BLM is offering public auto tours of the Transcontinental Railroad Grade
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SALT LAKE CITY – In recognition of the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Salt Lake Field Office is offering public automobile tours along the Transcontinental Railroad Grade Backcountry Byway, north of the Great Salt Lake, in Box Elder County. Tours will be held on Saturday, April 20, and Saturday, May 4, from 8:30 a.m. to approximately 5 p.m.
BLM team members will lead participants along remote and scenic portions of the Transcontinental Railroad Grade Backcountry Byway. The tour will start at the Flying J in Snowville, Utah and travel west along the railroad grade from Kelton to Terrace town sites, and then return to Snowville. Participants are responsible for and required to drive their own vehicles. Vehicles must be in good working order and have at least one functional spare tire. Each tour is limited to 15 cars, with one car per party. Pre-registration is required.
The Promontory Branch of the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 and subsequently abandoned in 1942. Today, a 90-mile contiguous stretch of this original railroad grade is managed by the BLM in Utah. Numerous stops along the byway provide visitors with the opportunity to view engineering features created by Chinese, Irish, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints workers using hand tools and dynamite. The tour will also visit historic town sites and view examples of the various culverts, wooden trestles, cuts, fills, sidings, and artifacts found along the grade.
Interested public must pre-register at: https://transcontinental-
For more information, contact Ray Kelsey at 801-539-4053 or rkelsey@blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (DD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.