationally designated trail for recreation and tourism from the Idaho–Utah border to Nephi, UT, increasing access to outdoor recreation and regional connectivity.
Local businesses and communities along the route can see increased tourism and outdoor-recreation spending due to the national designation, supporting local economies.
Communities near the historic Lake Bonneville bench gain federal recognition that can aid in preserving cultural and natural resources along the corridor.
Local governments and communities face expectations of federal involvement without allocated funding or management details, risking unfunded obligations and planning uncertainty for trail stewardship.
Trail protection, improvements, and consistent management may be delayed or patchy because the bill does not assign administration or land-acquisition authority, leaving implementation fragmented across jurisdictions.
Private landowners and homeowners near the corridor could face perceived or real land-use restrictions or conflicts if subsequent implementing actions are taken after the federal designation.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Designates the roughly 280-mile Bonneville Shoreline Trail corridor as a National Scenic or National Historic Trail from the Idaho–Utah border to Nephi, Utah.
Official title: 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.
Introduced May 15, 2025 by Mike Kennedy · Last progress May 15, 2025
Designates the Bonneville Shoreline Trail — a roughly 280-mile corridor tracing the ancient Lake Bonneville bench from the Idaho–Utah border to Nephi, Utah — as a new National Scenic or National Historic Trail. The statutory change only adds the trail to the list of designated trails and does not assign administration, acquisition authority, funding, or program details.