Interested outdoor enthusiasts may want to lace up their shoes, hop on their bike or get on their horse because there are no ga or diesel-powered vehicles allowed on the trails around Ogden, Utah.
Weber Pathways’ website lists trails in and around the Ogden area. On their site, interested individuals can find maps and details about specific trails, including current trail conditions, distances and recommended activities for each trail.
Ogden resident Cassandra Fridberg said she has been using Waterfall Canyon Trail since her father first took her on it when she was 8 years old.
“Back then, you had to go through Mount Ogden Golf Course in order to get to a trail that linked to it,” Fridberg said. “You walked through the golfers.”
She said today there is a trailhead at 29th Street. Fridberg said the creek was beautiful, crystal clear water. However, it is a lot smaller in the fall than during the spring or summer.
The trail is strenuous because it’s uphill the whole way to the waterfall, she said. The average person can get to it in 40 to 50 minutes. Then, according to Fridberg, it is another 30 minutes on the way back down.
Beginning at the 29th street trail head, the trail starts as a two foot wide dirt path with a slight incline. Then, it gets wider and steeper as it makes its way along the mountainside.
About midway on the trail, there is a sign pointing the way up the canyon to the waterfall. There, the trail narrows, increases in steepness and becomes rocky, requiring people to traverse the trail like a flight of stairs where each step varies in height.
“Waterfall Canyon is the hardest trail I’ve ever been on,” hiker Kassandra Jimenez said. “The rocks are the worst part.”
Jimenez said she moved to Ogden four years ago from California. She likes every hike she goes on because of the surroundings; the trees, leaves and views provide a different experience every time.
Hiker Kristen Schmitt said she frequently uses the trails located on the foothills bordering the East Side of Ogden.
“I’m out there mostly every day,” Schmitt said. “My favorite trail is the Hidden Valley Trail.”
She said the loop is strenuous. To complete the 5.4-mile hike, she takes the Hidden Valley Trail and then returns by the Taylor Canyon Trail.
Schmitt said there is a lot of variety in trails around Ogden. Hikers can choose from many interconnected trails and go a different way every day.
