Salt Lake County is moving to keep throttle-powered e-bikes off its natural dirt trails, including popular routes through Butterfield and Yellow Fork Canyons, while slapping a $150 fine on any e-bike rider caught going faster than 20 mph on multi-use trails and in parks. The county council voted to advance the proposed ordinance, setting up a public hearing and further discussion at next week’s council meeting.
The plan would ban Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes, both of which are equipped with throttles, from natural dirt trails and parks in unincorporated parts of the county, according to KSL News. Class 1 e-bikes, which are pedal-assisted rather than throttle-driven, would still be allowed but would be capped at 20 mph, with violators facing the $150 fine. Council member Suzanne Harrison said throttle-equipped e-bikes could pose dangers to other trail users and to the trails themselves.
Butterfield and Yellow Fork Canyons Named Directly
Butterfield Canyon and Yellow Fork Canyon are both specifically named as areas covered by the proposed ordinance, per the same KSL report. Butterfield Trailhead Regional Park in Herriman, which opened in August 2023 on 17 acres of reclaimed Rio Tinto Kennecott mining land, offers more than 13 miles of multi-use dirt trails that connect directly into Yellow Fork Canyon as part of the Southwest Canyon Trails Network, according to the Herriman Journal. That kind of soft-surface terrain is exactly what county officials say is most at risk from higher-speed, throttle-driven e-bikes.
Harrison framed the ordinance as an effort to add clarity and safety rather than to crack down on riders, saying the goal is definitions and safety, with education taking priority over enforcement. She added that the county wants its trails to last, and wants everyone to be able to have fun and stay safe while using them. Lisa Hartman said e-bikes have brought new people, returning users, and young riders out to parks and trails, but that influx of new trail traffic has also created new conflicts among different types of users.
County Wants to Encourage Riding, Not Discourage It
Hartman emphasized that the county does not want to discourage people from riding bikes altogether, even as it tries to manage the fallout from a surge in e-bike popularity. Salt Lake County has also asked other municipalities to consider updating their own park rules to match, and the county mayor may separately consider changes to park regulations. The proposed ordinance itself would apply specifically to unincorporated areas of the county, leaving cities to decide whether to follow suit on their own trails…