Riding the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail in Utah

[emily_in_nc]

Has anyone else here ridden this rail trail? Aside from the wind, which was pretty fierce, we really enjoyed the ride!

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/riding-the-historic-union-pacific-rail-trail-in-utah

Hope you enjoy the blog post, whether or not you've ridden the trail!

[BikeDutchess]

Great ride report, Emily! Lower Main Street in Park City was constructed relatively recently, and I understand the "Disneylandish" impressions. Upper Main Street is more authentic.

[north woods gal]

Plus one. Enjoyed the report.

Our family had a reunion in Park City about 7 years, ago, in August, but never had a chance to sneak off, rent a bike and go riding. I would have needed a day or two to adapt to the big change in elevation, anyway. (The resort was up on the ski slopes.) Pretty obvious, though, that biking is a big activity there with all the trails.

Like you, I also find a stretch of paved trail to be a nice break after a long stretch of gravel/dirt. Still, I prefer gravel and dirt rides for getting a better feel for the countryside around me and, well, I just prefer gravel and dirt riding even though I do a lot of pavement work, too. I only have one true 700x25 road bike. My other two drop bar bikes are gravel bikes and, of course, so are my mountain bikes. All riding is good riding, though. As long as I am pedaling, I am happy. :)

[emily_in_nc]

Great ride report, Emily! Lower Main Street in Park City was constructed relatively recently, and I understand the "Disneylandish" impressions. Upper Main Street is more authentic.

Interesting! I honestly didn't know if it was new construction or just extensively renovated, but new construction seemed more likely as in towns that are more historic, you tend to see more brick and stone buildings instead of all that painted wood, at least in cities I'm familiar with. It was very pretty, but just lacked some "grit" that I like in my downtown areas. For example, Hillsborough is one of my very favorite towns in North Carolina, where I'm from. It's super historic and just gorgeous to me:

https://www.google.com/search?q=historic+downtown+hillsborough+nc&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQgrT5-7DPAhWi7IMKHZIfAVQQ_AUICSgC&biw=1186&bih=618

[BikeDutchess]

Park City is an old mining town (and one of the few towns in Utah established by non-Mormons). You're right that there is more frame construction than brick. Most of the historic structures were frame rather than brick (at least the residential ones), and they were put up quickly. The elevation change on Main Street made for additional challenges. As an interesting historic note, the Great Fire of 1898 destroyed 200 of the 350 structures, homes, and businesses on Main Street, but most were rebuilt within 18 months.

If you're really interested ;), this document (http://52.26.130.11/home/showdocument?id=62) has some fascinating historical background as well as the current guidelines for construction in Park City's historic districts. It includes a description of the architectural character of Historic Park City. I love the old photos they've included.

And thus concludes the history and architecture lesson for today. :D

[emily_in_nc]

Thank you, BikeDutchess. As the daughter of an architect who was interested in historical preservation, I love this kind of stuff. :)

[rebeccaC]

Emily…luv all the trip ride photos you’ve been posting and the blog writings!
thanks for taking the time to share with us and others.


I love the old photos they've included.

if you haven't been there, the park city museum has an incredibly large collection of old photos about everyday life and the city/area in their research library.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily…luv all the trip ride photos you’ve been posting and the blog writings!
thanks for taking the time to share with us and others.

You're so welcome! Here's the latest -- not specifically cycling related, but we did ride to see some fascinating sights!

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/doing-it-all-in-dinosaur-national-monument-petroglyphs-homestead-biking-hiking-and-dinosaur-bones-part-1