- University of Utah opens new housing complex, dubbed "Trailhead."
- The facility will be home to almost 1,500 students.
- The Trailhead is part of the university's ongoing efforts to transform the campus community.
For generations, the University of Utah has largely functioned as a commuter school.
Traditionally, the vast majority of students arrive on campus in the morning — then jump back in their cars or on TRAX in the afternoon and depart campus.
That’s changing.
A key element of transforming the University of Utah over the next decade includes evolving from a commuter-focused place of learning into a fully realized community. A place students call home.
University leaders have dubbed that arching campus-reset “college town magic” — and a key element of that “magic“ is conjuring more opportunities for students to reside at the University of Utah.
In a few days, the university will welcome more than 1,440 students to Trailhead, the school’s newest residence hall. Located on the east end of campus near the Huntsman Center and the Fort Douglas TRAX stop, the 349,342-square-foot complex includes an east and west wing and will be home to first-year and upper-division undergraduates.
“I love when we’re able to activate a new building; it creates another place for community on campus,” said Sean Grube, the university’s associate vice president of House and Dining Programs, during a Tuesday media tour of Trailhead.
Student success, added Grube, is demonstrably linked to students residing where they are learning.
“Students who live on campus tend to graduate on time more frequently, have higher GPAs, and are just more a part of campus life overall,” he said.
“So being able to add almost 1,500 beds to our community and allow students to thrive in a new and different way is something that’s super exciting.”
“Dorms” is becoming an antiquated campus term — synonymous, perhaps, as uninviting places “for heads and beds.” But a residence hall such as Trailhead activates community — “and helps students bond and have relationships with one another,” said Grube.
Trailhead recreation and fitness
Would-be residents taking tours of Trailhead’s halls, open spaces and residential rooms will likely hear the term “recreation” again and again.
Recreating is an anchoring element of the six-story student housing complex — not only in the amenities offered inside the building, but also its proximity “to everything Utah has to offer,” said Grube.
Trailhead’s first floor includes a gaming hub for billiards, foosball and resident Esports tournaments, along with a well-stocked fitness room and an indoor bouldering room with two articulating “grasshopper” walls.
A sprawling storage room offers ample space for student-residents to store and repair their bicycles and ski and snowboard equipment.
Also located on the entry level floor is a 135-seat cafe that includes Mexican and Vietnamese options — along with a coffee and donut shop and a grab-and-go market. All of Trailhead’s dining options are compatible with University of Utah student dining plans.
“We’re really transitioning to a focus on mobile dining,” said Grube. “Students have told us they want to be able to eat quickly, get their food, and kind of move on.”
Meanwhile, floor levels 2-6 are secured residential spaces featuring a variety of rooms and suites — including male, female and gender inclusive rooms. Each floor also includes communal kitchens and laundry facilities.
There are outdoor gathering spots, a courtyard and a small amphitheater between the two Trailhead towers, presided over by a massive sculpture dubbed “The Lantern.”
And the building’s design and colors reflect Utah’s outdoor highlights.
“There’s also a turf area and hammock areas so students can relax and lounge there when the weather is nice,” said Anna Dickherber, the university’s executive director for Guest and Dining Programs.
So how much does it cost to live at Trailhead?
Annual residency prices range from approximately $10,000 to $13,000 — depending on the layout and room specifications, according to the university’s Trailhead site.
Meanwhile, a variety of required annual dining plans are approximately priced between $7,100 and $7,740.
The $155 million facility was built through a private partnership with American Campus Communities (ACC) and will be staffed by 43 live-in “student leaders,” two resident directors and a round-the-clock hospitality desk.
Grube calls Trailhead one of the “first activations” of the University of Utah’s emerging “college town magic.”
“And it’s not just focused on the outdoor (aspects), but also our gaming themes that we have inside … it’s really just about delivering what students are looking for.”
