Ogden - the perfect four season getaway
Written: Aug 03 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Four season destination, affordable, easy to get to
Cons: Still working on being an established tourist destination
The Bottom Line: Ogden, Utah is a wonderful place to spend a couple days if you're traveling, or ALL your time if skiing. Half the price of Park City.
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| echolaine's Full Review: Utah |
Ogden, Utah is definitely worth a stop on your itinerary no matter what time of the year you travel.
Historic 25th Street is a downtown in the midst of revival. Intimate, unique shopping with no chains or t-shirt stores. Check out Ruby & Begonia for charming household knickknacks like hand decorated photo frames and one of a kind glassware. Great Harvest Bread will cut you a slice of fresh bread even if you don't buy anything! Now that's small town hospitality. Rooster's Brewing Company has the best food and beer in town and it's fun to look at all the metalwork handcrafted by one of the owners. The WB tv show, Everwood, is currently being filmed along 25th Street - you could be famous!
Skiing? There are two resorts within 15 miles of Ogden - both excellent for different reasons. Snowbasin (home of the 2002 Olympic downhill courses) is well developed, has brand new lodges, and two high speed gondolas. I prefer to ski on the Strawberry side - less people, longer runs, good open bowls, gondola, and beautiful, easy-access bathrooms. Powder Mountain is a smaller, "locals" resort with slower chair lifts and a rope tow, but it has the best powder around - bar none. Spend an extra $6 on the cat tow - wonderful skiing inaccessible any other way. Don't ski at Powder if all you want is groomed runs - they exist, but are too short and often filled with kids and learners. Both resorts have virtually no lift lines...so far. If you need to rent equipment, check out Alpine Sports off Harrison Blvd - the price is rent and the rentals are kept in top condition. Locally owned.
Hiking? Weber Pathways, a local trails advocacy organization has an excellent map - check out www.weberpathways.org for places to pick it up. I especially recommend Wheeler Creek - great geologic formations, accessible year round (although in winter snowshoes are VERY helpful), not too much of an elevation gain but enough to get your heart going in a few places. Waterfall Canyon is a beautiful hike to a natural waterfall. Plan on 2 - 3 hours round trip, it is very steep, and some scrambling is necessary. Part of the hike is in very hot sun in the summer, but about half is in the shade along a creek.
Cross Country Skiing? Weber State University rents inexpensive equipment and can give you a heads up on which trails are groomed or frequently used. Trappers Loop Road through Forest Service land has numerous trails, and for beginners, the Ogden Community Golf Course lets you ski for free. Good for learning how to negotiate slight hills.
Birdwatchers? Ogden Nature Center is an urban oasis - they conserve about 150 acres within Ogden City limits, are right off the interstate, and have a couple of miles of walking trails along ponds and grasslands. Great for people and families of all ages - the center is home to mule deer, beaver, red fox, and hundreds of birds all roaming free. Gorgeous Visitor Center with unique nature-related gift shop and classroom with exhibits. These folks rehabilitate injured wild birds and have some nonreleasable native birds on exhibit. The Golden Eagle is worth the trip alone. www.ogdennaturecenter.org
Kids? In addition to Ogden Nature Center, the Treehouse Museum has good interactive displays and the Eccles Dinosaur Park recently opened a dino museum for all those little ones fascinated with things prehistoric.
Train buff? Check out Union Station, the renovated rail station with an excellent museum as well as rail cars and engines outside. Good free art gallery. The Union Grill is a great lunch stop, too.
Beer? Rooster's Brewing Company hands down. Also worth a stop is the Shooting Star Saloon up in Huntsville. It's the oldest bar in Utah. Great burgers.
Theatre? Peery's Egyptian Theatre is a renovated theatre in the (you guessed it) Egyptian style. Beautiful. Great, eclectic offerings - Utah Musical Theatre does fun, light musicals, and a variety of other artists (often international) appear several times per week.
Where to stay? The High Country Inn right off the 12th Street exit on I-15 has clean, spacious rooms, friendly management, and reasonable rates. Jeremiah's, their restaurant, offers the best breakfast in town - try the wagon wheel-sized pancakes. Downtown the Ben Lomond is historically elegant and locally owned, and the Crowne Plaza is brand new with a wonderful upscale restaurant, Nico's.
One must have for visiting the Ogden area is the excellent magazine produced by the Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Most reliable place to pick one up is in the Welcome Center at Union Station. It lists all area attractions and events, as well as restaurants and a good section on how to navigate the private clubs in case you want to drink but not eat. www.ogdencvb.org
Crime is negligible in downtown Ogden, traffic isn't bad except at rush hour or during road construction, people are very welcoming, and it isn't thronged with tourists.
Seasonal tips - in summer there is a wonderful farmer's market with local art along Historic 25th Street. In fall enjoy the leaves without the traffic - the perfect time to hike. Winter is all about skiing - locals also ice fish on Pineview Reservoir. Spring brings wildflowers - the road to Snowbasin is one of the prettiest in the state. The Ogden Marathon the first weekend in May is coupled with an authentic Cinco de Mayo - great weekend to visit.
Take the time to discover Ogden - there's so much to love.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
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Epinions.com ID:
echolaine
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Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Lifelong traveler, avid reader, Harvard grad, believer in word-of-mouth "finds". Trust is everything.
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