In Utah, trails have been built and maintained for use by anyone looking for an inexpensive way to get from one place to another, a safe and comfortable place to exercise, or just a great way to spend time in our beautiful outdoors. Utah recognizes that providing for active living, through community design, is also a health issue. Trails, walkways, parks, and recreation centers are what we call Active Community Environments (ACEs).

There is strong scientific evidence that regular physical activity promotes health and reduces risk of premature death and many chronic diseases. It is recommended that adults obtain a minimum of 30 minutes of moderated intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, on most, if not all, days of the week. Scientific evidence also shows that providing access to ACEs increases the level of physical activity in a community.

This web site tells you how to help create places for people to walk and bicycle, as well as identifies where you can find such places for your own use. It is designed to help in the development of even more opportunities for Utahns to get out, get active, and get fit. Browse through its pages' for information on trail building and funding, location paths and trails, health benefits of walking and bicycling, and ways for you to become involved in this new and exciting community movement.

UtahWalks.org is also the home of our Mile Tracker. Need extra motivation to get walking? The citizens of Iowa recently announced they had logged enough miles to walk to the moon. Iowa then extended the challenge to Utah, daring us to come close to their numbers. But we decided to go one more than Iowa, and walk to Mars. Right now, the red planet is closer to earth than ever before, only 34 million miles away.

Walking to Mars may sound impossible, but not when you consider the achievements of Utah's Gold Medal School Initiative. In less than one school year, students from Utah's 140 Gold Medal schools walked enough miles to get to the moon and back again three times - a whopping 1,444,770 miles. And if their parents were to add their miles to those of their children, Mars would be an even closer goal to achieve.

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