What's actually in the middle of the train loop at Thunder Junction? Riders on the quarter-scale train have been circling that open ground since the park opened in October 2016. On October 20, the City of St. George will hold a groundbreaking there.

The expansion is called Phase II, and it isn't going onto a new parcel at Tonaquint Park. It fills the space the train already wraps around. For a decade, the train has made a half-mile loop around a park built mostly along its outside edge. When Phase II is finished, the park will be twice its current size, and the train will have a stop inside its own loop.

What Opened in 2016

Washington County's report on the opening describes a ceremony on Saturday, October 8, 2016, at 1851 S. Dixie Drive, the Tonaquint Nature Center address. The park opened with wheelchair-accessible play, an erupting volcano, a splash pad and a quarter-scale train running on 2,700 feet of track. The Spectrum had already reported the October 8 ribbon cutting that September.

That first design was built around the train. Play areas sat along the track, and the train circled all of them. The ground inside the loop stayed open, so the train worked as a ride and as a view of the park from its outer edge. Phase II is a plan for that open middle.

What the City Is Building Inside the Loop

The most detailed public description is a bid recommendation on the St. George City Council's October 1, 2026 agenda. It's posted on the Utah Public Notice Website, and it lists the construction scope directly.

"Thunder Junction Park Phase 2 will include an entrance building, snowy mountain building (train stop, restroom, storage, water feature), shade structures, play equipment, and playground surfacing."

The key detail is the train stop inside the snowy mountain building. That gives the train a stop in the new section. The city hasn't described how train service will change once the stop opens.

Local radio station Star 98.1 covered the plans earlier this year and listed more of the play features. It put the expansion "in the open area where the train currently loops" and said it would double the park's size.

The original park has a volcano. The second half picks up the same prehistoric idea with mammoths, saber-tooth cats, a fossil walk and a snow-capped mountain for the train to stop at.

How It's Paid For and Where It Stands

According to the agenda, the city received three formal bids. Staff recommended awarding construction to Mint Construction, LLC. The award amount is listed as $3,710,224.61, and the low bid, which covers the base bid plus Bid Alternate 1, is listed in the same item as $3,710,224.31. The project is part of the FY 2027 Business Plan and is funded as a 2023 Trails, Parks and Recreation general obligation bond project.

The cost estimate has changed over time. St. George News reported earlier that a 2025 Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant gave Phase II $200,000 and put the total project cost at $3.8 million. The October bid comes in just under that earlier estimate.

Planning goes back two years. The city's Phase 2 project page shows a design proposal prepared on September 27, 2024, and an engineering services agreement with Civil Science approved on October 30, 2024. The city also runs a Phase II sponsorship page that asks families, businesses and community groups for donations toward a $1 million goal. Sponsor tiers start at any amount and go up to $100,000 and above.

The agenda packet includes a draft agreement with Mint Construction. It has the contractor starting work on or before October 13, 2026, and finishing on or before June 14, 2027, unless the contract documents extend that deadline. The form carries the $3,710,224.61 figure and has no signing date filled in. The city hasn't said how construction inside the loop will affect train operations, which makes that the question to bring to October 20.

October 20 and the Rest of the Park's October

The anniversary celebration runs Tuesday, October 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. The city lists free train rides and the Phase II groundbreaking ceremony. That's twelve days after the date of the 2016 ribbon cutting.

Here's how the park runs the rest of the month, according to the city's listing:

1. The park is free and open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
2. The fall train runs Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed Sundays. Rides are $2. The city takes Apple Pay, Google Pay, cash and cards, but not American Express or checks. Ticket sales close 10 minutes before closing time.
3. Pavilions can't be reserved and go first come, first served.
4. Dogs aren't allowed unless they're registered service animals.

The next week, the park's evenings belong to Spook-track-ular, Tuesday, October 27, through Friday, October 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. It has a haunted train ride, trick-or-treat stations, a dessert walk, pumpkin guessing and a holiday craft station. Tickets are $8 per person, kids 2 and under are free, and every ticket has to be bought in advance with no refunds. The city says Thunder Junction is closed to the public during event hours, so a casual evening visit those four nights takes a ticket.

Two city-run evening events in eleven days, both on the train, and one of them breaks ground on the half of the park that will hold the train's new stop.

The Calendar Around It

The Huntsman World Senior Games run October 5 through 17, according to Greater Zion's fall events guide. The anniversary falls three days after they wrap up. Here's what else is on the St. George calendar from mid-October into the holidays.

Details on the Pickle Pad come from a St. George News article labeled as sponsored content. It describes weekday drop-in play from 8 a.m. to noon and a menu of flatbreads, wings, burgers, sandwiches and smoothies, plus beer and wine. The full weekly hours haven't been published.

The Southern Utah Tribune listed the Brooker's opening in its October roundup. Brooker's describes itself as a super-premium homemade ice cream shop with an American founding-era theme. Hours for the St. George store haven't been announced.

The museum's Día de Muertos celebration is free and open to all ages. It includes a community art exhibition themed "Remember Me, Honoring Individuals Who Have Impacted Our Lives," and submitted artwork can be picked up through November 9 during museum hours.

November also changes the Saturday schedule. The Downtown Farmers Market at Vernon Worthen Park, 300 South 400 East, runs 8 a.m. to noon from May through October, then moves to 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from November through April. It's closed in January.

The season wraps up downtown. The city's Kickoff to Christmas on November 30 has Santa photos, extended Children's Museum hours with crafts, local performers and school choirs, and cocoa and cookies while supplies last. The event is free, and carousel rides cost the usual fee.

The Train's Next Ten Years

For its first ten years, the Thunder Junction train has circled open ground. The October 1 agenda describes a building inside that loop with a train stop, a restroom and a water feature, surrounded by new play areas and shade. The draft contract in the same packet sets June 14, 2027, as the completion deadline.

Projects like Thunder Junction Phase II are part of what we track as St. George grows into its next decade, from the bond-funded parks to the businesses filling in along Red Cliffs Drive. If you'd like to talk about how the city's newest projects fit into your plans, Dustin & Angie Hammer are always glad to share what we're seeing around town. Contact Us.