Council, Forest Service clarify naming rules as Bountiful works to rename and name trails

Bountiful city staff and the U.S. Forest Service discussed federal naming rules and next steps after several locally proposed trail names were found to conflict with Forest Service criteria.

The city's trails coordinator told the council that the Forest Service requires trail names to be tied to natural landscape or geographic features, disallows names specific to a user group, and will not consider names associated with a person. "The trails need to be associated with natural landscape or geographical feature," staff said, adding that "the name cannot be specific to a user group" and "names associated with a person will not be considered." The Forest Service representative explained the approval process escalates regionally to the Washington office and can take considerable time for names tied to people.

The guidance followed review of about 10'11 trails city staff identified for naming or renaming, including Trail 20201 (Sunset), Trail 30301 (Mahogany Ridge), Trails 307 and 406 (formerly Peregrine), Trail 405, Trail 409, Trail 501 (King Green), Trail 502, and a combined 304/305 (previously proposed as Bell and Co). Staff said some of the proposed names were accepted by the Forest Service, while others were not. Staff noted that a proposal using "syrup" in a name was rejected because the local trees are not the kind used to produce edible syrup; "maple" as a landscape descriptor could be acceptable.

Councilmembers and trails staff discussed options to speed the naming process because many trails are already open and signage and maps are needed. A councilmember asked whether changing spellings (for example, using the bird name spelling "peregrine" or switching to a different raptor name such as "falcon") would help; staff and the Forest Service representative said bird names that describe local landscape or wildlife are more likely to be approved than names intended to honor a person because naming for an individual triggers a lengthier federal review.

Council direction and next steps included asking the trails committee to supply multiple, descriptive name recommendations (three to four per trail) vetted against the Forest Service criteria and for staff to present those recommendations to the council. Council members discussed prioritizing names for trails already open: the council identified Peregrine (formerly), Maple Syrup (to be renamed), and the 304/305 (formerly Bell and Co) as early priorities. A timeline agreed in the meeting called for councilmembers to email suggested committee appointees within about a week so invitations could be sent and staff could pursue names with the Forest Service ahead of signage and mapping changes.

The discussion also noted two trails originally proposed to honor residents; staff said they had already spoken with one family and would consult the other about alternative ways to memorialize contributors if the Forest Service would not approve a person'based trail name. Staff and council members said the goal is to produce a list of names that meet Forest Service requirements and to coordinate closely with families and the Forest Service to avoid delays.

Members emphasized practical guidance for name selection: favor landscape or geographic descriptors, avoid user-group references or playful terms that could mislead (for example, "syrup" was judged misleading), and confirm that an identified landscape feature lies within Forest Service land. Councilmembers also discussed holding a joint work session with the trails committee to review vetted recommendations, but several said it would be more efficient if the committee and staff first assembled vetted options.

City staff summarized the immediate next steps: staff will ask the trails committee for recommended names that conform to Forest Service criteria, staff will share candidate lists with the Forest Service for quick review, and the council will receive recommendations at an upcoming meeting. The council and staff agreed to aim for names on a short timeline so trails that are already open can receive signage and be reflected correctly on maps.