Things to do in Snyderville: Open Land Next to Park City
A plain guide to Snyderville, Utah: a wetland preserve, Olympic venues and reservoirs and trails a short drive away.
8 Oct 2026
Snyderville is not a town with a main street. It is an unincorporated area in Summit County, about 4 miles northwest of Park City, in the western part of the Snyderville Basin. It covers about 11 square miles at an elevation near 6,500 feet. Settlers first arrived in 1865, and the place was named for G. G. Snyder.
Today it is mostly a place where people live, so it has few sights of its own. What it does have is a good position. Two large public places sit inside or beside the basin, and a handful of state parks are within an easy drive.
Outdoors
Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter spreads over 1,200 acres at the entry to Park City. It is a wetland with trails open to visitors, and bird watching is a main reason to go. Utah State University runs the site as a research location. Guided walks are offered for children and adults, along with family activities and summer camps.
The preserve has about 10 miles of trails and protects high alpine wetlands, with 533 acres under a federal wetland easement since 2001. It began in 1993 with a 190-acre gift of ranch land in memory of Leland Swaner, and it passed 1,000 acres by 1999. The EcoCenter building opened in 2008 and earned a LEED Platinum green-building rating in 2009. The preserve became part of Utah State University in 2010.
The Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail is a state park that runs nearly 30 miles from the mountains near Park City to Echo Reservoir. It follows the Weber River through Silver Creek Canyon's wetland meadows. Biking, hiking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing are all allowed. The line began as a narrow-gauge coal railway in the 1870s, and Utah calls it its first non-motorized rail trail.
Places to see
The Utah Olympic Park sits close by in Summit County. It was built for the 2002 Winter Games and covers nearly 400 acres. It has one of only four sliding tracks in North America and six Nordic ski jumps, and athletes still train there. Inside the Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center you can find the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum. The building also holds the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame and the PSIA Ski Hall of Fame, plus a library open to visitors. The park is an official training site for the U.S. Olympic committee.
For families
Swaner has programs made for children, and its trails give them room to look for birds. The Olympic Park adds zip lines and a mountain coaster, along with its museums.
A short drive away
Rockport State Park sits on Rockport Reservoir near Peoa. People boat, fish for trout and bass, camp, hike, bike and kayak there. It is an International Dark Sky Park, so a clear night brings a big sky full of stars. In winter there is ice fishing. The park has more than 100 campsites across five campgrounds, floating boat docks, and rentals of canoes, kayaks and paddleboards.
Jordanelle State Park, in Wasatch County, has three recreation areas on a big reservoir. It is a Dark Sky Park too, with boating, fishing, camping, hiking and biking. Hailstone is the area for picnics, camping and boating, Rock Cliff has the nature center, and Ross Creek is for day visits. The Provo River fills the reservoir.
When the weather turns
Plan an hour or two at the Olympic Park museums. Check each site's own page for what is open.
Getting around
Snyderville has no town center, so you will drive from one stop to the next. Kimball Junction, at Interstate 80 and State Route 224, has a transit center with connections to Park City and Salt Lake City.
Good to know
Snyderville is residential. Most visits start from Park City or Kimball Junction.
The preserve is wetland, so stay on marked trails.
Mountain weather changes fast. Pack a layer in every season.
Check each site's own page for current hours and trail news.
Find local businesses
Planning a visit, or live nearby and need a hand with something? Browse the local businesses listed in the Park City and Summit County guide to find who serves Snyderville and the towns around it.
Useful links
About Snyderville: the town at a glance
Own a business in Snyderville? Claim or add your listing, free
By Thomas Hassett and Eric Andrews, Local Business America
Photo: Domenico Convertini from Zurich, Schweiz, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Wikipedia, "Snyderville, Utah" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snyderville,_Utah); Wikipedia, "Kimball Junction, Utah" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimball_Junction,_Utah); Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter, USU Extension (https://extension.usu.edu/swaner); Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation (https://utaholympiclegacy.org/); Wikipedia, "Utah Olympic Park" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Olympic_Park); Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter, USU Extension, "Mission & History" (https://extension.usu.edu/swaner/mission-and-history); Alf Engen Ski Museum, "Olympic Park" (https://engenmuseum.org/olympic-park/); Utah State Parks, "Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail" (https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/historic-union-pacific-rail-trail/); Utah State Parks, "Rockport State Park" (https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/rockport/); Utah State Parks, "Jordanelle State Park" (https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/jordanelle/). Wikipedia text is available under CC BY-SA.