Preserve Snowboarding Access and Culture at Rail Gardens (Olympus Hills Park)

For more than two decades, Olympus Hills Park — widely known as “Rail Gardens” — has been one of the most influential urban snowboarding locations in the world. What began as a local gathering place for Salt Lake snowboarders grew into a landmark of snowboard culture that helped shape the city’s international identity as a winter sports capital.

This petition asks Salt Lake City to:

Reconsider the current ban on snowboarding at Olympus Hills Park
Preserve the park’s existing urban features and layout
Work with the snowboarding community to create a safe, responsible path forward for winter use of the space
Rail Gardens is a 31-acre public park overlooking Salt Lake City, featuring tennis courts, baseball diamonds, walking paths, playgrounds, and urban architectural features that became iconic within snowboarding culture. Generations of local riders, photographers, filmmakers, and visiting athletes have used the space creatively and respectfully during winter months.

In 2021, enforcement measures and fines effectively ended snowboarding access at the park. While we understand concerns regarding safety, maintenance, and liability, a complete ban erases an important part of Salt Lake City’s cultural and recreational history.

Parks exist not only to preserve nature, but also to preserve community identity, recreation, and historic cultural spaces. Rail Gardens represents all three.

This location cannot simply be replaced by building a new snowboard park elsewhere. Its significance comes from its history, design, visibility, and role in shaping modern street snowboarding. Rail Gardens has appeared in internationally recognized snowboard media and has helped establish Salt Lake City as a global destination for winter sports culture.

We believe there is an opportunity for Salt Lake City to become a national leader by recognizing urban snowboarding as a legitimate part of the city’s recreational and cultural heritage.

We respectfully ask the city to:

End the blanket prohibition on snowboarding at Olympus Hills Park
Preserve the existing stair sets, rails, and urban landscape features
Open dialogue with local snowboarders, residents, and parks officials regarding responsible seasonal use
Explore designated winter access guidelines that balance safety, maintenance, and recreation
Protecting Rail Gardens means protecting a piece of Salt Lake City history. It means recognizing the positive impact that snowboarding has had on generations of young people, artists, athletes, and outdoor enthusiasts.

Salt Lake City has long been known for innovation in winter sports and outdoor culture. Preserving Rail Gardens would demonstrate a commitment to recreation, creativity, and community for future generations.

Please help preserve this legacy.