In this study investigation was made concerning the etiology of the foot trails that thread their way through Wasatch Forest lands in Salt Lake county. The time delimitation was 1847 to 1975.The origin of the majority of these trails dates back to the nineteenth century and is closely tied to the efforts of pioneers who labored to wrest a living from semi-arid land. Early lumbering, livestock operations, mining activities, water collection systems, and pioneer recreation all provided impetus for trail development. In a sense these trails are a kind of anthology of human endeavor.Passing into the twentieth century it was found that with the exception of emergency relief programs, particularly the Civilian Conservation Corps, very little development has occurred and trail maintenance has been inadequate.Trail prestige increased in the wake of the surge of interest that found legislative expression in the National Trails System Act of 1968. However, in recent years they have been subordinated in the face of what are considered to be matters of great urgency.