Through most of 2025 and 2026, driving Old Ranch Road meant temporary signals, flaggers and orange barrels at the SR-224 turn. This November, the work at both ends of the road is finished or paused for the season.
Summit County's project put a paved trail between Round Valley and Willow Creek Park. Willow Creek Park is where Basin Recreation runs its groomed winter loops and, when conditions allow, a free natural ice rink. The road work turned two separate trail systems into one corridor. This winter is the first time anyone gets to use that corridor in snow.
Two Construction Seasons, Down to the Final Signs in July
The scope was larger than the lane closures suggested. A project summary KPCW reported in January 2025 listed a 1.7-mile paved trail connection between Willow Creek Park and the Round Valley trailhead. It also listed wider shoulders, three traffic islands, a relocated irrigation ditch and buried power lines.
The first season was the disruptive one. TownLift reported in June 2025 that the road was closed to people on foot and on bikes because of safety concerns, with several projects underway at once, including a new 10-foot asphalt trail section. In August 2025 a stretch about a quarter-mile south of a Round Valley trailhead closed to all traffic, and TownLift noted that the paved trail section connecting to that trailhead was complete.
Crews came back on May 22, 2026, with one-lane traffic under temporary signals, according to the county's May newsletter. This year added the third traffic island on W. Old Ranch Road, with five-foot shoulders on each side for people biking and walking. The county's project page said major construction was complete and that crews expected to finish shoulder work and install the final signs the week of July 13–17. The county said the project would be finished once that work was done.
Here is what the project delivers:
- A paved trail link between Willow Creek Park and the Round Valley trailhead, 1.7 miles in the original plan
- Five-foot paved shoulders on both sides of the road
- Three traffic islands on W. Old Ranch Road, two built in 2025 and one in 2026
- The irrigation ditch moved and the overhead power lines buried
The trail is its own connection, separate from the road. The road itself got shoulders, not a separated path along its full length.
The North End Clears for Winter, Too
The other half of the cone problem was at the top of the road. On SR-224, High Valley Transit's bus rapid transit work went through the Old Ranch intersection this year. In August, KPCW reported that Old Ranch Road was the first neighborhood street to close at SR-224 for paving, with traffic sent to Cutter Lane.
That segment is now largely built. On its construction updates page, HVT lists an improved intersection and new signals at Old Ranch, Silver Springs Drive and Olympic Boulevard. Construction has also started on the Bobsled and Cutter Lane BRT stations. HVT's project FAQ lists Old Ranch North and Old Ranch South as existing stops due for upgrades, and Cutter as one of four new stations.
HVT's Gabe Shields described the winter plan to KPCW in October. The orange cones will come off the road, and some sections will have dedicated bus lanes. "Where we've completed work between Olympic [Parkway] and Canyons [Drive], we're essentially going to have the BRT running just about fully complete," he told the station. HVT also says it will remove traffic control and reopen trails for the winter. Crews may still work on local bus stops when the weather allows.
Work on SR-224 resumes in spring 2027 with widening on other parts of SR-224, and HVT expects the full project to open at the end of 2028. For one winter, though, the Old Ranch corridor has neither a county work zone at one end nor a state-route work zone at the other.
Where the New Pavement Leads in Snow
Willow Creek Park sits at the corner of Old Ranch Road and Split Rail Lane. Basin Recreation describes it as 17.5 acres with a playground, dog park, courts, fields, pavilions and multi-use trails, plus protected open space next door. In summer it is a park with a trail running through it. In winter, Basin's grooming turns it into one of the Basin's Nordic hubs.
Basin's Winter in the Basin guide lists these routes at or reached from the park:
| Route | Winter use | Getting there |
|---|---|---|
| Willow Creek Loop | Groomed multi-use, 4.6 km: Nordic skiing, fat-tire biking, walking | Circles the park and open space |
| Miss Billy's | Groomed multi-use | At Willow Creek Park |
| McLeod Creek | Groomed multi-use | At Willow Creek Park |
| Green Heart 5k | Nordic skiing only, with no dogs, bikes or foot traffic | Follow the Willow Creek Loop past the dog park to the entrance near the farm fence |
Basin does not groom on a fixed schedule. It clears commuter paths and trailheads first and posts grooming and classic-track updates on its interactive winter map. The courts go the other way. The park has two tennis courts and eight pickleball courts, and Basin lists courts among its seasonal winter closures.
Before the snow sticks, there is mud. Basin's trails page, updated October 12, sets a simple test: if mud sticks to your wheels or heels, turn around. It points people to paved or compacted-gravel trails, asks them to honor posted closures, and warns that a route can be wet farther along even when the start looks dry. A new paved link from Round Valley helps with exactly that problem.
The Pond Got Work Done Before the Ice
Willow Creek Park Pond, next to the dog park, closed for the season on September 28, 2026. Basin says the timing allows continued bank work to improve access.
In summer the pond belongs to the dogs, with a floating dock for jumping. When conditions permit in winter, Basin clears the snow and mops the surface into a natural skating rink. It is free and open to the public. There are no rentals, so bring your own skates, and dogs are not allowed on the ice. Basin has not announced an opening date for the ice. That depends on the weather.
Two November Dates on the Same Network
The first is at the park itself. On Wednesday, November 4, from 9 a.m. to noon, Basin Recreation hosts a free Planting & Restoration Day. Volunteers plant natives grown in Basin's greenhouse to add pollinator habitat. Meet at the main pavilion near the playground and plan on a half-mile walk to the planting site. All ages are welcome, and registration is required. Basin provides snacks and drinks and asks volunteers to bring water, lunch, sun protection and sturdy footwear.
The second is the 54th annual Park City Ski & Snowboard Swap, two days later at the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse, 1388 Center Drive. Basin's City Tour route starts at Willow Creek Park and names the Fieldhouse as an alternate starting point, so the two are linked by commuter paths. Park City Ski & Snowboard runs the swap, and it is the club's largest fundraiser for its youth programs.
- Gear drop-off: Monday, November 2, through Thursday, November 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Cole Sport on Park Avenue and at Utah Olympic Park.
- What sells: Skis, snowboards, boots and poles, plus clean winter apparel. No equipment older than five years, and no gloves, hats, goggles, helmets, base layers or loose bindings.
- The split: PCSS keeps 30% of consignment sales. Consignors can choose to donate all proceeds instead.
- Sale hours: Friday, November 6, 7 to 11 p.m., for "The Big Night," then Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The sale continues Sunday.
- Free entry: Spend $50 at a participating restaurant that week and get one free Saturday or Sunday entry. Partners include Maxwell's, Bartolo's, Red Rock, Park City Brewing and Hill's Kitchen.
- Unsold gear: Pick it up at the Fieldhouse on Sunday, November 8, from 3 to 5 p.m. Anything left after that is donated.
If the Fieldhouse is part of your regular week, plan around the swap. The turf field closes Thursday at noon through Sunday. The Olympic Weight Room closes Friday through Sunday, there's no Drop-in Soccer on Friday, and fitness classes run on a limited schedule.
Two weeks after the swap's Friday opening night, Park City Mountain is targeting Friday, November 20, for opening day, according to The Park Record. Between now and then, the Old Ranch corridor has a paved link to Round Valley, a finished intersection at SR-224 and a park waiting for its first grooming.
If you'd like to talk about what a finished Old Ranch Road and the coming SR-224 bus lanes mean for your home on this side of the Basin, the Hudgens | Harrison Real Estate Team is glad to help. Schedule a concierge consultation, and we'll pick up the conversation wherever your season starts.
