City Cast Salt Lake podcast host Ali Vallarta here. My New Year’s resolution is to visit all 511 parks in Salt Lake County, and I’m sharing stellar finds along the way.
Salt Lake City has big plans for Glendale Regional Park, welcoming a new crown jewel to SLC’s westside, and paid for in part by voters via the $85 million parks bond. The city has already broken ground. Here’s what to expect.
⛲ Amenities & Activities
This is quite an ambitious project, with plans for a boardwalk on the Jordan River Trail, kayak rentals, a public outdoor pool, roller skating and ice skating rinks, dog and skate parks, a riverside beach with sand volleyball, a sledding hill, and plenty of picnic areas.
Love activities, but the best park amenity is trees. (Ali Vallarta/City Cast Salt Lake)
🚧 Slow Construction Phases
Glendale Regional Park is being built in phases, with the first scheduled to open next summer. That includes the playground, basketball court, and a few pickleball courts.
Phase two won’t break ground until 2026. Salt Lake City needs to coordinate with Salt Lake County to staff some amenities, like the pool.
🏡 Green Gentrification
New amenities can raise the nearby cost of living, and Glendale is a neighborhood fighting gentrification. Salt Lake City used neighborhood feedback to curate the list of amenities, and a majority of residents surveyed are happy with the proposal. Still, this park may be considered green gentrification (environmental improvements that can displace low-income residents).
🛝 Related Reading
I’ve got more park scoops for you! From a Murray Park obsession to SLC’s new playground strategy and our most unusual parks.
