Gunnison G-Hill Recreation Plan

Project Summary 

The G-Hill is a storied and historic landmark to the rural city of Gunnison, Utah. In order to gather community support and acquire funding a plan that detailed preservation and restoration areas was requested of LAEP Extension. The plan became the basis for community support and the document used as rationale for a grant that provided Gunnison City the funding required to purchase the G-Hill, and acquire a long term lease of the surrounding recreational areas for the citizens to enjoy into the future.

Project Description

LAEP Extension was invited by the National Park Service’s Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program to assist the rural community of Gunnison, Utah develop a preservation and recreation plan for an area known by locals as the “G-Hill”. The plan built upon planning efforts completed by the NPS RTCA program by providing detailed planning and design recommendations within the general plan amendments suggested by the RTCA project. This area of land was owned and managed by the State Institutional Trust Lands (SITLA) land, located adjacent to the community and is home to the town’s landmark letter G on the hill. LAEP Extension hosted a series of workshops to identify priority elements for the area and to raise awareness that ownership and management this community asset could change in the future if not preserved. Through the development of a recreational plan for the G-Hill area LAEP Extension identified areas critical for preservation, and a series of phasing options for developing recreational facilities and trails and their related leasing and purchase recommendations.