Ogden Nature Center North

Forest at Nature Center North

Location: North Ogden, Utah

Length: Trails in the Nature Center are about 1.5 miles if you do all of them, but there is also access to the Powerline Trail (approx 2.5 miles) and Bonneville Shoreline Trail (280 miles).

Water along trail: yes, in both streams and wetlands

Difficulty (1-5 scale with 1 being easy, 5 being difficult): 1 inside the nature center, the Bonneville Shoreline and Powerline Trail are a 2-3 (it was muddy when I went, and definitely a 3).

Dog Friendliness: This is a nature preserve, and so dogs should not be allowed off leash.  If your dog does not like water, this is not the hike for you.  Part of the trail goes through wetlands and requires you to walk on logs to avoid getting wet.

Boulder field from Powerline
Trail at Nature Center

Wetlands

Trailhead: From I-15, get off at the 12^th St exit and go right (east, towards the mountains).  Turn left onto Harrison Blvd., and drive until you reach the Nature Center Parking lot on the right.  The address is 1176 N. Harrison Blvd.

Pros: This trail is so different from anything else I have ever seen in Utah, with access to wetlands, a meadow stream, and deep forest all within 23 acres.  This is a very peaceful and easy walk, with shade and water access.

Bridge over stream

Cons: Not a good place to let dogs off-leash because of the nature preserve and the park is right off a busy road. If there were more than a few people you would likely run into a lot of people because the area is so small.

Tips: This would be a great place to take kids to learn about nature.  It does require the ability to walk over narrow platforms to cross wetlands.  If you are looking for access to Bonneville Shoreline Trail, this is a nice, paved trailhead with fairly easy access.

How to follow the trail: It is pretty easy to figure out, the Nature Center has a great map to use to find your way around.  This can be accessed online at http://www.ogdennaturecenter.org/facilities/ogden-nature-center-north.